The National Administration 'Apele Române' (ANAR) and the Crisuri Water Basin Administration reaffirm their commitment to continue all necessary steps to complete the 'Mihăileni Accumulation' investment on the Crisul Alb River, Hunedoara County, in conditions of full legality, administrative responsibility and in the public interest of citizens, ANAR announced on Friday.

'The completion of the Mihăileni reservoir remains a strategic objective for reducing flood risk, ensuring water resources and protecting communities in Hunedoara County,' states a press release from ANAR, which presents the administrative steps taken to complete the aforementioned investment.

The investment project, 90% completed, was left without a construction permit following a final decision by the Cluj Court of Appeal, taken on February 16, in a lawsuit filed by the Declic Association.

'Although the motivation of the decision of 16.02.2026 of the Cluj Court of Appeal regarding the cancellation of the construction authorization no. 69/2640/22.04.1987 has not yet been officially communicated, given the strategic importance of the investment for the safety of downstream communities and for the management of water resources, the Crișuri Water Basin Administration - as beneficiary - has initiated administrative measures to unblock the situation and continue the project in full legality. It is essential to emphasize the fact that, since the completion of the dam body, the Mihăileni accumulation has been in operation. Following the heavy rainfall in January 2024 and May 2025, the construction functioned according to the purpose for which it was designed, attenuating the flood waves by approximately: 2.5 million cubic meters (January 2024), 3 million mc (May 2025). This contribution played a major role in preventing flooding of downstream localities, confirming the usefulness and necessity of the investment,' ANAR representatives mentioned in the press release.

They specify that the works that were not the subject of the dispute were continued, even during the court settlement of file no. 417/117/2022. Thus, according to building permit no. 64/30.04.2024, stage I - diversion of medium and low voltage networks - was completed; stage II - diversion of medium and low voltage networks according to permit 97/28.06.2024 - is 87% completed, with a final deadline of May 2026; stage III - building permit no. 3/07.04.2025 is 91% completed, with a completion deadline of May 2026). Regarding the diversion of the high-voltage network, according to authorization 20/06.03.2025, it is in the approval stage at Retele Electrice România, with the estimated completion date being December 2028.

According to ANAR, depending on the budget allocations for 2026, the works to divert high-voltage networks can be started as soon as the legal and financial conditions are met.

The works completed 100% in 2022 concern the dam with a central spillway with 3 openings and hydromechanical equipment, and the remaining works are: cleaning and sanitation of the lake basin; diversion of DN74; diversion of the high-voltage power line; integration and full commissioning works.

To accelerate the project, the Crisuri Water Basin Administration (ABA) is working on two main directions, namely updating the technical and economic documentation and carrying out administrative procedures for new approvals and authorizations.

The first line of action includes: updating the general estimate - currently under approval and updating the feasibility study for the re-approval of the technical and economic indicators. On February 26, 2026, a meeting was held at the headquarters of ABA Crisuri with representatives of the general designer, SC Aquaproiect SA, who undertook to submit the updated documentation (SF phase) within 15 days. Subsequently, the documentation will go through the legal approval stages within the Technical and Economic Council of the Crișuri Water Basin Administration, the National Administration 'Romanian Waters', the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests and the Interministerial Council.

'After completing the above-mentioned stages, a Government Decision will be issued to re-approve the technical-economic indicators, and, after the adoption of the Government Decision, the legal procurement procedures for the design and execution of the remaining works will be initiated,' ANAR representatives said.

Regarding the second direction of action, ANAR emphasizes that, on Friday, the management of ABA Crisuri participated in a working meeting in Deva, together with authorities and representatives of the Hunedoara Environmental Protection Directorate, and the following were established: the immediate submission of applications for urban planning certificates; the calendar for obtaining environmental permits and other necessary permits; steps for the legal regulation of the works carried out based on the 1987 authorization, after the communication of the court's reasoning.

ANAR specifies that the issuance of the CTE approval of the Ministry of Environment is mandatory for obtaining all approvals and authorizations provided for in the urban planning certificates.

In the last four years, the project could not be completed as a result of litigation initiated by the Declic Association, which generated repeated suspensions of administrative procedures and led to the blocking of an investment at an advanced stage of execution.

The President of the Hunedoara County Council (CJ), Laurentiu Nistor, recently declared that the halting of work on the Mihaileni Hydrotechnical Accumulation was a mistake, given that the dam there was intended to take over the floods on the Crisul Alb River and ensure the water supply of the Brad municipality and the downstream localities, up to the border with Arad County.

Construction work at Mihăileni began in 1987, and in 2022 the reservoir dam, the high-water discharger, and the exploitation headquarters were completed.

The main objective of the Mihăileni reservoir is to provide water to the Brad municipality and the downstream communes, to absorb floods from the slopes and to protect local communities against floods.

The lake can hold a volume of water of over 10.3 million cubic meters and has a planned surface area of 119 hectares. The height of the reservoir dam is 35 meters, the construction being made of ballast, rockfill and concrete.AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Mariana Nica, editing by: Andreea Marinescu; EN - writing by: Catalin Cristian Trandafir)