Director of the Moldova II Vrancea Hail Control Unit Ionut Lucian Lazar says that in Romania there is a special cloud seeding plane to stimulate precipitation, but it is not used because the services should be officially requested by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The aircraft purchased for approximately five million euros from the United States by a Romanian company under the umbrella of the Agriculture Ministry is fully equipped and authorized.
"We have all the approvals and authorizations, we are licensed as an air operator. The plane is ready for cloud seeding flights, but the activity is carried out only at the request of the National Anti-Hail and Precipitation Increase Authority, a structure under the authority of the Agriculture Ministry. So far, there has been no concrete request, therefore we cannot act," Ionut Lazar told AGERPRES.
The aircraft was purchased to reduce Romania's reliance on other countries, after experimental precipitation stimulation programs were carried out in the past with partners from Bulgaria and Greece.
The technology allows for a 15-20% increase in the amount of precipitation from a cloud, and the effect is almost instantaneous.
In addition to this plane, the company has also developed projects for the installation of automatic terrestrial precipitation generators in mountainous areas, to stimulate snowfall in the cold season. Attempts are made to obtain funding through European programs for this project, proposed for Vrancea County.
"If we succeed in installing precipitation generators along the entire mountain range in Romania, we can significantly contribute to restoring water reserves through controlled rain and snowfall. It would be beneficial for both agriculture and tourism. We are proud that the terrestrial generators are produced by our company, with our own specialists, and for this technology we have also filed a patent application with the State Office for Inventions and Trademarks," said Lazar.
Despite the proven potential, Romania still does not have an active program for stimulating precipitation through airborne technology, although this is available to the authorities. "The ball is in the ministry's court," concluded Lazar.
The hail control season should begin on April 15, with the system protecting over 10,000 hectares of vineyards, orchards and vegetable crops in Vrancea County.
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