Iron Gate I Hydro Power Plant
Encyclopedia
The Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station is the largest dam on the Danube
river and one of the largest hydro power plants in Europe
. It is located on the Iron Gate
gorge, between Romania
and Serbia
.
The project started in 1964 as a joint-venture between the governments of Romania
and Yugoslavia
for the construction of a major dam
on the Danube River which would serve both countries. At the time of completion in 1972, it was one of the largest hydroelectric power stations in the world with twelve units generating , divided equally between the two countries at each.
The Romanian part of the dam was modernized and the nominal capacity of the six units was increased from to , thus giving an installed capacity of and increasing the entire power generation capacity of the dam to . On the Serbian part of the dam, modernization started in July 2008 and is still in progress; so far has been modernized, and revitalization of the remaining five is in the preparation phase. The units are being upgraded with the help of Russian company ОАО "Рязанский станкостроительный завод" (Ryazan Machine Tool Plant), as well as their subcontractors with the participation of eleven domestic companies. The Romanian side of the power station
produces approximately annually, while the Serbian side of the power station produces .
The discrepancy in power output between the two halves is due to the generating equipment. While Romania's equipment is newer and thus more efficient (thereby generating more power), it is proving more unreliable; resulting in increased downtime for maintenance/repairs, and consequently lower annual power output overall..
In addition to the upgrades, the Serbian side is planning on building a new, smaller power station, called Iron Gate III .
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
river and one of the largest hydro power plants 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...
. It is located on the Iron Gate
Iron Gate (Danube)
The Iron Gates The gorge lies between Romania in the north and Serbia in the south. At this point, the river separates the southern Carpathian Mountains from the northwestern foothills of the Balkan Mountains. The Romanian, Hungarian, Slovakian, Turkish, German and Bulgarian names literally mean...
gorge, between 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 Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.
The project started in 1964 as a joint-venture between the governments of Romania
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
and Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
for the construction of a major 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...
on the Danube River which would serve both countries. At the time of completion in 1972, it was one of the largest hydroelectric power stations in the world with twelve units generating , divided equally between the two countries at each.
The Romanian part of the dam was modernized and the nominal capacity of the six units was increased from to , thus giving an installed capacity of and increasing the entire power generation capacity of the dam to . On the Serbian part of the dam, modernization started in July 2008 and is still in progress; so far has been modernized, and revitalization of the remaining five is in the preparation phase. The units are being upgraded with the help of Russian company ОАО "Рязанский станкостроительный завод" (Ryazan Machine Tool Plant), as well as their subcontractors with the participation of eleven domestic companies. The Romanian side of the power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
produces approximately annually, while the Serbian side of the power station produces .
The discrepancy in power output between the two halves is due to the generating equipment. While Romania's equipment is newer and thus more efficient (thereby generating more power), it is proving more unreliable; resulting in increased downtime for maintenance/repairs, and consequently lower annual power output overall..
In addition to the upgrades, the Serbian side is planning on building a new, smaller power station, called Iron Gate III .
See also
- Iron Gate II Hydroelectric Power Station
- List of conventional hydroelectric power stations
- Energy in Romania