The 315 MW Višegrad hydropower plant produced 72.73 GWh of electricity in May 2026. Output fell sharply from April, but it stayed higher than generation in the same month of the previous year.
May generation compared with April and May 2025
Hidroelektrane na Drini, a subsidiary of Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske, reported that monthly generation decreased by 34.1% from 110.36 GWh in April. In May 2025, production reached 59.11 GWh. Compared with that level, May 2026 output rose by approximately 23%.
The company said the month-on-month fall points to changing hydrological conditions following a strong April rather than a decline in underlying operating performance. It noted that hydropower output in the Drina basin can vary significantly between months. The variation is linked to inflows, reservoir management and downstream system requirements.
First five months output and annual production benchmarks
Cumulative generation reached 583.49 GWh during the first five months of 2026. That total corresponded to almost 75% of the plant’s full-year production of 781.8 GWh in 2025. It also represented nearly 80% of the 733 GWh generated in 2024.
Višegrad was commissioned in 1989 and includes three units of 105 MW each. Its long-term average annual production is approximately 1,010 GWh, while the record annual figure was 1,283.05 GWh, achieved in 2010. At the May run rate, the plant would not sustain the earlier pace recorded in 2026.
Role in regional power balance and seasonal sensitivity
Even so, cumulative output of 583.49 GWh meant Višegrad had already reached almost 58% of its long-term annual average before the second half of the year. The company indicated that final results depend on summer and autumn hydrology. It also highlighted that the advantage from earlier performance can narrow quickly when inflows weaken.
The plant supports the electricity balance of Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina through dispatchable hydropower generation. The company said hydro reduces exposure to coal availability and imported electricity. It also stated that commercial value is increasing as solar penetration widens differences between midday and evening prices, allowing reservoir-based hydro to shift generation toward more expensive hours where water-management and environmental constraints permit.
