From Thursday, 3 August to Sunday, 6 August 2023, the HSE Group’s electricity production was safe and reliable despite the significant and abundant precipitation and greatly increased inflows. At the hydroelectric power plants operated by the HSE Group companies, in view of the bad weather forecasts, we had already started emptying the reservoirs at our hydroelectric power plants on Wednesday 2 August 2023, and all the expert, intervention and on-call teams have been deployed in the HSE Group since the start of the extreme weather conditions to ensure safe water discharge and thus flood safety, as well as normal conditions for uninterrupted power generation. We have also deployed operational staff in facilities that are normally remotely controlled. We have also regularly cleaned up the heavily increased amounts of debris that were clogging the inlet grates of the generators. Throughout Friday and during the night on Saturday, we were prepared to face intensifying rainfall and further increases in flows in all river basins. The hydroelectric power plants on the Drava and Soča rivers operated according to schedule and according to the production possibilities of the prevailing conditions.
On the Drava and Soča rivers, no damage has been recorded so far to the machinery of individual large hydroelectric power plants. On Friday, 4 August 2023, electricity production at the HSE Group’s hydroelectric power plants amounted to 11.3 GWh, while the Avče pumped hydroelectric power plant was not operated as a precautionary measure due to the debris in the Soča River.
The situation is also stable across the entire area of the Šoštanj Thermal Power Plant and the Velenje Coal Mine. As a result of the heavy rainfall, on Friday morning there was an intrusion of stormwater and soil into the area of TEŠ and also an intrusion of stormwater into the coal transport area from the PV pit. Employees immediately started to take the necessary measures to prevent a collapse and pump out the water. The electricity production of TEŠ on Friday 4 August 2023 was 10.4 GWh. However, due to a sharp increase in the Sava River flow and the resulting damage to communication lines, the Trbovlje gas-fired units at the HSE-EDT site are unavailable for operation.
The HSE Group will continue its efforts to ensure uninterrupted power generation and, in cooperation with the transmission network system operator, to ensure a safe and reliable supply of electricity.
Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the citizens affected by the floods – including HSE Group employees. We know that the damage caused is appalling, but we will do our best to help the affected areas in the coming weeks and, if necessary, months.