The Mesochora Dam is
concrete-face rock-fill dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...
on the
Acheloos River near
Mesochora in
Trikala,
Greece. The tall dam is part of the Acheloos River Diversion which is intended to divert a portion of the Acheloos west to irrigate in the
Thessaly plains. The project includes the Mesochora,
Sykia,
Mouzaki and
Pyli Dam
Pyli ( el, Πύλη) is a municipality in the Trikala regional unit, Greece. Situated 18 km west of Trikala, right at the bottom of two mountains Itamos, and Koziakas, which mark the beginning of the Pindos mountainline, Pyli marks the entra ...
s along with a long channel.
The idea for an Acheloos to Thessaly diversion project was first envisioned in the 1930s but a lack of funding precluded construction. Interest in the project was revived in 1984 and what was supposed to be a small dam at Mesochora apart from the diversion project was increased in size to support to river diversion. Over the next several years there was a series of legal battles that led to construction stalling, most recently in 2005. Opponents of the scheme cite significant changes to the environment, flooding of villages and that the scheme will divert of water annually from the Acheloos. Supporters call on the benefit to the lucrative cotton crops it will help irrigate and the dam's planned 162 MW
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
power plant. The Mesochora Dam was completed in January 2001 but the reservoir has yet to be filled and the power plant has subsequently not been commissioned due to legal battles.
See also
*
Energy in Greece
In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat an ...
*
Renewable energy in Greece
A renewable resource, also known as a flow resource, is a natural resource which will replenish to replace the portion depleted by usage and consumption, either through natural reproduction or other recurring processes in a finite amount of ti ...
References
External links
{{Achelous River dams
Dams in Greece
Hydroelectric power stations in Greece
Concrete-face rock-fill dams
Dams completed in 2001
Dams on the Achelous River
Dam controversies
Trikala (regional unit)