Markersbach Pumped Storage Power Plant

50°31′03″N 12°52′50″E / 50.51750°N 12.88056°E / 50.51750; 12.88056StatusOperationalConstruction began1970Opening date1979; 45 years ago (1979)Owner(s)VattenfallReservoirCreatesMarkesbach UpperTotal capacity6,300,000 m³ (5,107 acre⋅ft) (upper)Power StationHydraulic head288 m (945 ft)Turbines6 × 174.25 MW Francis pump turbineInstalled capacity1,045 MWAnnual generation980 GWh

The Markersbach Pumped Storage Power Plant is a hydroelectric power station utilizing pumped-storage technology in Markersbach, Saxony, Germany. The installed capacity of the power plant is 1,045 MW. It is Germany's second largest Pumped Storage Power Plant.

It is owned and operated by Vattenfall (Vattenfall Wasserkraft GmbH).^[1]

History

Planning for the power plant began in 1961, construction began in 1970 and the generators were commissioned in 1979. The power station generates electricity by moving water between an upper and lower reservoir. During periods of low energy demand, water is pumped from the lower reservoir at an elevation of 563 m (1,847 ft) to an upper reservoir at 850 m (2,789 ft). When energy demand is high, the water is released back down towards the lower reservoir and fed through six 174.25 MW reversible Francis pump turbines, the same machines that pumped the water to the upper reservoir. The installed capacity of the power plant is 1,045 MW.^[2][3]

See also

References