Gabčíkovo Dam

Gabčíkovo Dam
Gabčíkovo Dam
	Location of Gabčíkovo Dam in Slovakia Gabčíkovo Dam (Trnava Region) Gabčíkovo Dam (Europe)
Country	Slovakia
Location	Gabčíkovo, Trnava Region
Coordinates	47°52′48″N 17°32′21″E / 47.88°N 17.539167°E
Purpose	Electricity generation, navigability, flood protection
Status	Operating
Opening date	1992
Owner(s)	Slovak government
Reservoir
Creates	Gabčíkovo Reservoir
Total capacity	195,581 cubic metres (255,810 cu yd)
Hydropowerplant Gabčíkovo
Turbines	8 Kaplan turbines
Installed capacity	720 MW
Annual generation	2.2 TWh

Gabčíkovo Dam is a major dam and hydroelectric powerplant on the Danube located in southwest Slovakia near the Hungarian border and the town of Gabčíkovo, after which it has been named. The dam was opened in the 1990s^[1] for the purpose of harnessing Danube's power in form of electricity, easing the navigability of the relatively busy waterway and providing greater flood protection^[5] to the nearby area of Žitný Island. However, it has been criticized for its impact on the natural environment, namely on rare alluvial forests spread around Danube's uniquely preserved system of river arms.^[6]^[7]

The dam creates a reservoir of the same name, which spans upstream to Slovakia's capital Bratislava. It is a popular location for recreational activities, including watersports and cycling. Since Gabčíkovo dam has been constructed on a lowland with no natural barriers and elevation differences to hold the retained water, long artificial levees have been constructed on the sides of the reservoir, spanning its length. The original plan involved constructing part of the reservoir on Hungarian soil, but due to Hungary having abandoned the project, secondary Čunovo Dam has been constructed to restrain the flooded area only to Slovak soil. Čunovo Dam lets a portion of river's discharge flow into the old (former) Danube's main channel, around which the aforementioned alluvial forests are located, while Gabčíkovo Dam together with the side levees create a new, artificial main channel for the rest of the water volume.^{[citation needed]}

Image gallery

Areal view of Gabčíkovo Dam
Entrance into one of the locks
Sailing through one of the locks at night
Both locks
Water next to the dam upstream
Tower on the dam
Countryside next to the dam
A cycle path next to the reservoir

Notes

^ ^a ^b "Pred 30 rokmi prehradili Dunaj a spustili elektráreň Gabčíkovo" [30 years ago, the Danube was dammed and the hydropower plant Gabčíkovo opened]. TASR (in Slovak). 24 October 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
^ "Charakteristické hladiny – plochy a objemy zdrže Hrušov a stupňa Čunovo". gabcikovo.gov.sk (in Slovak). Splnomocnenec vlády SR pre výstavbu vodných diel Gabčíkovo-Nagymaros. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
^ "Stupeň Gabčíkovo". gabcikovo.gov.sk (in Slovak). Splnomocnenec vlády SR pre výstavbu vodných diel Gabčíkovo-Nagymaros. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
^ "VE Gabčíkovo" (in Slovak). Slovenské elektrárne, a.s. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
^ "SVD Gabčíkovo–Nagymaros" (in Slovak). Vodohospodárska výstavba, a.s. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
^ Kacsinecz, Krisztián (11 November 2022). "Zodpovednosť za vznik prírodných škôd v dôsledku Gabčíkova nesie aj maďarská strana, vraví geológ a novinár Lajos Tuba" [Responsibility for the creation of environmental damage lies also in hands of the Hungarian side, says geologist and journalist Lajos Tuba]. Denník N (in Slovak). Retrieved 4 March 2024.
^ "Ochranár Huba: Vodné dielo Gabčíkovo je zhmotnením násilia proti prírode" [Conservationist Huba: Gabčíkovo is an embodiment of violence against the nature]. SME/Historická revue (in Slovak). 27 October 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2024.