The company TAURON Ekoenergia in Jelenia Góra has presented a detailed schedule for draining the Pilchowice reservoir, opening another key stage in the process of its comprehensive modernization.
This is one of the most important infrastructure investments in the region. Its aim is not only to raise the facility’s technical standards, but above all to ensure the long-term safety of the residents of the Bóbr Valley.
What will be done?
The planned work includes a comprehensive modernization of the reservoir’s most important technical elements—the dam body, upstream and downstream faces, turbine gates, and bottom outlet gates.
The tunnel, cascade spillway, and bridge over the spillway will also be renovated.
When will the work begin?
The first stage of the work will begin on February 12 of this year, when the water surface will be partially lowered to approximately 21 meters above the reservoir bottom. Then, from June 15, the complete draining of the reservoir is scheduled to begin. Fully exposing the basin will make it possible to carry out work on the upstream side of the dam body—where access to the structure is possible only when there is no water.
How long will it take?
The next important stage is scheduled for February 2027, when the reservoir will be partially refilled to a water level of approximately 4 meters above the bottom. This will enable the safe transport of the steel containers that will be used to build a temporary cofferdam in front of the diversion tunnel.
As early as May 2027 the reservoir will once again be completely drained, making it possible to carry out work in the diversion tunnel behind the protection of the container cofferdam. The main renovation work is scheduled to be completed in early January 2028, while the reservoir is to be fully refilled to optimal operating conditions in March 2028.
Why is this also so important for Bolesławiec residents?
The actions of TAURON Ekoenergia sp. z o.o. at Pilchowice Dam have already demonstrated once how immensely important responsible and professional management of hydrotechnical infrastructure is. The dramatic rescue operation of September 15, 2024, undertaken just before the threat of an uncontrolled cascade discharge, went down in history as a symbol of a titanic struggle against time and the elements. It was then that the TAURON Ekoenergia team—under pressure from extreme conditions—stood on the front line defending the safety of the region’s residents. The modernization of the Pilchowice reservoir is a natural continuation of those efforts.