Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant (the KPSP) is located near Kruonis, Lithuania, 34 km (21 mi) east of Kaunas. Its main purpose is to provide a spinning reserve of the power system, to regulate the load curve of the power system 24 hours a day. It operates in conjunction with the Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant. During periods of low demand, usually at night, Kruonis PSHP is operated in pump mode, and, using cheap surplus energy, raises water from lower - Kaunas reservoir to upper one. The station is designed to have an installed capacity of 1,600 MW but only four 225 MW generators are currently operational. With fully filled upper reservoir the plant can generate 900 MW for about 12 hours. To liquidate the capacity deficit in the event of the disconnection of the Ignalina nuclear power plant, the Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant generators are automatically launched into operation.
The KPSP uses hydro-resources of artificial water pools existing at different geographical levels.
The electricity from this power plant is supplied to 330 kV electricity line between Elektrėnai, where the largest fossil fuel plant in Lithuania is operating, and Kaunas. During a surplus of electricity generation output, the KPSP operates at pump mode and uses the surplus electricity to pump water from the lower pool to the upper pool.
During an electricity output deficit, the Kruonis PSP operates as a regular hydro power plant, letting water flow from the upper pool to the lower pool and in this way generating additional electricity. With fully filled upper reservoir the plant can generate 900 MW for about 12 hours. Kruonis Plant is the only pumped-storage station in the Baltic states.
Basic technical data:
- Designed capacity of the pumped storage plant: 1 600 MW (8 units, 200 MW each)
- Installed capacity of the pumped storage plant: 900 MW (4 units, 225 MW each)
Turbine–pump
- Type - Radial Axis
- Runner diameter 6,3 m
- Capacity at turbine mode 205 MW
- Capacity at pump mode 217 MW
- 150 rev/min.
- Rated discharge at turbine mode 226 m³/s
- Rated discharge at pump mode 189 m³/s
- Nominal pressure 100 m
Engine–generator
- Type - Synchronic vertical
- Capacity 236 MW
- Generator voltage 15, 75 kV
- Weight 1120 t
Reverse channel
- Width of bottom 189 m
- Width of water surface 250 m
- Depth 10 m
Pipelines
- Length 840 m
- Internal diameter 7,5 m
- External diameter 8,4 m
- Number of poles 2800 ( diam. 1 m)
Upper pool
- Area 3.06 km²
- Dam length 6,3 km
- Perimeter of pool 6,8 km
- Water level: 140,0 to 153,5 m alt.
- Bottom 138 m alt.
- Total pool volume 48,000,000 m³
- Payload pool volume 41,000,000 m³
Lower pool
- Length 127 m
- Width 70 m
- Height 50 m
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