Markersbach Pumped Storage Power Plant

Markersbach Pumped Storage Power Plant
The lower reservoir's dam
Official name	Pumpspeicherwerk Markersbach
Country	Germany
Location	Markersbach
Coordinates	50°31′03″N 12°52′50″E
Status	Operational
Construction began	1970
Opening date	1979 (1979)
Owner(s)	Vattenfall
Reservoir
Creates	Markesbach Upper
Total capacity	6,300,000 m3 (5,107 acre⋅ft) (upper)
Power Station
Hydraulic head	288 m (945 ft)
Turbines	6 × 174.25 MW Francis pump turbine
Installed capacity	1,045 MW
Annual generation	980 GWh

The Markersbach Pumped Storage Power Plant is a hydroelectric power station utilizing pumped-storage technology in Markersbach, Saxony, Germany. The installed capacity of the power plant is 1,045 MW. It is Germany's second largest Pumped Storage Power Plant.

It is owned and operated by Vattenfall (Vattenfall Wasserkraft GmbH).

History

Planning for the power plant began in 1961, construction began in 1970 and the generators were commissioned in 1979. The power station generates electricity by moving water between an upper and lower reservoir. During periods of low energy demand, water is pumped from the lower reservoir at an elevation of 563 m (1,847 ft) to an upper reservoir at 850 m (2,789 ft). When energy demand is high, the water is released back down towards the lower reservoir and fed through six 174.25 MW reversible Francis pump turbines, the same machines that pumped the water to the upper reservoir. The installed capacity of the power plant is 1,045 MW.

A panorama of the upper reservoir