Lotru-Ciunget Hydropower Plant
Encyclopedia
Lotru-Ciunget Dam and Hydro Power Plant plant is a large hydroelectric complex on the Lotru River
situated in Romania
and one of the biggest complex facilities in Europe
. The complex consists of three hydroelectric power plants. The first and most productive one is Ciunget, the second one is Malaia and the third one is Bradisor which, just as Ciunget is an underground power plant.
The river which fills the dams is called Lotru. The first dam is called Vidra Lake
and is one of the biggest artificial lakes in Romania
. The dam supplies water to the Ciunget power plant via an 800 metre drop underground pipe. All the used water is recollected via an underground piping system and flows to the Malaia dam where is the second power plant. Malaia dam is a smaller dam and produces less electricity, mainly locally. From the second dam, the used water collects into the Bradisor dam. The Bradisor dam has a bigger capability of producing electricity than the Malaia dam and provides electricity to the Romanian national grid. Bradisor power plant is situated under a mountain in order to make the fall of water greater, thus more electricity.
The project was started and finished in the 1970s and it was made up by the construction of a rockfill with a clay core dam
140 m high and an underground power plant equipped with three hydrounits, having an installed capacity of 510 MW. The Pelton
type turbines operate under a net head of about 800 m. A 220 kV
outdoor substation connects the plant to the Romania
n electric grid.
The Ciunget hydro power plant entered revision and modernisation in 2007. This includes new generators to increase the electricity outflow. The modernisation period is expected to be finished in late 2010.
The power plant generates 1.15 TW·h (billion kW·h) of electricity per year.
Lotru River
The Lotru River is a tributary of the Olt River in Romania.- References :* Administraţia Naţională Apelor Române - Cadastrul Apelor - Bucureşti* Institutul de Meteorologie şi Hidrologie - Rîurile României - Bucureşti 1971...
situated in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and one of the biggest complex facilities in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The complex consists of three hydroelectric power plants. The first and most productive one is Ciunget, the second one is Malaia and the third one is Bradisor which, just as Ciunget is an underground power plant.
The river which fills the dams is called Lotru. The first dam is called Vidra Lake
Vidra lake
Vidra Lake is a storage reservoir, located in the Parâng Mountains group, on the Lotru River, in Romania.It has an area of 12.40 km² and a volume of 340 million m³....
and is one of the biggest artificial lakes in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. The dam supplies water to the Ciunget power plant via an 800 metre drop underground pipe. All the used water is recollected via an underground piping system and flows to the Malaia dam where is the second power plant. Malaia dam is a smaller dam and produces less electricity, mainly locally. From the second dam, the used water collects into the Bradisor dam. The Bradisor dam has a bigger capability of producing electricity than the Malaia dam and provides electricity to the Romanian national grid. Bradisor power plant is situated under a mountain in order to make the fall of water greater, thus more electricity.
The project was started and finished in the 1970s and it was made up by the construction of a rockfill with a clay core dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
140 m high and an underground power plant equipped with three hydrounits, having an installed capacity of 510 MW. The Pelton
Pelton wheel
The Pelton wheel is an impulse turbine which is among the most efficient types of water turbines. It was invented by Lester Allan Pelton in the 1870s. The Pelton wheel extracts energy from the impulse of moving water, as opposed to its weight like traditional overshot water wheel...
type turbines operate under a net head of about 800 m. A 220 kV
KV
-In physics and chemistry:* Voltage-gated potassium channel,a large family of potassium channels* Kilovolts , 1000 volts* The rating of RPMs per volt as used in reference to the rotational speed of brushless motors...
outdoor substation connects the plant to the Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n electric grid.
The Ciunget hydro power plant entered revision and modernisation in 2007. This includes new generators to increase the electricity outflow. The modernisation period is expected to be finished in late 2010.
The power plant generates 1.15 TW·h (billion kW·h) of electricity per year.