The beginning of construction of large dams and water reservoirs in the Vah basin was in the thirties of our century. In the year 1936, the Dolne Kockovce water reservoirs was commissioned as the first one (the total volume of 2.2 mio. cubic m), and the Ladce water power station with the installed output of 16 MW. The Dolne Kockovce Water Work serves as an accumulation and balancing reservoir with an input object to the left-bank derivation channel of the power cascade of Ladce–Ilava–Dubnica–Trencin (identified also as the 1st Vah cascade). During the years 1940-1946, the Ilava Water Work was built, and during the years 1943-1946, the Dubnica Water Work was built, being the third degree of the power cascade.

Important development of construction of water works started after the World War II, when, during approximately 20 years, 14 reservoirs were built, with the aggregate volume of 426 mio. cubic m, and 18 water power stations with the output of 587 MW.

During the years 1952-1956, the Trencin Water Work (Skalka) was built, thus completing the 1st Vah Cascade, the aggregate output of which represents 66.4 MW, with the average production in an average year of 315.6 GWh.

During the years 1953-1955, the construction of the Water Work System of Trencianske Biskupice–Kostolna–Nove Mesto nad Vahom–Horna Streda was completed, using the 40 km long section of the river Vah between Trencin and Piestany, wit the gross slope of approx. 50 m. The aggregate output of the water power stations of the 2nd Vah Cascade represents 76 MW, and the average annual production of 340.0 GWh.

In the year 1953, one of the most important water works in Slovakia was commissioned, namely the Orava Water Work (with the total volume of the reservoir 345.9 mio. cubic m) with a top water power station with the aggregate output of 21.8 MW, and the average annual production of 30.1 GWh.

Another important work, built during the years 1949 to 1958, is the Nosice Water work with the total volume of the reservoirs of 36 mio. cubic m and the aggregate installed output of the power stations of 67.5 MW, and the average annual production of 141.9 GWh.

In the year 1957, construction of the Krpelany Water Work was completed, with the volume of the reservoirs of 8.3 mio. cubic m, which is the 1st degree of the Upper Vah Cascade of Krpelany–Sucany–Lipovec. The degrees of Sucany and Lipovec were completed during the years 1958-1960. The aggregate output of this cascade represents 97 MW, and the average annual production is 235.4 GWh.

During the years 1959-1960, the multipurpose Drahovce–Madunice Water Work was built, using the section of the river Vah between Hlohovec and Piestany. The weir in Drahovce creates a water reservoir with the volume of 12,3 mio. cubic m, from which a flow is directed for production of energy in the Madunice water power station, with the installed output of 43.0 MW, and the average annual production of 141.1 GWh.

During the years 1958-1963, the middle Vah derivation cascade of Hricov–Miksova–Povazska Bystrica was built, using the section of the river Vah between Zilina and Povazska Bystrica in the length of 35 km. The controlling water work in this cascade is the Hricov Water Work, with a reservoir with the volume of 8.5 mio. cubic m for daily regulation of flows. The total installed output of the Middle Vah cascade represents 183.3 MW, and the average annual production is 352.2 GWh.

Slowed-down construction of the power base in the end of the sixties was reflected in stagnating preparation and construction of additional degrees of the Vah cascade.

Information & Contact:

Research Institute of Water Management,
Nabr. arm. gen. L. Svobodu 5,
811 02 Bratislava,
tel.: 00421 (2) 59343111,
fax: 00421 (2) 54415743