Environment Ministry Approves New Hydroelectric Power Plant in Cunovo

Bratislava, 5 September (TASR) - The Environment Ministry greenlighted the construction of a new hydroelectric power plant in Cunovo, the ministry’s communications department informed TASR on Friday based on the final opinion to the environmental impact assessment (EIA) which has already entered into force. The project will be implemented by the state-run water management construction company Vodohospodarska Vystavba, with total costs estimated to at least €50 million. "The new power plant in Cunovo, with an installed capacity of 14.83 MW, will be capable of supplying clean energy to a smaller regional capital in Slovakia. However, the investment is also important in that it will support energy generation from renewable sources," said Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (an SNS nominee). He added that the 1995 agreement between the Slovak and Hungarian governments on certain technical measures and water flows into the Danube and the Moson branch of the Danube river will remain unaffected. In the final opinion concerning EIA, the ministry imposed 22 technical measures on the investor to eliminate or reduce adverse environmental impacts. The issue of safe fish migration was also addressed during the EIA procedure. The planned hydroelectric plant Cunovo II will be directly connected to the existing Cunovo plant and will not require changes in the flow, as the plant will use the currently unused flow into the old Danube riverbed. According to VV's Director General Peter Molda, preparations for the planned investment project have already begun, with the construction work expected to be launched in 2028. The long-planned project should be financed mainly from VV's own funds, but its final cost will depend on the outcome of a transparent public tender. The new hydroelectric plant is expected to generate 82 GWh of electricity annually. jrg/mcs