Vau i Dejës Hydroelectric Power Station

Vau i Dejës Hydroelectric Power Station
An aerial photo of the station and its reservoir
Interactive map of Vau i Dejës Hydroelectric Power Station
LocationVau i Dejës gorge, Albania
Coordinates42°00′49″N 19°38′09″E / 42.01361°N 19.63583°E / 42.01361; 19.63583
Construction began1971
Opening date1973
OwnerAlbanian Power Corporation
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsDrin river
Height76 m (249 ft)
Spillway capacity7,500 m3/s (16,000,000 cu ft/min) or 7,740 m3/s (16,400,000 cu ft/min)
Reservoir
CreatesLake Vau i Dejës
(Albanian: Liqeni i Vaut të Dejës)
Total capacity580,000,000 m3 (2.0×1010 cu ft) (maximum)
263,000,000 m3 (9.3×109 cu ft) (active)
Surface area26 km2 (10 sq mi)
Maximum length20 km (12 mi)
Power Station
OperatorAlbanian Power Corporation
Commission date1973
Turbines5 × 50 MW Francis turbines
Installed capacity250 MW
Annual generation1000 Gwh
Website
https://www.kesh.al/en/service/hec-vau-i-dejes/

The Vau i Dejës Hydroelectric Power Station (Albanian: Hidrocentrali i Vaut të Dejës), abbreviated Vau i Dejës HPP, is a hydroelectric dam on the Drin river, in Albania, near the settlement of Vau i Dejës. Completed in 1973, the project consists of five turbines of French origin, each with a nominal capacity of 50 Megawatt (MW), for a total capacity of 250 MW. It is operated by the Albanian Power Corporation.

The Vau i Dejës power station is the most downstream of the three dams of the Drin river cascade, with the power stations of Fierza and the Koman upstream.

The hydroelectric station was turned into a hybrid power station, with the installation of floating photovoltaics on one of its dams. As of 2026, there are plans to add more photovoltaics, on its two other dams and ground-mounted photovoltaics, as well as to incorporate wind turbines.