The modernisation of Serbia’s Electric Power Industry Company (EPS) hydropower plants continues, and following work on the Bajina Bašta, Zvornik and Đerdap 1 plants, the reconstruction of the Vlasina Hydropower Plants will soon begin. The contract was signed today by EPS and the contractor Energotehnika Juzna Bačka.
“On the day the Vlasina Hydropower Plants celebrate their 70th year of operation, we are officially launching their modernisation project, which will increase the installed capacity by eight megawatts and ensure more reliable operation over the next three to four decades. This is a new life and work for the veteran of the hydropower sector, EPS,” said Dušan Živković, General Manager of EPS.
He noted that the Vlasina Hydropower Plants are unique within EPS’s portfolio, operating in a cascade system, and because they generate energy four times in succession, they represent a significant source of peak power.
“The total value of the project is 109.7 million euros, covering the reconstruction and modernisation of the production units, auxiliary systems, and hydromechanical equipment. The main equipment of the units, the turbines and generators, will be supplied by renowned international companies Andritz Hydro and Gamesa Electric,” Živković added.
The project is financed through a 67 million euro loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a 15.43 million euro grant from the European Union via the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), with the remaining 27.26 million euros provided by EPS.
The Vlasina Hydropower Plants began operation on 6 November 1955, with the commissioning of the first unit of the Vrla 1 Hydropower Plant. The system comprises the Vlasina Reservoir, four cascade-connected diversion hydropower plants, and the Lisina pumping station with the reservoir of the same name. Since the start of operation, the 129 MW power plants have produced more than 17 million MWh of green electricity.