Renewable energy sources are becoming more and more popular worldwide. Romania has the chance to obtain energy in a non-emission manner, increase energy safety, and meet EU requirements with respect to the E-RES share. Alternative energy and increase of energy efficiency will continue to be high on the agenda of the Romania politics for the next decades. Romania seeks to decrease her dependence on energy imports, and the best ways to do so are to increase internal energy production with the help of alternative energy and to reduce energy consumption by increasing efficiency.

The Romania’s climate and geographical position – with the Black Sea to the east, the Carpathians in the centre and the Danube crossing the territory in the south – provides many opportunities to exploit its renewable energy sources. For over 30 years, Romania’s most important source of clean energy has been large hydro power plants.

In this project, the Middle School Scaeşti students made a trip to the Iron Gates Hydroelectric Power Station.

Iron Gates Hydroelectric Power Station Branch administers the largest hydroelectric power stations on the Danube River: the Iron Gates I, with an installed capacity of 1080 MW and Iron Gates II, with installed capacity of 250 MW. Both hydroelectric power stations are operated in partnership with Serbian, the Serbian and Romanian hydroelectric power stations at Iron Gates I cumulating 2160 MW, and the Iron Gates II cumulating 500 MW.

The Hydroelectric Power Stations Iron Gates I and II can flow turbine installed of 8700 mc/s. The Iron Gates I is located at 15 km upstream from the city of Drobeta Turnu - Severin and the Iron Gates II station at 60 km downstream. Danube navigation is ensured through locks made ​​ on both sides in both objectives, having together a traffic capacity of 52.4 million tons/year for sluicing on each direction and 37.2 million tons/year for sluicing in both directions.

Iron Gates I system is one of the largest hydraulic engineering in Europe and the largest of the Danube. Its water reservoir with a volume of over 2.2 billion cubic meters is extending from the dam to the confluence with the Tisa River. The lake contains mainly the Danube Gorge, the largest gorge in Europe, ranging between localities Bazias and Orsova.

Iron Gates area has a rich potential archaeological, historical and touristic. To protect its special natural habitat, the region of Danube Gorge was included in the Nature Park Iron Gates. The Danube Gorge region is one of the most picturesque and attractive touristic areas, through both natural beauties of the region and the historical monuments dating from the Roman Empire.

Ruins of the Drobeta Roman fort and of the bridge built by Emperor Trajan over the Danube are just some of the attractions offered by the Iron Gates museum from Drobeta Turnu -Severin city.