Solina Dam

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The Solina Dam (Polish: Zapora Solińska) is the largest dam and hydroelectric plant in Poland. It is located in Lesko County in the Bieszczady Mountains area of Poland.

[edit] History

The San river which runs through the area has a large flood plain and a series of floods prompted the consideration of a dam to regulate the water flow. The first plans for a dam in the region came in 1921 and called for a small dam in Myczkowce. The project was slow to begin and with the start of World War II it was put on hold. After the war ended the plans were revised and now included a larger dam in Solina. Various work began in 1953 and the smaller Myczkowce dam, which would become a supporting dam, was completed in the years 1956-1960. In 1960 work began based on a design by Feliks Niczke of Energoprojekt Warszawa. The construction was completed in 1969 and cost 1.5 billion of 1969 zlotys. 57 km of roads were also constructed as part of the project.

[edit] The dam

The dam is 664 m long, 12 m across, and 82 m high. Its construction created the largest artificial lake in Poland - Lake Solina. It has four turbines which were initially capable of generating 136 MW of electricity. Two of the turbines can also reverse flow to optimize power generation. Starting in 1995 efforts have been made to modernize the power plant. The installation of new technologies and the replacement of the old turbines resulted in the dam currently generating 200 MW of electricity.

The Solina dam is an important tourist attraction of the area. Tours are available and the dam serves as a bridge to the Lake Solina marina.