Písek is repairing the Křižík power plant; the monument will once again produce electricity

Písek - Písek is renovating the municipal power plant from 1888, which is the oldest operating hydroelectric power plant in the Czech Republic. Today, technicians installed the repaired Francis turbines. The power plant is expected to produce electricity again by the end of April. The city is preparing two more phases of reconstruction of the technical monument, with total costs exceeding 100 million crowns, city representatives told reporters today.

The power plant was established after a successful demonstration of lighting the city center by František Křižík in June 1887. Thus, Písek became the first city in Bohemia with permanent public electric lighting. The power plant was commissioned on August 31, 1888, in the premises of the then Podskalský mill.

"If we manage to complete and launch the power plant this year, it could be used again for public lighting. This means that it is not only a historical cultural monument but also the restoration of a functional renewable source," stated the city’s chief energy manager Tomáš Hrdý. The power plant's output is approximately 75 kilowatts, and the annual production, which depends on the water level, is around 200 megawatt-hours.

This year, the city aims to obtain building permits for the next stages of repairs. The first phase includes the reconstruction of the machinery technology, in the second phase, Písek will have the decayed grilles repaired, which are used to catch impurities in the water. The third phase will be the reconstruction of the power plant's building, said Písek's deputy mayor Petra Trambová (TOP 09). The city is collaborating with the Prácheň Museum in Písek, which conducts tours for the public at the power plant. An exhibition dedicated to sustainable energy sources will be created in the renovated building.

"We are also planning a café, so the public can come here even without having to go through the exhibition," Trambová noted. The café could be located on the island near the power plant, which the city is currently negotiating to purchase from the Vltava River Authority.

According to Milan Pavelka from the company that is carrying out the machinery technology reconstruction at the power plant, over 80 percent of the original components have been preserved. "Some components, which hadn't been dismantled for 125 years, had grown together, so we had to separate them hydraulically," described Pavelka. The company eventually had to carry out a comprehensive repair of the equipment, including the generator.