Goldisthal Pumped Storage Station

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The pumped storage plant (PSW ) Goldisthal is a pump storage power plant in the Thuringian Slate Mountains at the headwaters of the Schwarza between Goldisthal and Scheibe-Alsbach and entered service in 2003.

It is with a capacity of 1,060 MW, the largest hydroelectric power plant in Germany and one of the largest in Europe.

Due to intense clashes with the nature conservation organization BUND construction has indirectly led to the founding of the Naturstiftung David.

History

1965, announced the first considerations of the GDR to build a pumped storage power plant at this location. 1975 began the engineering geological exploration and the first action to pre-construction. About 200 ha of forest were cleared and built an access road. In the following years, extensive soil and rock work was carried out. 1980/1981 the major project was stopped for lack of funds. In 1988 the East German government decided to resume the construction preparations and thus the continuation of the project. After the reunification in 1991 examined the United Energy AG (VEAG ) the project on its cost-effectiveness and came to a positive conclusion. Then the plans were again promoted and opened in 1993, the plan approval process.

The plans to build this power plant were very controversial and led to widespread resistance especially from environmental groups, namely of BUND and Green League, which was the major project not only because of the scenic and ecological intervention ( the area affected, inter alia, a habitat of the endangered endangered capercaillie ), but also as "energy guzzlers" strongly criticized.

In 1995 the building was EU - wide level. In 1996, the BUND Thuringia at the Administrative Court of Meiningen action against the construction of a. This dispute between VEAG and BUND was settled in 1997, on the one hand the hopelessness of the lawsuit quickly became clear and on the other hand, VEAG was interested in a speedy procedures, and therefore sought to settle out of court. With the negotiated settlement amount of approximately 3.58 million EUR (exactly 7 million DM) called the Bund in 1998 after an action - retreat nature Foundation David, an environmental foundation " to promote projects for conservation and renewable energy in the new federal states " to life.

In 1997, finally, the construction work started. 2003, the power plant operation was progressively incorporated and officially opened the plant on 30 September 2003. Since 2004, all four units run continuously. It's run PSW Goldisthal today by the energy company Vattenfall GmbH. The construction costs amounted to 623 million euros.

The plant

The artificial, Bypassable upper reservoir is located at an altitude of about 880 m above sea level. NN on the Moosberg level on the Great Farmdenkopf and summarizes a useful volume of about 12 million cubic meters of water in an area of ​​55 ha to create this pool, the mountain top was removed. This amount of water is sufficient for eight hours turbine full load operation. This corresponds to the existing height difference between the reservoir and turbines of a maximum storable electrical energy amount of 8.5 GWh. Two 800 m long pressure water tunnels, which are inclined at 25 degrees to the horizontal, the upper reservoir with the pump-turbines is in a large machine cavern (length: 137 m, width 26 m, height 49 m ), a underground chamber several hundred meters deep in the mountain, connected. The height difference amounts to almost 350 m. In addition to the machine cavern also a very large transformer cavern ( 122 m, width 15 m, height: 17 m length) exists.

After turbine flow the water through large pipes back into the lower reservoir Goldisthal - Upper Schwarzatal where it flows more than 20 m below the water level again. This created by a dam basin holds about 18.9 million cubic meters and is situated at an altitude of 550 m above sea level. Thus, the nominal head of the pumping up of water about 300 m. The lower basin is formed by the damming of the Schwarza by a 67 m high dam about 500 m above the village Goldisthal. The Schwarza Reservoir also meets certain flood protection features, however, are rather low due to the small catchment area of Schwarza. The lower basin has a blocking system called Gräftiegelsperre which holds 0.7 million cubic meters of water and the height fluctuations in the pelvis balances from previous river.

As a special feature in Goldisthal the first variable speed pumped storage unit in Europe. Two of the four pump-turbines operate at variable ( asynchronous ) and two constant (synchronous ) speed. Such combined machine sets that are flexible and continuously adapt their performance both in turbine operation in power generation and in pumping operation at the power supply to the requirements and thus can be operated with optimum efficiency were previously taken only in operation in Japan.

The power supply is connected to the 380 kV high voltage level on the switchgear old field into the grid of 50 Hertz Transmission.

Coordinates the pool

• Upper pool: 50 ° 30 '35 " N, 11 ° 1' 50 " O50.50972222222211.030555555556
• Unterbecken: 50 ° 30 '35 " N, 11 ° 0' 12" O50.50971388888911.003430555556
• Vorsperre Gräftiegelsperre: 50 ° 29 ' 34 "N, 11 ° 1' 15" O50.49277777777811.020833333333

Tourism

The wooded environment of the power plant Goldisthal is a popular hiking area. Meanwhile, the pumped storage power plant itself and its two lakes is a destination for those interested in energy terms, which can be used with wide views into the surrounding landscape, the visitor information center at the power plant and the viewing platforms. Guided tours must be booked in advance but long writing due to high demand. In recent years, 6000-7000 visitors have been performed per year in the underground facilities.

Any leisure and water sports use of the two artificial lakes, however, is prohibited for safety reasons, as the water levels may fluctuate during the plant operation by several meters and strong currents and swirls occur. For sport fishing a lease with the local fishing club was closed, may be obtained at the detailed information. A scale of the community allowed on trail about 10 km length of the complete circumnavigation of the sub- basin in close proximity to water. For security reasons, the upper reservoir is completely fenced. Persons who would inadvertently slide down the smooth 50 ° steep paved border, could not get up without assistance. The only two exit routes are the access ramp and a railing at the intake structure. , This may, however, depending on the crash site, be removed to 900 m. Since the water is very cold, even in summer, this distance could be swimming normally no longer be met.

Gallery

Lower basin

Dam and flow above Goldisthal