Romanian hydropower producer Hidroelectrica, transmission system operator Transelectrica and electricity distributor DEO Oltenia have carried out pumping-mode tests at the Frunzaru hydropower plant on the Lower Olt River.
The tests, conducted on 20 August, were intended to assess the technical parameters of operating the plant’s hydro units in pumping mode under normal operating conditions, as well as the commercial implications of adopting the approach.
Following the tests, Hidroelectrica said it had concluded that operation of the hydro units in pumping mode can be performed under normal operating conditions.
The companies will now analyse the results to determine the potential for using pumping operation more widely and how it could be incorporated into the operation of existing hydropower infrastructure.
The assessment includes four plants on the Lower Olt development: Ipotești, Drăgănești, Frunzaru and Rusănești.
Technical, operational and commercial specialists are involved in the evaluation, with the testing programme intended to provide data on plant behaviour and identify the requirements associated with pumping-mode operation.
The next stage will focus on the economics of the approach, including potential commercial opportunities and the conditions under which pumping operation could provide benefits to Romania’s electricity system.
Hidroelectrica said the initiative forms part of its efforts to examine technologies that could increase system flexibility and make greater use of existing hydropower infrastructure.
Hidroelectrica operates 187 hydropower plants in Romania with a combined installed capacity of 6.3GW. It also owns a 108MW wind farm and accounts for 13.9% of the country’s competitive electricity market.
