NATIONAL
POLYTECHNIC MUSEUM
Pancharevo hydro power plant
The Pancharevo hydro power plant near the village of Kokalyane was opened on November 1, 1900. This act started the public power supply in Bulgaria – the plant provides electricity for lighting, electric trams and power for industrial companies in Sofia, making it one of the first electrified capitals in Europe.
The construction was carried out by the Marseilles Large Building Company and the installation works were completed by the company Oerlikon. Initially, the machine hall was equipped with 4 turbochargers produced by "Piccard & Pictet" – Geneva with a horizontal shaft of 500 hp. The generator voltage is 8,000V, the low being 150V.
The plant was in operation until the early 1980s.
The National Polytechnic Museum has been using the building since 1975. In 1986, at the insistence of museum specialists, the National Institute for Cultural Monuments declared the Pancharevo hydropower plant as a monument of culture.
Plans are being made to put the plant into operation and build an ecological park with an outdoor museum exhibition similar to the most famous technical museums in the world.