NEC has successfully completed the restoration of the Tsankov Kamak HPP, the plant is now ready for operation

On 17.11.2022, the National Electric Company (NEC) successfully completed the restoration of the plate shutter of the Tsankov Kamak HPP, strictly meeting the deadline. After functional tests, the plant is fully available. All facilities are operational and operating without deviations in production characteristics, the energy company announced.

The separation of the lower segment from the sheet closure did not cause damage to the plant equipment and the pipeline structure. During the downtime of the plant, there were no lost benefits due to the accumulated water volumes in the Tsankov kamak dam.

Thanks to the intensive work and high professionalism of the employees of NEC and a specialized company with lifting equipment, the removal of the lower segment of the plate shutter weighing 7,400 kg from the pressure pipeline with a total length of 650 m was carried out in less than four days . This extremely complex operation is unprecedented in the history of the Bulgarian energy industry and is another proof of the capacity of the engineers and experts working in the company. The Electricity System Operator joined the activities and provided assistance with employees and equipment.

The board was removed to a work site in a water tower, where NEC carried out the necessary restoration work. In the company's repair base, new, more reliable safety elements were made to guarantee the operational safety of the facility.

From there, they recall that the Tsankov Kamak hydroelectric plant is located in the Western Rhodopes, it was built on the Vacha River and is used exclusively for the production of electrical energy. It is the third stage of the Dospat-Vacha cascade. The cascade itself is an object with complex use of water resources - for industrial water supply, irrigation and power generation. Tsankov Kamak Dam accumulates a water volume of 110.7 million m3 and is 15 km long.

The main sub-objects of the hydro-junction are the dam of the same name, a hydroelectric plant with an installed capacity of 85 MW and a small hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of 1.3 MW to ensure an ecological inflow into the Vacha River

The dam wall is the only one in our country concrete, double arched, symmetrical with a height of 130.5 m, which makes it one of the highest in Bulgaria. The length is 464 m and the thickness at the base is 27.6 m.

The facilities are technologically equipped according to the highest international standards, which are in full compliance with the requirements of the International Commission on Large Dams for the monitoring of such dam walls. Hydro node Tsankov kamak has full automation of all technological processes of electricity generation.