The power of industrial landscape
Several days ago I had the occasion to look at the Kruonis hydroaccumulation power station from other side of the river. Today my brief report about the object:
Kruonis HAE is a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station which is located on the shores of the so-called Kaunas sea (artificial lake formed when Kaunas HE was built) about 40 km from the town. But if you will want to look to the station from the other coast of the river the distance is significantly shorter - about 25 km.
Pumped-storage power stations may look as a weird ones: they are using the electricity to pump water from the natural lower basins to the artificial higher ones and later using this water to generate electricity pumping water down. And those stations consumes more electricity than produces. Despite of that now this station is sometimes called the most valuable asset of Lithuanian energy system due to the new trends in the development European energy systems.
The construction of Kruonis HAE (then called Kaišiadoris HAE) started in 1981-1982 when the construction of Ignalina nuclear power plant was well into the middle and the soviet authorities had grand plans of the nuclear energy development in the region (there were 5 nuclear power plants planed in the region: beside Ignalina also stations in Liepaja, Kaliningrad, near Minsk, etc.). Such plans showed that region will have significant energy surplus at night. So this night electricity was planned to use in pumped-storage power stations and to use such stations to generate electricity during rush hours. In 1988 Kruonis HAE was one of the most important objects of offense by the new green movements. This resulted that construction of the power station was stopped and later renewed in 1992 -1996 since Lithuania had huge surplus of Ignalina electricity at night. It was planned initially that Kruonis HAE will have 8 blocks and will have a total capacity of 2 GW. In fact in 1990s only 4 blocks were built.
It looked that Kruonis HAE will have dark future when Ignalina station will be closed. But it wasn't and seems that this station will have even brighter future. Recently here was approved the decision to start the construction of 5th block next spring and may be the 6th block later.
The reason ? The massive construction of wind power stations in the northern Europe and particularly in the Scandinavia. Wind may be cheap and abundant source of energy for us but it is very unstable source. How to balance these instabilities ? To use pumped-storage power stations is one of the answers.
If no one will say this openly but the presence of Kruonis HAE in Lithuania is the main reason why Swedes agreed to build SwedLitLink electricity bridge (the construction as I know is starting) and the presence of Zarnowice HAE in Poland is the main reason why they agreed to build SwedPolLink (construction approaching the end). And the surplus electricity from Lithuanian wind farms should be used somewhere also ... So this power station is finding new life in a new energy system that only is starting to get shape and will continue it's development in the decades to come.
The power station is seen far away - from other side of the river and sea:
10 years ago it was possible to walk around the station and even look to the artificial upper basin. Now whole area of station is closed and guarded. So we can observe the station only from other coast of the sea:
The neighbors of the station:)))
Let's use the zoom capabilities of camera :)) The station - closer look:
Even closer look. It could be easily seen that only 4 blocks out of 8 are working now. It seems that the number of working blocks will grow in the nearest future:
Some buildings near the natural basin were pumping is done:
Some transformer stations - indivisible part of any power station:
This is a first report of my "industrial" reports set that I will post gradually
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Kruonis HAE is a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station which is located on the shores of the so-called Kaunas sea (artificial lake formed when Kaunas HE was built) about 40 km from the town. But if you will want to look to the station from the other coast of the river the distance is significantly shorter - about 25 km.
Pumped-storage power stations may look as a weird ones: they are using the electricity to pump water from the natural lower basins to the artificial higher ones and later using this water to generate electricity pumping water down. And those stations consumes more electricity than produces. Despite of that now this station is sometimes called the most valuable asset of Lithuanian energy system due to the new trends in the development European energy systems.
The construction of Kruonis HAE (then called Kaišiadoris HAE) started in 1981-1982 when the construction of Ignalina nuclear power plant was well into the middle and the soviet authorities had grand plans of the nuclear energy development in the region (there were 5 nuclear power plants planed in the region: beside Ignalina also stations in Liepaja, Kaliningrad, near Minsk, etc.). Such plans showed that region will have significant energy surplus at night. So this night electricity was planned to use in pumped-storage power stations and to use such stations to generate electricity during rush hours. In 1988 Kruonis HAE was one of the most important objects of offense by the new green movements. This resulted that construction of the power station was stopped and later renewed in 1992 -1996 since Lithuania had huge surplus of Ignalina electricity at night. It was planned initially that Kruonis HAE will have 8 blocks and will have a total capacity of 2 GW. In fact in 1990s only 4 blocks were built.
It looked that Kruonis HAE will have dark future when Ignalina station will be closed. But it wasn't and seems that this station will have even brighter future. Recently here was approved the decision to start the construction of 5th block next spring and may be the 6th block later.
The reason ? The massive construction of wind power stations in the northern Europe and particularly in the Scandinavia. Wind may be cheap and abundant source of energy for us but it is very unstable source. How to balance these instabilities ? To use pumped-storage power stations is one of the answers.
If no one will say this openly but the presence of Kruonis HAE in Lithuania is the main reason why Swedes agreed to build SwedLitLink electricity bridge (the construction as I know is starting) and the presence of Zarnowice HAE in Poland is the main reason why they agreed to build SwedPolLink (construction approaching the end). And the surplus electricity from Lithuanian wind farms should be used somewhere also ... So this power station is finding new life in a new energy system that only is starting to get shape and will continue it's development in the decades to come.
The power station is seen far away - from other side of the river and sea:
10 years ago it was possible to walk around the station and even look to the artificial upper basin. Now whole area of station is closed and guarded. So we can observe the station only from other coast of the sea:
The neighbors of the station:)))
Let's use the zoom capabilities of camera :)) The station - closer look:
Even closer look. It could be easily seen that only 4 blocks out of 8 are working now. It seems that the number of working blocks will grow in the nearest future:
Some buildings near the natural basin were pumping is done:
Some transformer stations - indivisible part of any power station:
This is a first report of my "industrial" reports set that I will post gradually
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