Hydroelectric power station

Explosion at the Suviana power station, tomorrow 8 hours of strike in Emilia Romagna. Four missing are sought

A fire in the turbine area at a depth of 30 metres caused an explosion in the hydroelectric power station at the Suviana reservoir, some 70 kilometres south of Bologna. The toll is three dead and five seriously injured. Four people are still missing

9 April 2024Aggiornato il 10/04/2024 alle ore 7:23

Esplosione centrale Suviana: le prime immagini dall'alto dopo l'incidente

6' min read

It is ofthree dead, five seriously injured and four missing the balance of Monday's accident at the Enel power plant at Lake Suviana, in the Apennines near Bologna. A turbine exploded on the -8 floor of the plant. The collapse swept away at least 12 technicians from external companies who were working on adjustments to the power plant. The victims were 36, 45 and 73 years old. The search for the missing continues, in the rubble and underwater. The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella has expressed his hope that full light will be shed on what happened.

Around 3 p.m. on Monday, a explosion caused a very serious work-related accident at a hydroelectric power station semi-submerged in Bargi, near the Suviana reservoir in the Bolognese Apennines. The injured are in hospitals in Parma, Cesena, Forlì and Pisa. The 12 workers involved in the explosion are mostly employees of companies outside Enel, which operates the plant. Three other workers present at the site of the explosion were unharmed.

Firefighters struggle to get in

The search for the missing was immediately launched by the Carabinieri and the fire brigade, who were engaged in extinguishing the fire, which was very difficult: "There is a lot of smoke, we are struggling to get into the premises," explained the provincial commander of the Bologna fire brigade, Calogero Turturici. "On the floor of the accident were the transformers. The premises were flooded with water'. The Civil Defence of Emilia-Romagna mounted three outdoor light towers and five indoor emergency lighting systems in the area of Lake Suviana to support the rescue of the injured and the search for the missing. Four 118 helicopters, five ambulances, an ambulance and several fire brigade teams are involved in the search.

The explosion of a turbine, then the flooding of the premises

Enel Green Power, an Enel group company, reports that the explosion of a turbine at the Suviana power plant occurred on the eighth floor below, while on the ninth floor there was flooding due to a cooling pipe from the same turbine that flooded the room for several metres. The rescuers' search will go as far as 40 metres underground: specialist rescue teams are expected to join the 12 fire brigade teams already in action and reach the waterlogged rooms. The regional director of the fire brigade, Francesco Notaro, hopes to find someone still alive among the missing: "Although the burst caused flooding, it could be that after the explosion they found shelter somewhere else on the plate, the hope is to find someone else alive". The dam was not involved.

Where the Suviana reservoir is located

The artificial basin of Suviana is located about seventy kilometres south-west of the Emilian capital, near the border between the provinces of Bologna and Pistoia, below the hamlet of Pavana Pistoiese, the small village known to be the residence of the singer-songwriter Francesco Guccini. Tourist activities have also developed around the shores of the lake, especially camping.

The reservoir was built in the 1920s for the exploitation of electricity, and has since become a tourist attraction that, given its relative proximity to the metropolitan areas of Bologna and Florence, often attracts those who want to escape the summer heat for a day. Two hydroelectric power stations overlook the lake: Suviana and Bargi. It is the latter that was involved in the explosion and fire. It is also fed by the waters of the Brasimone basin through pipelines. The Bargi plant is a generation/pumping plant consisting of two production groups of 165 MW each for an installed capacity of 330 MW. It is the largest in terms of installed power in the Emilia-Romagna region and has a significant function in the regulation, operation and management of the national electricity grid. The power plant is three-quarters submerged.

The lake was created by the construction of the dam, completed in 1932, and is fed by the Limentra stream. It is located in the Bolognese Apennines, between the municipalities of Camugnano and Castel di Casio. It is a plant strongly linked to the recent history of the Apennines, so much so that it was initially built to feed the recently constructed Bologna-Florence railway line. The Bargi power station dates back to the 1970s. The area around the two lakes forms a regional park and is considered an example of how the environment and clean renewable energy can coexist. The Suviana-Brasimone basin also has other hydroelectric plants, which are smaller than Bargi: Suviana with 27 MW, Le Piane with 10 MW, Santa Maria with 6 MW, Le Pioppe with 0.3 MW and Pavana with 0.11 MW for a total power of about 373 MW.

Enel Green Power: security measures activated

With regard to the fire that affected a transformer at the Suviana reservoir hydroelectric power plant, Enel Green Power, the company of the Enel Group that manages the plant, informs that it "promptly activated all the necessary safety measures as per internal procedures to ensure the correct evacuation procedures for the protection of its personnel". Production at the Bargi plant "has been stopped, without causing any impact on the local and national electricity service supply. The company communicates that it is continuing to operate by following all necessary safety measures as per internal procedures to ensure the evacuation of its personnel". The managing director of Enel Green Power, Salvatore Bernabei, immediately went to the site to follow the situation in person.

Bonaccini: 'Tragedy that leaves one speechless'

'The explosion at the Suviana hydroelectric plant is a tragedy that leaves one speechless and has deeply shocked the entire community of Emilia-Romagna. To the victims and their families, as well as the injured, who have been transported to various hospital facilities, goes the sympathy and condolences of the entire Region'. Thus the president, Stefano Bonaccini. Since the early hours of Monday afternoon, Bonaccini has been in close contact with the mayor of Camugnano, Marco Masinara, the municipality that hosts the Suviana dam on its territory. "We need to know the reasons for what happened. Now grief overtakes everything, but let's not forget that safety at work must become the priority for the country". "At this moment, I believe that we must above all give the maximum support to those who are carrying out the rescue operations, the closeness of the entire metropolitan city of Bologna and condolences for those whose loved ones were involved. It is clear that given the numbers, this is likely to be one of the most serious work-related tragedies in the recent history of our country'. This was said by the metropolitan mayor of Bologna, Matteo Lepore, who is assisting on site at the rescue and recovery operations launched after the explosion at the Suviana dam.

The Head of State's condolences. Thursday general strike in Emilia Romagna

The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella got in touch with the President of the Emilia-Romagna region Stefano Bonaccini from whom he received information on the tragedy that occurred at the Lake Suviana power plant. During the phone call, MrMattarella expressed his condolences for the deceased workers and solidarity with the injured, the families and work colleagues of the victims, hoping that full light would be shed on the dynamics of the accident. Faced with the Suviana massacre, the four-hour strike proclaimed for Thursday by CGIL and UIL becomes eight hours in all public and private sectors in Emilia-Romagna. A demonstration is confirmed in Bologna with a concentration in Piazza XX Settembre from 9 a.m. onwards.

Premier Meloni: 'I follow with apprehension'

"I am following with apprehension the terrible news concerning the explosion that took place in a hydroelectric power plant in the Suviana reservoir in the Bolognese Apennines. All my sympathy and that of the Government to the families of the victims and to the injured people involved. My thanks to the fire brigade that promptly intervened, to the rescuers and to all those who are working in these hours to search for the missing". This was written on social media by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Eight-hour strike in Emilia Romagna on Thursday

Faced with the Suviana massacre, the four-hour strike proclaimed for Thursday by CGIL and UIL becomes eight hours in all public and private sectors in Emilia-Romagna. In Bologna, a demonstration is confirmed with a concentration in Piazza XX Settembre from 9am.