Pļaviņas Hydroelectric Power Station

Pļaviņas Hydro Power Plant
Country	Latvia
Location	Aizkraukle
Coordinates	56°35′00″N 25°14′30″E
Status	operational
Commission date	1965
Owner(s)	Latvenergo
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Hydropower
Power generation
Units operational	10
Nameplate capacity	868.5 MW
Annual net output	1,501 GWh (2007)
External links
Commons	Related media on Commons

The Pļaviņas Hydro Power Plant is the biggest power plant in Latvia and one of the biggest hydroelectric power plants in the European Union. It is located in Aizkraukle on the river Daugava. It has ten individual turbines with installed total capacity of 868.5 MW.

The construction aroused an unusual wave of protest in 1958. Most Latvians opposed the flooding of historical sites and a particularly scenic gorge with rare plants and natural features, such as the Staburags, a cliff comparable in cultural significance to the Lorelei in Germany. The construction of the dam was endorsed in 1959, however, after the purge of relatively liberal and nationally oriented leaders under Eduards Berklavs and their replacement by Moscow-oriented, ideologically conservative cadres led by Arvīds Pelše.

The first turbine of the plant was launched in December 1965. The plant was put into full operation in 1968 by launching the fourth turbine. In 1991–2001, additional six turbines were added to original four increasing the capacity to 868.5MW. The first reconstruction of the plant was carried out from 1999 to 2001, and the second one, to be completed in 2010, was launched in 2007.

The complex is operated by Latvenergo.