Hidroelectrica has completed the filling of Gura Apelor Lake at NNR

Hidroelectrica completed today the filling procedure at NNR (normal retention level) – 1072.5 mdm of Gura Apelor Lake, belonging to AHE Râul Mare Retezat, Hațeg Branch, as well as at the inauguration of the objective.

The filling of the lake, which covers about 360 hectares and accumulates about 220 million cubic meters of water, was possible only this year, amid favorable hydraulics.

The inauguration ceremony took place today in the presence of the central and local management of Hidroelectrica SA, together with the authorities of Hunedoara County.

“Today we are writing an important page in the history of Hidroelectrica, a page of confidence in the thorough work done and of the completely assumed decisions. This plant, from Râul Mare, is the second largest plant on inland rivers, but it was never exploited to the potential of the project, or we did not want this objective to remain a Cinderella of Hidroelectrica. We have confidence in the way this project was carried out, in the calculations made by the specialists and in the effort of the Hidroelectrica team. In addition, the filling of Lake Gura Apelor at NNR is a condition for implementing the Retezat CHE refurbishment project, whose estimated value amounts to almost 77 million euros, and which has already passed the initial stages of acquisition,” said Bogdan Badea, President of Hidoelectrica.

Gura Apelor Dam is the second largest clay core rock dam in Europe, the construction encompassing 7 million cubic meters of stone from quarries in the area, as well as one million cubic meters of land. The building, 160 meters high, is placed on a wide base of 560 meters and extends 460 meters long at the canopy.

The Raul Mare Retezat Hydropower Development includes the Gura Apelor dam and the Retezat and Clopotiva hydropower plants, with an installed capacity of 349 MW and an average multi-annual energy of 629.50 GWh.

AHE Raul Mare Retezat exploits the hydropower potential of a vast river basin, spread on the northern slopes of the Retezat Mountains and which functions as a real natural water castle.

The arrangement positively influences the downstream uses, especially the drinking water supplies. Also, AHE Raul Mare – Retezat regulates the natural flows of the rivers Șes, Râul Mare and Lăpușnicul Mare in the Gura Apelor accumulation, contributing to the mitigation of floods.