A significant uncontrolled overflow occurred at the Lubachów hydroelectric dam in Poland on Sunday due to an unprecedented water inflow. This overflow reached the Mietków reservoir hours later on Monday, causing widespread flooding.
TAURON Group, which oversees the Lubachów dam, is following the guidelines of the regional Crisis Management Centers to address the situation. More than 700 workers from TAURON Dystrybucja are working to restore power in affected areas. The flood has impacted eight hydroelectric plants, forcing evacuations of staff and damaging lighting in 68 municipalities.
Around 400 teams, totalling 1,000 power engineers, are in the field today working under challenging conditions. Power outages stem from infrastructure damage, safety-related shutdowns, and adverse weather. In areas still affected by flooding, power facilities have been turned off to ensure residents’ safety. In places where water levels have receded, TAURON teams are assessing the extent of the damage.
Emergency brigades are utilizing generators, pumps, and dehumidifiers to clear floodwater from power stations. Drones and off-road vehicles are being deployed to access hard-to-reach areas.
The scale of destruction is significant, and restoring power will take several days said Renata Szczepaniak, spokesperson for TAURON Dystrybucja.
The Lubachów hydroelectric dam, constructed in 1917, is located on the Bystrzyca River in Poland. It stands 44m high and 230m long, built using stones from nearby quarries. The dam features 10 permanent spillways, four relief outlets, and two bottom outlets. The dam’s complex outlet installation operates under variable hydraulic conditions. Analytical verification undertaken a few years ago revealed significant deviations from the original discharge curves, particularly for the front spillway and intermediate outlets, indicating a potential risk of water overflow over the dam crest.
