Dlouhé Stráně Hydroelectric Power Station

Hydroelectric power station Dlouhé stráně is counted among 7 wonders of the Czech Republic. The ČEZ group power station is located on the river Divoká Desná near the village Loučná nad Desnou. It was added to the list in the year 2005. Even though the power plant is undergoing reconstruction due to be finished by October this year, it is still open to visitors, so you will not miss out on a tour or the beautiful views from the surrounding trails.

Several paths to the power station

The final destination in not accessible by car. You can park your car in the parking lot at Kouty nad Desnou. To reach the power plant you can either use the bus provided by the operator or choose the option for tourists. If you choose the former, you will start at the bus stop in Kouty nad Desnou. If you choose the option combined with a walk, you are in for a cable car ride. You will be going by the only six-seater cable car in the country all the way to the top of Medvědí hora. From there it is only four kilometres on the road or two kilometres through the forest. The power station is not far away from Praděd. Specific spots at the power station offer beautiful views of Praděd and vice versa. Kouty nad Desnou village is a little bit over thirty kilometres away from EFI ApartHotel.

Reservation is a must

If you are interested in a tour, a reservation is necessary. The power plant is an object of interest for many tourists. First of all you will watch a short movie in the information centre and listen to a  commentary. Then you will visit the underground of the power station and go to the lower reservoir. The power plant is designed to perform static and dynamic services. Among the static ones is for example conversion of surplus power into peak one. This is done by pumping water from the lower reservoir to the upper one and vice versa. Water from the upper reservoir is 1350 metres above sea level. Dynamic function serves as power backup of the system, provides control power and takes part in management of the system frequency. It can also operate in compensation mode, when it helps with system voltage regulation. If needed, the power plant can go from standstill to maximum turbine performance in 100 seconds and supply power continuously for six hours. The power station is equipped with a small supplementary low-pressure plant, which serves to cover the power consumption of the station itself. It has its own water treatment on the grounds, supplied by the steam of Jezerní.

Dlouhé Stráně as a record-setter

The power station has the biggest reversible turbine in Europe, the longest slope in the country and the largest installed power in CR - two times 325 MW. Since 2005 it has been listed among the 7 wonders of the Czech Republic, alongside constructions such as Karlštejn or the transmitter with a restaurant at Ještěd.