Markersbach Pumped Storage Power Plant

Markersbach Pumped Storage Power Plant
The lower reservoir's dam
Location of Markersbach Pumped Storage Power Plant in Germany
Official name	Pumpspeicherwerk Markersbach
Country	Germany
Location	Markersbach
Coordinates	50°31′03″N 12°52′50″E / 50.51750°N 12.88056°ECoordinates: 50°31′03″N 12°52′50″E / 50.51750°N 12.88056°E
Status	Operational
Construction began	1970
Commission date	1979
Owner(s)	Vattenfall
Pumped-storage power station
Upper reservoir	Markesbach Upper
Upper res. capacity	6,300,000 m^3 (5,107 acre·ft) (upper)
Hydraulic head	288 m (945 ft)
Generating units	6 × 174.25 MW Francis pump turbine
Power generation
Nameplate capacity	1,045 MW
Average generation	980 GWh

The Markersbach Pumped Storage Power Plant is a hydroelectric power station utilizing pumped-storage technology in Markersbach, Germany. Planning for the power plant began in 1961, construction began in 1970 and the generators were commissioned in 1979. The power station generates electricity by moving water between an upper and lower reservoir. During periods of low energy demand, water is pumped from the lower reservoir at an elevation of 563 m (1,847 ft) to an upper reservoir at 850 m (2,789 ft). When energy demand is high, the water is released back down towards the lower reservoir and fed through six 174.25 MW reversible Francis pump turbines, the same machines that pumped the water to the upper reservoir. The installed capacity of the power plant is 1,045 MW.^[1][2]

A panorama of the upper reservoir

References

1. "Markersbach". Vattenfall. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
2. "Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Plants in Germany". IndustCards. Retrieved 8 January 2012.