Vidraru Dam is a
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 ...
in
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
. It was completed in 1966 on the
Argeș River
Arges or Argeș may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Romania
* Argeș County, a county in Muntenia, with its capital at Pitești
* Argeș Region, an administrative division from 1950 to 1952
* Argeș River, which flows through the Southern ...
and creates
Lake Vidraru
Lake Vidraru ( ro, Lacul Vidraru) is an artificial lake in Romania. It was created in 1965 by the construction of the Vidraru Dam on the Argeș River.
It lies in the shadow of the Făgăraș Mountains. .
Vidraru Lake is a reservoir lake create ...
. The
arch dam
An arch dam is a concrete dam that is curved upstream in plan. The arch dam is designed so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, causing the arch to straighten slightly and strengthe ...
was built with the primary purpose to produce
hydroelectricity
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 an ...
. The dam's height is 166 metres, the arch length 305 meters and it can store 465 million cubic metres of water. The reservoir has a total shoreline (perimeter) length of 28 km.
Background
Situated between Frunții Mountains and Ghițu mountains, the lake collects the Capra, Buda, and some other smaller rivers (
Râul Doamnei, Cernatu,
Vâlsan,
Topolog,
Valea lui Stan
The Valea lui Stan is a right tributary of the river Argeș in Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the nor ...
, and Limpedea), with a total flow of about 5.5 million L/s. The total surface of the lake is 3,930,000 sq m, 10.3 km in length, with a maximum width of 2.2 km in the Valea Lupului – Călugărița zone. Normal level or water retention is 830 metres above sea level (mdM).
The dam's construction took 5 and a half years. It required 42 km of tunnels, excavation of 1,768,000 cubic metres of hard rocks, out of which approximatively 1 million had to be extracted from underground, 930,000 cubic metres of concrete, out of which 400,000 cubic metres were underground and required the installation of 6,300 tons of electro-mechanical equipment.
When completed, it ranked 5th in Europe, and 9th in the world. In an average hydrological year it can generate approximately of 400 GWh/year. As of 2019, Vidraru Dam is the 16th tallest dam in Europe.
The Vidraru Hydro Power Plant has an installed capacity of 220
MW.
See also
*
Energy in Romania
References
Gallery
External links
dams.go.ro
{{Power stations in Romania
Dams in Romania
Buildings and structures in Argeș County
Dams completed in 1965