LARGE HYDRO POWER PLANTS IN SLOVENIA

Abstract

Electricity distribution started in Slovenia with hydro power. The first real use for electricity was street lighting, industry, and workshops. With the evolution and expansion of such usage, power lines had to be built. In Slovenia, large hydro power plants on three Slovenian rivers (Drava, Sava, Soča) account for almost one third of the electricity produced in Slovenia. Rivers have limited amounts of water, although there is a large amount of annual precipitation; the problem is that the water is not equally distributed. Slovenia has dry and rainy periods, marked by drought and flooding. With developments and investments in hydro power plants, the efficiency of turbines is being successfully improved; however, for better exploitation of water energy, building new power plants is required.