EPS: Drought brings hydropower plant production down to historic low

Due to extremely unfavorable hydrological conditions in the second drought year in a row, electricity production in the hydroelectric power plants of Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) this year will be the lowest in the history of EPS production, the company announced.

The cause of the poor hydrological situation is the extremely low amounts of precipitation in the Drina and Danube basins in the last 18 months, the EPS statement said, as reported by RTS.

The lack of precipitation (snow, rain) in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, has affected the water levels of the Drina and Danube in Serbia, and periodic rainy periods this year in our country, as well as recent precipitation, have no impact on the inflow to our hydroelectric power plants. Since the beginning of the year, hydroelectric capacities have produced around 6.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, and the final result will depend on whether and to what extent the hydrological situation improves in the coming months, EPS stated.

As pointed out, it is certain that hydropower production in 2025 will be about 25% lower than last year, and even 40% lower than in 2023, when hydropower plants produced 12.66 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity.

It is stated that the expectations are that the production of hydropower plants will be about eight billion kilowatt-hours, which is less than the lowest annual figure so far of 8.3 billion kilowatt-hours recorded 36 years ago.

– The revitalizations carried out in the hydropower plants “Djerdap 1,” “Bajina Basta,” “Zvornik” have contributed to the fact that the renovated units operate with extremely high readiness and efficiency and convert every drop of water into energy – explains EPS.

However, the inflows on the rivers always dictate production, and on the Drina and Danube, where the largest HPPs in EPS are located, during all months of this year they were far lower than the multi-year averages. The low water level is also evidenced by the fact that during this and last year there were periods when the Danube was not navigable, the statement says.

Since the beginning of this century, the multi-year average inflow on the Danube has been 5,257 cubic meters per second, and during this year it was only 3,822 cubic meters per second. The Drina, as stated, has a similar situation, with very low inflows recorded during the last six months, and the average inflow in 2025 is only 239 cubic meters per second, almost 100 cubic meters less than the multi-year average, EPS states.

– On the other hand, it is very important that the reserves in the reservoirs are managed carefully and in a planned manner in order to preserve them for the upcoming winter season – the statement says.

Elektroprivreda Srbije ad Beograd

Elektroprivreda Srbije ad Beograd

EPS

HPP Đerdap

HPP Bajina Bašta

HPP Zvornik

Drina

Dunav

hydropower plant production