Six years have passed since the initial idea for this part of the project was conceived by Milan Gašparovič from the electrical maintenance department at the hydroelectric power plants, all the way to securing a grant from the European Union for the first phase of implementation in the amount of 62.6 million euros. What initially seemed like a great but financially demanding idea is gradually becoming a reality.

In Part 1 of this video series, we bring you an interview with Milan Ilčík, director of hydroelectric power plants, and Tomáš Šimovič, the company’s development manager, who worked at EDF 15 years ago. At that time, a team of French energy experts had explored the possibility of converting a fixed-speed pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant to a variable-speed one, but without success. For Tomáš, this was a challenge. He wanted to achieve in Slovakia what had failed in France. Milan Ilčík will explain what the modernization of the Čierny Váh pumped-storage power plant will entail—the mechanical components (turbines and pumps), the motor-generator, and the installation of the world’s largest frequency converter, through which we will be able to regulate the speed of the pump and turbine.

The SE Integrator project at the Čierny Váh pumped-storage power plant will be one of the most advanced hybrid flexibility sources in Europe and represents a major step forward for the stability of the Slovak power grid, the integration of renewable energy sources, and regional energy security. The Čierny Váh hybrid system will enable Slovakia to provide primary, secondary, and tertiary regulation from a single source, thanks to a unique combination of pumped-storage technology and battery storage capable of responding almost instantly to fluctuations in renewable energy generation. At the same time, it will open up opportunities for cross-border trading of balancing energy on the European MARI and PICASSO platforms, which will strengthen Slovakia’s integration into the single market for ancillary services. Six years have passed since the initial idea for part of the project was conceived by Milan Gašparovič from the electrical maintenance department at the hydroelectric power plants, leading up to the award of a 62.6 million euro grant from the European Union for the first phase of implementation. What initially seemed like a great but financially demanding idea is gradually becoming a reality.