The Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station (, /Đerdap I) is the largest dam on the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

river and one of the largest hydro power plants in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. It is located on the Iron Gate gorge, between

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

and

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. The Romanian side of the

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...

produces approximately annually, while the Serbian side of the power station produces .

History

The project started in 1964 as a joint-venture between the governments of

and

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

for the construction of a major

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

on the Danube River which would serve both countries. At the time of completion in 1972, it was the 10th largest hydroelectric power stations in the world with twelve Kaplan turbines generating , divided equally between the two countries at each.HE Djerdap (in Serbian)
The small inhabited island of

Ada Kaleh Ada Kaleh (; from , meaning "Island Fortress"; or ; Serbian and Bulgarian: Адакале, ''Adakale'') was a small island on the Danube, located in Romania, that was submerged during the construction of the Iron Gates hydroelectric plant i ...

was submerged during the construction.

Modernization

As the original turbines' 30 years lifespan came to an end, in 1998 the Romanian half of the dam started a program of modernization. As part of this program, the first of the turbines was stopped in 1999. By 2007 the program was completed and the Romanian half of the dam's operations were back to full capacity. The nominal capacity of each of the six units was increased from to , thus giving an installed capacity of and increasing the entire power generation capacity of the dam to at the time. On the Serbian part of the dam, modernization started in July 2008; till March 2016 were modernised . Modernisation was finished in December 2023, the nominal capacity of each of the six units was increased from 174 MW to 201 MW. Units were upgraded with the help of Russian company Power Machines from Saint Petersburg, as well as their subcontractors with the participation of eleven domestic companies. In addition to the upgrades, the Serbian side is planning on building a new, smaller power station, called Iron Gate III (/Đerdap III).

Gallery

File:Josip Broz Tito i Georgi Georgiju Dež, potpisivanje sporazuma o izgradnji sistema Đerdap.jpg,

Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej (; 8 November 1901 – 19 March 1965) was a Romanian politician. He was the first Socialist Republic of Romania, Communist leader of Romania from 1947 to 1965, serving as first secretary of the Romanian Communist Party ...

and Josip Broz Tito signing the treaty that allowed for the construction process to begin, 30 November 1963 File:Deo temeljne jame, Đerdap.jpg, Foundations being laid on the Yugoslav side File:Izgradnja zagata, građevine za pregrađivanje korita reke, Đerdap.jpg, Concrete slabs being thrown into the Danube to temporarily redirect the flow of water File:Portile de Fier 40636X3X5.jpg, Foundations being built on the Romanian side File:Izgled gradilišta HE Đerdap I posle pregrađivanja Dunava.jpg, Overview of the construction site from Davidovac on the Yugoslavian side towards Gura Văii on the Romanian site, the viaducts of the new DN6 trunk road and of the Craiova-Caransebeș railway are also seen under construction on the Romanian side File:Tri delimično izgrađena prelivna polja na desnoj obali Dunava, Đerdap.jpg, Opened floodgates during construction File:Izgradnja mašinske zgrade hidroelektrane Đerdap I.jpg, The foundations for the turbine and aggregates on the Romanian side File:Portile de Fier 40640X4X5.jpg, Engineers working on the turbine shaft on the Romanian side File:Maketa HE Đerdap I.jpg, Model of the power station made in Belgrade File:Josip Broz Tito, obilazak HE Đerdap I tokom puštanja u rad 1972. godine.jpg,

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...

on the opening day, 16 May 1972

References

External links

Description
{{Crossings navbox , structure = Bridges/Dams , place =

, bridge = Iron Gate I , upstream =

Kovin Bridge The Kovin Bridge ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Ковински мост, Kovinski most) is a road bridge in Serbia, across the Danube, between the cities of Kovin and Smederevo Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city a ...

, downstream = Iron Gate II

Ostrovul Mare Bridge The Ostrovul Mare Bridge is a bridge in Romania over the of the Danube. It is intended for complementary access to the Ostrovu Mare Island and the Iron Gate II Hydroelectric Power Station, respectively, at the local border crossing point between ...

---- ''

Trajan's Bridge Trajan's Bridge (; ), also called Bridge of Apollodorus over the Danube, was a Roman segmental arch bridge, the first bridge to be built over the lower Danube and considered one of the greatest achievements in Roman architecture. Though it was ...

(historical)'' Dams in Romania Dams in Serbia Elektroprivreda Srbije Hydroelectric power stations in Romania Hydroelectric power stations in Serbia Romania–Serbia border crossings Romania–Yugoslavia relations Yugoslav Serbian architecture

History

Modernization

Gallery

See also

References

External links