Refurbishment of Slovenia’s Zlatoli˘cje plant

Zlatoli˘cje, the largest capacity hydro scheme on the Drava river in Slovenia, is undergoing a major refurbishment. As well as upgrading of the electromechanical equipment, the opportunity is being taken to refurbish the dam, to install a mini hydro plant to make use of the ecological flow, and to enhance the aesthetics of the area downstream. This article describes the planning and implementation of the scheme, and demonstrates the various improvements which have been achieved.