46.0839°N 13.6667°WThe Avče Pumped Storage Plant (Slovenian: Črpalna Hidroelektrarna Avče, abbreviated ČHE Avče) is a pumped-storage power plant near the village of Avče in western Slovenia. The power plant was completed in June 2009 and it was put into commercial use in April 2010.[1] The main building contractor was Primorje Ajdovščina. The powerplant is the first of its kind in Slovenia.[2]
It pumps water from a height of above sea level near the village of Avče to a height of . The reservoir is close to the village of Kanalski Vrh, and it holds a little over 2 million cubic meters of water. The generator generates when producing electricity and uses when pumping water. The same turbine is used for pumping and generating electricity.[3]
The efficiency of the process is 77%, which means it is profitable to operate when the electricity generated costs 30% more. The reservoir has the capacity to operate for 15 hours at full power, and the discharge rate is around 40 cubic meters per second. Normally it will operate from 6 to 10 hours, usually filling the reservoir at the end of the week. The cost of the Avče pumped-storage plant was €122 million.