The Ivaylovgrad Dam(язовир "Ивайловград") is located in the eastern

Rhodope Mountains The Rhodopes (; , ; , ''Rodopi''; ) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in Greece. Golyam Perelik is its highest peak ...

and is situated on the

Arda Arda or ARDA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Arda (Middle-earth), fictional world in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien * Arda (band), a Russian heavy metal band People * Arda (name) Places *Arda (Maritsa), a river in Bulgaria and Greece *A ...

river, Southern Bulgaria. There are another two large dams of the Arda upstream -

Kardzhali Dam Kardzhali Reservoir () is an artificial lake and a hydroelectric dam in southern Bulgaria. It is the uppermost of the three major reservoirs of the Arda Hydropower Cascade, the others being Studen Kladenets and Ivaylovgrad. It is the second larg ...

and Studen Kladenets Dam to the west of Ivaylovgrad Dam. The dam creates

Ivaylovgrad reservoir Ivaylovgrad Reservoir () is located on the river Arda (Maritsa tributary), Arda in the eastern Rhodope Mountains of southern Bulgaria. It was constructed to provide electricity generation and irrigation as a major part of the Arda Hydropower Cas ...

, which has a total volume of and a

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of . It is situated at an average 120 m above sea level, its dam being long and high. The top of the dam consists of six spillways, totaling m in length.NEK brochure "Hydro Power Casdaces and Dams" page 36
Ivaylovgrad Reservoir is an attractive place for tourists and

fishermen A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishermen may be professional or recr ...

, where

rudd ''Scardinius'' is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces, Eurasian minnows and related species. The fishes in this genus are commonly called rudds. Locally, the name "rudd" without ...

is caught in great numbers.

Hydroelectric generation

Arda Hydro Power Cascade consist of three large hydro power sites, mainly used for electricity generation, with a total installed capacity of 331 MW and a total annual output of over 520 GWh. Ivaylovgrad

hydroelectric power plant Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

(HPP) is the last stage of the Arda cascade. The initial plans for the construction of a dam on the Arda date to as early as 1948. Construction began in 1959 and was completed in 1964, with the HPP starting production the same year. "Ivaylovgrad" Hydroelectric Power Plant is built-in inside the dam. The HPP has four Francis-type turbines, 26 MW each with a mean annual generation of 195 GWh/y.

External links

References

{{Arda (Maritsa) dams Buildings and structures in Kardzhali Province Buildings and structures in Haskovo Province Rhodope Mountains Dams in Bulgaria Hydroelectric power stations in Bulgaria Dams completed in 1964