There has been no such production facility in Slovenia with such significance as the power station in Fala. After 100 years of operation, its fifth turbine started spinning today. It was the first hydroelectric power station to start operating on the Drava River - the result of an Austro-Hungarian energy plan. It has so far served six states, and was most responsible for the industrial development of Maribor in the past century.
The head of the Dravske Elektrarne power company, Andrej Tumpej: "In its one-hundred-year history, and taking into account the time we live in today, Fala has produced enough energy to satisfy Slovenia's total needs for one year and a half. A year ago, we completed renovating the power station's secondary equipment, and at this moment it is one of the most modern hydroelectric power stations in Slovenia."
What is important is that the power station, which has already given almost 19.400 gigawatt hours in the past century, still contributes 260 gigawatts in the total energy production of Dravske Elektrarne, which is 10 percent of the produced energy. In the past one hundred years it has encouraged the development of the surrounding area, and locals wish that it remains that way. They would like for at least a part of its profit to remain in the Drava area.
An exhibition about the Fala power station is on display at the University of Maribor Library. Meanwhile, Primož Premzl's Art Cabinet has published a monograph entitled Elektrarna Fala – 100 let zelene energije (Fala Power Station – 100 Years of Green Energy). "The book offers a wealth of preserved photographs, documenting the construction and operating of the power station."
There is also a museum inside the power station, where one can see the equipment used exactly one century ago.