Fierza Hydropower Plant

Position in the Drin River cascadeDeep dive

The Fierza Hydroelectric Power Station (Albanian: Hidrocentrali i Fierzës) sits on the Drin River in northern Albania as the uppermost of three hydroelectric plants in the Drin cascade. The two downstream stations, Koman and Vau i Dejës, follow it in sequence along the river.

Fierza's position at the head of the cascade, combined with its installed capacity and the volume of its reservoir, gives it a controlling role in the operation of the entire system. The reservoir regulates annual inflows into the cascade, increasing the efficient use of all three plants. Fierza's annual output averages 1,330 GWh, which represents approximately 33 percent of total Drin cascade production.

Construction history and workforceDeep dive

Preparatory work for the plant began in 1970, with dam construction starting in 1971. The project was completed over a decade of activity, with the first generating unit becoming operational in 1978 and the station reaching full operation in 1980. The reservoir was filled with water between 1978 and 1981.

Approximately 14,000 workers, engineers, and specialists were involved in building the plant. Equipment was sourced mostly from China, though the design concepts were developed by Albanian engineers.

The rock-fill dam: dimensions and designDeep dive

The dam at Fierza is a rock-fill structure with a clay core. It stands 167 metres (548 ft) high and measures 380 metres (1,250 ft) in length along its crest. The dam has a total volume of 8 million cubic metres.

At the time of its construction, the Fierza dam was the second highest dam of its type in Europe. It is one of three hydroelectric dams on the Drin River.

Generating equipment and electrical specificationsDeep dive

The plant contains four generating units, each equipped with a Francis vertical turbine rated at 125 MW. This gives the station a total installed capacity of 500 MW.

Each unit drives a three-phase synchronous generator operating at 13.8 kV. Step-up transformers raise the output voltage from 13.8 kV to 242 kV for connection to the transmission system substation.

Role in energy production and cascade regulationDeep dive

With an average annual output of 1,330 GWh, Fierza accounts for roughly one third of the electricity produced by the full Drin cascade. This share reflects both the plant's own generating capacity and its influence over the flow of water available to the downstream stations at Koman and Vau i Dejës.

Beyond its direct generation, the large volume of the Fierza reservoir enables it to store and regulate the Drin's annual inflows. This regulatory function is considered central to the safe and efficient operation of the cascade as a whole.

Fierza in the context of Albanian energy infrastructureDeep dive

Fierza is described as playing a key role in Albania's hydroelectric system by virtue of its installed power capacity, its location at the top of the cascade, and the volume of its reservoir. The plant was built with a combination of foreign equipment and domestic engineering expertise, reflecting the conditions of Albanian industrial development during the 1970s.

The Fierza reservoir also supports the Koman and Fierza Reservoirs Ferry service, which uses the lake formed by the dam as a transport route, though this function is separate from the plant's energy generation role.