"Assessment of the hydro power potential of the Mesta River"
Compared with the catchment areas of other Bulgarian rivers, this ofMestaRiveris the richest one with regard to annual runoff from unit area. There are not any large Hydropower Plants therein.
The paper presents the results of updated hydrological studies for the entire watershed of the river – Specific features of the natural annual runoff, Mass and Flow duration curves, min. and max. flow characteristics, Growth of the theoretical hydropower potential along the river for average, dry and wet year.
Technically feasible schemes for multipurpose use (water supply and irrigation) of the waters are developed, including also the hydropower potential of the Mesta river as follows:
• Within the river’s watershed without flow regulation (mainly small hydro power plants) and the seasonal runoff regulation (building several not very high dams, mainly at tributaries of the main river);
• Construction of facilities for partial runoff regulation in the watershed of the Mesta River and transfer of water to the catchment area of neighboring rivers, where there are power plants under operation – utilization of the hydropower potential of the Mesta River, like the schemes of Pumped Storage Power Plants.
All developed schemes fulfill the requirements of the Agreement betweenBulgariaandGreecefor theMestaRiver.
This presentation is part of a project, funded by the National Science Fund of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Science (Bulgaria).
