The Belmeken pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant (PAVEC), which is the first stage of the largest hydropower cascade in Bulgaria, Belmeken-Sestrimo-Momina gorge, welcomes its 50th anniversary with completely renewed turbine equipment, new drives for spherical dampers and completely revamped control systems. On Tuesday, the completion of the rehabilitation was celebrated with a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, Energy Minister Rumen Radev, the director of the owner of the power plant NEK – Martin Georgiev, and others.
Shortly after that, the repair of one of the hydro units of our largest PAVETS – “Chaira”, which had an accident two years ago, was started, which is not working due to the accident, but by the end of 2024, the repair of one facility will be completed and it will be commissioned.
“We are located in a place that combines in a unique way the natural beauties and features of Bulgaria with engineering achievements”, said Prime Minister Academician Nikolay Denkov, quoted by the government press service. In his words, thanks to PAVETS “Belmeken” and PAVETS “Chaira” Bulgaria is one of the leading engineering examples of how natural resources could be used for the benefit of energy.
Scientific research, innovation and new technologies have led to the fact that it is easier to create energy than to store it and use it when we need it, adds the Prime Minister.
“Precisely these facilities – pumped-storage plants – have proven to be leading in terms of efficiency, capacity, flexibility, as long as you have the natural resources and the engineers who could build, develop and use them properly”he states.
According to him, together with the Minister of Energy, they have the task of building even more ambitious projects in other places where Bulgaria has such opportunities.
Months ago, Radev announced that his department was planning two new underground PAVETS at the “Dospat” and “Batak” dams. Bulgaria plans to request 150 million euros from the European program RePowerEUwhich is part of the recovery and sustainability plan, with which to finance a feasibility study for the two new PAVEC with a total energy storage capacity of 1600 MW.
Energy Minister Rumen Radev specially congratulated the veterans present at the ceremony for the enormous work done over the years. “I am very glad that the rehabilitation of this cascade with the last hydro unit has been completed. The rehabilitation of the Momina Klisura HPP was completed last year. I hope for long-term, accident-free and safe work”notes Minister Radev.
“The modernization of the plant is part of the ambitious investment and repair program of NEK, which last year reached record values for the company. Realizing its responsibility as the largest producer of energy from renewable sources, NEK will continue to systematically invest in the maintenance and improvement of hydrotechnical facilities”the head of the “National Electric Company” Martin Georgiev points out in turn.
50 years of work
PAVETS “Belmeken” is located in Rila mountain, below the dam “Belmeken” and utilizes a water fall of 690 m. There are 5 vertical turbines installed in the plant with a total installed capacity of 375 MW in generator mode and 104 MW in pump mode.
In 1973, hydrounit 4 was put into operation, which was the first for the plant.
The waters from PAVETS “Belmeken” enter the Stankovi baraki day leveler located immediately next to the plant. Through a tunnel and an underground pressure pipeline with a total length of 5000 m, the water from the leveler Stankovi baraki reaches the Sestrimo HPP, and then to the Momina Klisura HPP.
The average annual production of electricity from the plant is 294 GWh. The electrical energy produced by PAVEC Belmeken since its commissioning until now is 14,700,794,184 kWh. The plant has operated a total of 175,040 hours.
The entire Cascade Belmeken – Sestrimo – Momina Gorge has a total installed capacity of 735 MW in generator mode and 104 MW in pump mode.
The rehabilitation of the three plants is carried out by the consortium KONČAR KET – ČKD BLANSKO – RUDIS for a total of 19,997,642.45 euros. Of these, nearly 10 million euros are for PAVETS “Belmeken”. The financing was provided by the International Fund “Kozloduy” of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which received the compensations from the EC due to the closure of the small reactors of the NPP “Kozloduy”.
Start of the rehabilitation of PAVETS “Chaira”
After the ceremony at Belmeken PAVEC, Prime Minister Denkov and Minister Radev visited the machine room of Chaira PAVEC, where the actual rehabilitation activities of hydrounit 2 were launched with the application of an innovative engineering solution by NEK and the consortium that is the contractor of the rehabilitation. The deadline for the completion of the rehabilitation of hydro unit 2 is until the end of this yearwhen it is necessary to proceed to water samples and then to commissioning.
Upon successful implementation of the engineering solution of hydro unit 2, the same will apply to hydro unit 3, with the deadline for the completion of its repair being the end of 2025.
For hydro unit 1, the rehabilitation of which was not subject to the ill-fated repair two years ago, negotiations continue. The deadline for its repair is to be defined during the final negotiations and after receiving a binding offer. Hydro aggregate 4 is in the process of announcing a tender procedure for the replacement of the turbine, which will take about three years after the conclusion of the contract with the selected contractor, the government intelligence agency said.
The total cost of the renovation of the Chaira Pavement Plant is estimated at BGN 80 million., which will be provided with NEK’s own money and loans. This is many times less than the calculations of the previous minister of energy Rosen Hristov, whose bills were for BGN 2 billion for a complete repair. In the state budget for 2024, there are state guarantees specifically for BGN 80 million for loans for the rehabilitation of this unique hydro facility – the largest underground plant on the Balkan Peninsula.
“Zero” in the world high-pressure PAVETS project
For the time of design and construction, the project was classified as “zero” because it was the world’s first high-pressure PAVET. Now PAVETS “Chaira” is in third place in the world in terms of fall for this type of PAVETS (single-stage reversible turbine). In first and second place in terms of head (water drop) are plants built in Japan, but which were built significantly later than the construction of the “Chaira” PAVEC, which is why the plant continues to be a unique site on a global scale.
With an installed capacity of 864 MW in generator mode and 784 MW in pump mode, the power plant makes it possible to successfully balance both the traditional base capacities – nuclear power plants and thermal power plants – and to successfully integrate renewable energy sources.
“Chaira” PAVETS is of key importance for balancing the electricity system with its consumption in pumping mode of operation – in case of overproduction of electricity, the energetically processed waters from the “Chaira” dam are pumped (raised) back into the “Belmeken” dam”.
That is why the restoration of the Chaira PAVEC is among the main priorities of the NEK and the government.
2024-02-13 15:58:15
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