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The "Domenico Cimarosa" generation and pumped storage plant is located in Presenzano, near Caserta and is (in terms of its physical dimensions), the largest in Italy and the second largest in Europe. It is a typical closed-cycle power plant: it consists of two reservoirs with a capacity of approximately 6 million cubic meters each and a relative height difference of about 500 m.
Its key feature is its relative proximity to the metropolitan areas of both Rome and Naples, which enables it to regulate the electricity grid in central and southern Italy. The plant is not far from the route of the 380 kV power line, which is the transmission backbone of the country’s grid. Construction of the plant began in 1979 and was completed in 1990. The four reversible hydropower units gradually came into service between 1991 and 1994.
Hydroelectric
Operational
1,000 MW
304 GWh
Average production achieved in the last three representative years.
139,251 tons per year
112,000 households per year
Care for the environment was a key aspect of the plant's construction. The design of a reservoir-based power plant minimized the height of the buildings above ground level, while adequate vegetation cover was laid on the outer slopes.
The establishment of the plant has not altered the watercourses in the area. Indeed, the flows necessary for the operation of the Presenzano power plant consist of modest water inflows. These are necessary in order to replenish evaporated water and to avoid eutrophication (i.e., when there are too many nutrients) in the reservoirs.
Because of its technical and construction characteristics, the power plant has been a popular destination for visitors, ever since it opened. They come from educational institutions of all levels, as well as associations, in gradually increasing numbers with peaks of 20-25,000 visitors per year. Technical visits by members of industrial engineering departments at universities are particularly frequent.
