The upper reservoir of the Dlouhé Stráně power plant is accessible only on foot

Loučná nad Desnou (Šumperk Region) - To get to the upper reservoir of the popular pumped storage hydroelectric power station Dlouhé Stráně in Loučná nad Desnou, interested visitors can now only access it on foot. Cars cannot reach the reservoir of this technical monument, as the road leading to it is reserved for construction vehicles. Road repairs will last until the end of August, said Alice Lutišanová, spokesperson for ČEZ Group for Central and Northern Moravia.
    ČEZ Group, the owner of the power station, must repair the road because it is in poor condition. According to the spokesperson, the reconstruction is expected to cost around ten million crowns. "During the repairs, it is only possible to visit the upper reservoir individually on foot. The paths to it lead along the ridge," Lutišanová stated.
    The Dlouhé Stráně pumped storage power station, whose upper reservoir is located at the top of the mountain of the same name at an elevation of 1350 meters above sea level, is one of the sought-after technical monuments in the Olomouc Region. For instance, two years ago, it was visited by 60,976 people, which is more than 6,700 more than the previous year.
    Last year, the upper reservoir of the power station underwent extensive reconstruction, which, along with the replacement of the control systems of the water structure, cost approximately 360 million crowns. Before starting the reconstruction, ČEZ had to empty the upper reservoir, which can hold nearly three million cubic meters of water, something that is not typically done. During the repairs, which lasted nearly five months, the power station was closed to the public.
    In the energy system, Dlouhé Stráně serves a dual purpose: when there is a surplus of energy, it is used to pump water from the lower to the upper reservoir, and during periods of energy deficit, the power station can begin generating electricity within a few dozen seconds and supply it to the grid.
    The construction of the power station, designed by architect Ladislav Konečný, began in 1978. It was put into operation 18 years later.