CEZ and Litostroj test a model of a unique turbine for the Czech Republic’s fourth large pumped-storage hydropower plant

By 2033, the Czech Republic is expected to have its fourth large pumped-storage hydropower plant. As part of a planned modernisation project worth CZK 8 billion, half of the existing generating units at the Orlík Hydroelectric Power Plant will be converted to reversible operation, enabling them to pump water from the lower-lying Kamýk reservoir. Preparations for the largest project in Czech hydropower in the past 30 years are already in full swing. Model testing of a reversible Francis turbine for the pumped-storage section of the new facility is currently taking place at the Hydraulic Laboratory of the general contractor, Litostroj Engineering. Before the actual turbine is manufactured, specialists must verify on a test rig that the equipment can meet all operational requirements.