About us

Several glimpses into our history

In the process of construction of Elektrėnai power plant and with regard to the planned construction of a nuclear power plant in the future, a reasoned idea to construct a powerful pumped storage plant to be used for regulation of the power system’s operation by smoothing the load curve gradually matured, i.e. such power plant would improve the quality of electricity, and in the case of accident in the power system would compensate energy deficit by its flexibly operating equipment.

Six sites for construction of a power plant were considered. Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant (Kruonis PSP) with generating capacity of 1600MW as well as Sudervė PSP with generating capacity of 2000MW seemed to be the most perspective. The essential economic advantage of Kruonis PSP was the possibility to use the Kaunas Lagoon (63.5 km²) as a lower reservoir; and for Sudervė PSP it would be necessary to construct a costly lower reservoir by damming up the Neris river.

Intensive discussions on the possible alternative to Kruonis PSP – a hydro power plant in Birštonas - had been going on since the time when the idea to construct the pumped storage plant arose (in 1962) nearly till the date when the construction started, however, on June 16, 1967, a final decision to construct Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant was made at the meeting of the Energy Development Commission.

The technical-economic feasibility of Kruonis PSP was discussed and approved at the meeting of the Research and Technical Council of the Energy and Electrification Board on June 15, 1973.

On July 3, 1973, the technical- economic feasibility of Kruonis PSP was verified by the Commission established by the State Planning Committee of Lithuania, and the submitted project was essentially approved.

Based on the unanimous opinion of specialists, the Government of Lithuania approved the technical-economic feasibility of construction of Kruonis PSP on July 12, 1973.

The technical project was approved on April 4, 1978.  

Most   important events in construction and operation:

• 1978  - official beginning of construction.
• 1984.04.21  -  the  first  foundation stone  was concreted  in the basement of  Kruonis PSP building.
• 1992.02.18  -  start -up of the first unit.
• 1992.07.14  -  upper reservoir was filled.
• 1992.08.05  -  start-up  of  the second unit.
• 1994.08.03  -  start -up of  the third unit.
• 1998.06.30  -  start -up of  the fourth unit.
• 2000.12.19  -  construction of  the upper  reservoir  finished.