The Sestrimo Hydro Power Plant is an active hydro power project in the eastern

Rila Rila (, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila–Rhodope Mountains, Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an e ...

mountains near Sestrimo village,

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. Water is supplied by the Belmeken Dam to three

turbine A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced can be used for generating electrical ...

s with a nominal output of around 80 MW which will deliver up to 240 MW of power.Chaira Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant and Belmeken-Sestrimo Hydro Power Cascade
It is part of the

Belmeken–Sestrimo–Chaira Hydropower Cascade The Belmeken–Sestrimo–Chaira Hydroelectric Cascade () is situated in the Pazardzhik Province, southern Bulgaria and is the largest and most complex hydroelectric complex in the country. Located in the eastern part of the Rila, Rila mountain ra ...

. The same reservoir is used for

pumped storage Pumping may refer to: * The operation of a pump, for moving a liquid from one location to another **The use of a breast pump A breast pump is a mechanical device that Lactation, lactating women use to milking, extract milk from their breasts. They ...

with the

Chaira Hydro Power Plant The Chaira Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant (Chaira PSHPP) was built in the Rila mountain range, about southeast of Bulgaria's capital city, Sofia. Part of the major Belmeken–Sestrimo–Chaira Hydropower Cascade, Chaira has generating capacity ...

References

Hydroelectric power stations in Bulgaria Buildings and structures in Pazardzhik Province {{hydroelectric-power-plant-stub