| Belmeken Reservoir Белмекен |
|
|---|---|
| Location | Rila Mountains |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Basin countries | Bulgaria |
The Belmeken (Bulgarian: Белмекен) dam is situated in the Rila Mountains and is the highest dam lake on the Balkan peninsula. There is a Steam Accumulative Hydroelectric Power Plant built on the lake (SAWPP) (Bulgarian: ПАВЕЦ). It is part of the huge cascade Belmeken-Chaira-Sestrimo. Part of the water used in the SAWPP (ПАВЕЦ) is returned by its pumps, while the rest is sent through tunnels in the Sestriomo WPP (Water Power Plant). From there it flows again through tunnels to the third and last dam with SAWPP - Chaira. The construction of a fourth dam, Iadenitsa, is in progress and will be finished in the coming years.
The SAWPP - Chaira is the largest in southeast Europe, and first in the world as regards the highest head for a single-stage pump turbine (690 m generating and 701 m pumping)[1].
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Belmeken_Dam Belmeken Dam] at Wikimedia Commons