Mratinje Dam
Encyclopedia
The Mratinje Dam is a concrete
arch dam
in the canyon of the Piva River
in Montenegro
.
The dam was completed in 1975 with designs by Energoprojekt. Its construction resulted in the flooding of the Piva canyon and the creation of Lake Piva
, which, with its 12.5 km², is the second largest lake in Montenegro.
The dam is 220 metres (721.8 ft) high, one of the highest in Europe
. The dam is 268 metres (879.3 ft) long and 4.5 metres (14.8 ft) thick at the crest, while it is 30 metres (98.4 ft) long and 36 metres (118.1 ft) thick at the base. The foundations go as deep as 38 metres (124.7 ft) into the ground. 820000 cubic metres (1,072,519.5 cu yd) of concrete and 5,000 tonnes of steel
were built into the dam.
The hydroelectric power station
at Mratinje is capable of producing 860 gigawatt-hours
per annum. It has three turbines and generators, each with a generation capacity of 120 MW.
The location of the 16th century Piva Monastery
was flooded by the lake, so while the dam was built, the monastery was broken into pieces and moved to a higher ground, 3.5 km away. It was reconstructed in the original way.
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
arch dam
Arch dam
An arch dam is a type of dam that is curved and commonly built with concrete. The arch dam is a structure that is designed to curve upstream so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, compressing and strengthening the structure as it pushes...
in the canyon of the Piva River
Piva River
The Piva is a river in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, shorter headwater of the Drina river, which it forms with the Tara river on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.- Course :...
in Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
.
The dam was completed in 1975 with designs by Energoprojekt. Its construction resulted in the flooding of the Piva canyon and the creation of Lake Piva
Piva River
The Piva is a river in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, shorter headwater of the Drina river, which it forms with the Tara river on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.- Course :...
, which, with its 12.5 km², is the second largest lake in Montenegro.
The dam is 220 metres (721.8 ft) high, one of the highest 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 dam is 268 metres (879.3 ft) long and 4.5 metres (14.8 ft) thick at the crest, while it is 30 metres (98.4 ft) long and 36 metres (118.1 ft) thick at the base. The foundations go as deep as 38 metres (124.7 ft) into the ground. 820000 cubic metres (1,072,519.5 cu yd) of concrete and 5,000 tonnes of steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
were built into the dam.
The hydroelectric power station
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
at Mratinje is capable of producing 860 gigawatt-hours
Watt-hour
The kilowatt hour, or kilowatt-hour, is a unit of energy equal to 1000 watt hours or 3.6 megajoules.For constant power, energy in watt hours is the product of power in watts and time in hours...
per annum. It has three turbines and generators, each with a generation capacity of 120 MW.
The location of the 16th century Piva Monastery
Piva Monastery
Piva Monastery is located in Piva, Montenegro near the source of the Piva River in northern Montenegro. Built between 1573 and 1586, it was rebuilt in another location in 1982...
was flooded by the lake, so while the dam was built, the monastery was broken into pieces and moved to a higher ground, 3.5 km away. It was reconstructed in the original way.