Kruonis Eldership, Kaišiadorys District Municipality
Kaišiadorys District
The only pumped storage hydroelectric plant in the Baltic States, with guided tours
Marių g. 6, Maisiejūnai village, Kruonis Eldership, Kaišiadorys district
54.79889, 24.24750
about 1.5 hours for the tour
year-round; tours require advance registration
Kruonio HAE, KHAE
Kruonis Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Plant
Kruonis Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Plant (KHAE) stands beside Kauno Marios in Kaišiadorys district, near Kruonis. It is the only pumped storage hydroelectric plant in the Baltic States - a distinctive energy facility that can now also be visited on a guided tour.
The plant works like a giant energy battery. At night, when surplus electricity is cheaper, pumps move water from Kauno Marios to an upper reservoir built on the hilltop. When the system needs power, the water is released back downhill, turns turbines, and produces electricity. In this way the plant helps balance Lithuania's power system.
Construction and Technology
According to VLE, construction began in 1978, but in 1988 it was suspended because of funding issues and environmental protests; the planned capacity was later reduced. The first unit was launched on February 18, 1992, and all four units were installed by 1998. The design capacity had been 1600 MW, while the installed capacity is 900 MW, with four 225 MW units.
The upper reservoir is an artificial body of water of about 303 ha on top of the hill, while the lower reservoir is Kauno Marios. VLE states that the plant provides about 94 percent of the emergency reserve needed by Lithuania's energy system, so it is important for national energy security. Since 2019 the plant has been operated by Ignitis gamyba, a company of the Ignitis Group.
Tours of the Power Plant
Ignitis gamyba runs free guided tours introducing the plant's history, technology, and main equipment. According to official information, a tour lasts about 1.5 hours, is conducted in Lithuanian, is intended for groups of 10-25 people, and visitors must be at least 14 years old.
Advance registration is required, usually no later than 5 working days before the visit. Because times and conditions can change, check the current registration information on the Ignitis gamyba website before planning the trip; individual visitors are not combined into groups.
How to Plan a Visit
Because this is an operating energy facility rather than a museum, visiting is possible only on a prearranged guided tour. Allow about one and a half to two hours including arrival logistics.
Kruonis is easy to combine with Kauno Marios Regional Park sites - cliffs, trails, and the Rumšiškės open-air museum. That makes it possible to join industrial heritage, nature, and ethnography in one itinerary.
