Any interference with the environment has some consequences that may turn out to be negative. When we talk about electricity production by hydropower plants or pumped-storage hydropower plants, we must be aware of the impacts it may have on the environment around the power plant facilities. Hydropower is one of the renewable energy sources and is considered one of the cleanest. However, it can still affect the ecosystem (land use, biodiversity, physical and biological changes in the watercourse, water habitats changes, etc.).
In the final seminar paper, I was interested in the environmental impacts that the pumped-storage hydropower plant Avče has produced. I was interested in land-use changes around the power plant facilities and impacts on the Soča River ecosystem. Land-use changes are visible in the vicinity of power plant facilities. The area of meadows, pastures, and forests has decreased. Since the Ajba dam, which was originally used by hydropower plant Plave I, was built already in 1939, there were no major changes in the Soča riverbed during the construction of pumped-storage hydropower plant Avče. The pumped-storage hydropower plant operates by the Soča river, which belongs to ecologically important areas and it represents an important habitat for various aquatic organisms.
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