17 Exploitation of Rivers in Poland for Electricity …
331
The turn of the 1970s and 1980s is the period of the great Polish pumped
storage power plants. Two hydroelectric giants were created at that time: Por˛ abka˙
Zar (500 MW) in 1979 and ˙
Zarnowiec (680 MW) in 1982. In the first of them, the
water of the storage reservoir in Por˛ abka and the artificial water reservoir created
on the top of the ˙
Zar mountain were used, using a head of up to 440 m. A facility
of European and even world class was created in this way. In the second case, the
largest hydroelectric power plant in Poland was built, with an artificial upper storage
reservoir, Czymanowo located 125 m above Lake ˙
Zarnowieckie, on which the power
plant was built.
It was not until 1997 that the last large mixed, pumped storage hydropower plant
in Niedzica on the Dunajec was put into operation. Together with the equalizing
stage using a storage reservoir of a power plant in the Sromowce Wy˙ zne, launched
in 1994, they reached 94.8 MW altogether.
After 2000, only modernization works were carried out in hydropower plants in
Poland. In the autumn of 2003, the modernization of the Solina-San power plant was
completed, increasing its capacity to 200 MW. In 2005 HP Dychów was modernized, eventually reaching 88 MW. In 2012, the modernization of HP ˙
Zarnowiec
with a capacity of 716 MW was completed, and in 2013 the modernization of HP
˙
Zydowo was completed. After modernization, the power plant’s power increased to
167 MW. In 2014, the Pilchowice hydroelectric power plant was modernized, raising
its capacity to 13.4 MW and the Otmuchów power plant, increasing its capacity to
6.975 MW.
In addition to hydropower facilities that have been implemented, it is necessary to
mention projects that were not completed. Plans for hydro-technical engineering of
the Vistula River, which has the highest energy potential (52% of the energy potential
of the Polish rivers), were prepared at the beginning of the twentieth century. The first
concept of hydro-technical development of the Vistula River was established in the
1950s. According to [16], the entire Vistula River was to be developed with 42 stages,
of which several facilities were constructed in the upper reaches of the Vistula and
only one in the lower reaches (HP Włocławek). As the analysis of energy management
mainly of the lower Vistula was conducted, the best solutions were sought for, and
the development concepts were subject to various modifications. As a result, at the
end of the 1980s, with a connection to the economic crisis, plans for hydro-technical
construction of the lower Vistula were abandoned. The return to the hydro-energetic
development of the lower Vistula occurred only at the beginning of the second decade
of the twenty-first century, when the location of the next channelized stage below
Włocławek was considered. From among 4 possible variants of the location of the
new stage, Siarzewo was selected due to the possibility of permanent protection of the
Włocławek dam [17]. In the following years, long-lasting administrative procedures
for obtaining a water-law permit for the implementation of investment in Siarzewo
were started, which eventually ended in 2017.
331
The turn of the 1970s and 1980s is the period of the great Polish pumped
storage power plants. Two hydroelectric giants were created at that time: Por˛ abka˙
Zar (500 MW) in 1979 and ˙
Zarnowiec (680 MW) in 1982. In the first of them, the
water of the storage reservoir in Por˛ abka and the artificial water reservoir created
on the top of the ˙
Zar mountain were used, using a head of up to 440 m. A facility
of European and even world class was created in this way. In the second case, the
largest hydroelectric power plant in Poland was built, with an artificial upper storage
reservoir, Czymanowo located 125 m above Lake ˙
Zarnowieckie, on which the power
plant was built.
It was not until 1997 that the last large mixed, pumped storage hydropower plant
in Niedzica on the Dunajec was put into operation. Together with the equalizing
stage using a storage reservoir of a power plant in the Sromowce Wy˙ zne, launched
in 1994, they reached 94.8 MW altogether.
After 2000, only modernization works were carried out in hydropower plants in
Poland. In the autumn of 2003, the modernization of the Solina-San power plant was
completed, increasing its capacity to 200 MW. In 2005 HP Dychów was modernized, eventually reaching 88 MW. In 2012, the modernization of HP ˙
Zarnowiec
with a capacity of 716 MW was completed, and in 2013 the modernization of HP
˙
Zydowo was completed. After modernization, the power plant’s power increased to
167 MW. In 2014, the Pilchowice hydroelectric power plant was modernized, raising
its capacity to 13.4 MW and the Otmuchów power plant, increasing its capacity to
6.975 MW.
In addition to hydropower facilities that have been implemented, it is necessary to
mention projects that were not completed. Plans for hydro-technical engineering of
the Vistula River, which has the highest energy potential (52% of the energy potential
of the Polish rivers), were prepared at the beginning of the twentieth century. The first
concept of hydro-technical development of the Vistula River was established in the
1950s. According to [16], the entire Vistula River was to be developed with 42 stages,
of which several facilities were constructed in the upper reaches of the Vistula and
only one in the lower reaches (HP Włocławek). As the analysis of energy management
mainly of the lower Vistula was conducted, the best solutions were sought for, and
the development concepts were subject to various modifications. As a result, at the
end of the 1980s, with a connection to the economic crisis, plans for hydro-technical
construction of the lower Vistula were abandoned. The return to the hydro-energetic
development of the lower Vistula occurred only at the beginning of the second decade
of the twenty-first century, when the location of the next channelized stage below
Włocławek was considered. From among 4 possible variants of the location of the
new stage, Siarzewo was selected due to the possibility of permanent protection of the
Włocławek dam [17]. In the following years, long-lasting administrative procedures
for obtaining a water-law permit for the implementation of investment in Siarzewo
were started, which eventually ended in 2017.