Author(s): Vanja Hatic; Andrej Sirca
Linked Author(s): Andrej Širca
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: The Sava River plays a key role in Slovenia’s hydrological and energy systems. The Krško Nuclear Power Plant (NEK) began operation in 1983, followed by the phased construction of run-of-river hydropower plants between 1994 and 2017. Thermal impacts of these facilities were assessed during the planning phase, with modelling studies indicating negligible effects on river temperature. However, long-term observational verification of such projections in regulated river systems remains limited. The objective of this study is to quantify long-term thermal trends of the Sava River using more than three decades of operational data and to distinguish climate-driven warming from potential hydropower-induced effects. The study provides a rare empirical assessment of the cumulative thermal influence of a run-of-river hydropower cascade based on more than 50 years of continuous hydrological and temperature measurements.
Year: 2026