2009 Sayano-Shushenskaya hydro accident
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Sayano–Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station accident occurred at 00:13 GMT on 17 August 2009, (08:13 AM local time) when turbine 2 of the Sayano–Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station broke apart violently. The turbine hall and engine room were flooded, the ceiling of the turbine hall collapsed, 9 of 10 turbines were damaged or destroyed, and 75 people were killed. The entire plant output, totaling 6,400 MW and a significant portion of the supply to the local grid, was lost, leading to widespread power failure in the local area, and forcing all major users such as aluminum smelters to switch to diesel generators. An official report on the accident was issued on 4 October 2009.
, near Sayanogorsk
in Khakassia
, Russia. Before the accident, it was the largest hydroelectric power station
in Russia and the sixth-largest hydroelectric power station in the world, by average power generation. The plant is operated by RusHydro
. On 2 July 2009, RusHydro announced the station's all-time highest electricity output per 24 hours.
From January to March 2009, turbine 2 was undergoing scheduled repairs and modernization. It was the first and only turbine in the station which was equipped with a new electro-hydraulic regulator of its rotational speed supplied by the Promavtomatika company. During the course of the repair, the turbine blades were welded, because, after a long period of operation, cracks and cavities had appeared; however, the turbine wheel was not properly rebalanced after these repairs had been completed. After the repairs, turbine 2 had increased vibration, ca 0.15 mm for the main bearing at the full load of the turbine; however it did not exceed specifications but was unacceptable for long term use. The elevated vibration compared to other turbines was apparent for turbine 2 before the repair as well. The vibration exceeded specification on the beginning of July and continued to increase with accelerated speed. On the night of 16–17 August, the level of vibration increased substantially. There were several attempts to stop the turbine. During 16 August up to 20:30, the load of turbine 2 was 600 MW, then it was reduced to 100–200 MW. On 17 August 2009 at 3:00, the load was increased again to 600 MW; at 3:30, the load was decreased to 200 MW; and at 3:45, it was increased again to 600 MW. During this time, the level of vibration was very high, and was also registered by seismic instruments in the plant. During attempts to shut it down, the rotor inside the turbine was pushed up, which in turn created pressure pushing up on the turbine cover. The cover was kept in place by 80 bolts of 8 centimetres (3.1 in) diameter.
In the morning of 17 August 2009, 50 people were around turbine 2. As the plant general director, Nikolai Nevolko, was celebrating his 17th anniversary, early in the morning he went to Abakan to greet the arriving guests, and none of the workers present wanted to make or had no authority to make decisions about further actions regarding the turbine. It seems they were used to those high levels of vibrations.
Turbine 2 was started on 16 August 2009 at 23:14 local time. At 23:44 it was running at full load of 600 MW. During the night its load varied between 10 and 610 MW. At the moment of the accident, which was 8:13 local time (00:13 GMT), its load was 475 MW and water consumption was 256 m3/s. Vibration of the bearing was 0.84 mm which exceeded the values of other turbines by more than fourfold. The work life defined by the manufacturer for the turbines was specified for 30 years. At the moment of accident the age of the turbine was 29 years and 10 months.
The turbines of this type have a very narrow working band at high efficiency regime. If this band is exceeded the turbines begin to vibrate, caused by the pulsation of water flow and waters strokes. These vibrations and shocks on the turbines will degrade them over time. These problems were observed many times in the plant.
On the day of accident the turbines worked at working level 212 metres (695.5 ft). At this pressure the recommended power band for the turbines is 570–640 MW (band III) and the allowed band is 0-265 MW also (band I). Band 265–570 MW (band II) at this pressure is not recommended and output over 640 MW (band IV) is forbidden. On the day of accident turbine 2 worked as the plants power output regulator and due to this, its output power changed constantly. The turbine often operated in band II regime which is accompanied with pulsation and strokes of water flow.
). There was a loud bang from turbine
2. The turbine cover shot up and the 920 tonnes (905.5 LT) rotor also shot out of its seat. After this water spouted from the cavity of the turbine into the machinery hall. As a result, the machinery hall and rooms below its level were flooded. At the same time, an alarm was received at the power station's main control panel, and the power output fell to zero, resulting in a local blackout
. The steel
gates
to the water intake pipes of turbines, weighing 150 tonnes (147.6 LT) each, were closed manually by opening of valves of hydraulic jacks keeping them up in between 8:35 and 9:20 hours (9.30 by official report).
The operation took 25 minutes, which is near the minimum time (highest speed) allowed for this operation. The emergency diesel
generator
was started at 11:32. At 11:50, the opening of 11 spillway
gates of the dam was started and was finished at 13:07.
75 people were later found dead.
Nine out of the ten turbines were operating at the time, with a total output 4,400 MW. Turbine № 6 was undergoing scheduled maintenance, but was ready for a restart.
Oleg Myakishev, a survivor of the accident, described it as follows:
On 9 September 2009 at 17:40 local time (09:40 GMT), a fire started in the turbine hall during repair works. Around 200 people were evacuated. There were no fatalities or injuries. According to RusHydro the fire was extinguished "within a few minutes".
on its website. However, later the report and the press release on the report were removed from the website.
Names of people killed and those who bear responsibility for the accident, and other data including a historical and technical review about the plant and plans for its future, are given in the report. The report states that the accident was primarily caused by the turbine vibrations which led to the fatigue damage of the mountings of the turbine 2, including the cover of the turbine. It was also found that at the moment of accident at least six nuts were missing from the bolts securing the turbine cover. After the accident 49 recovered bolts were investigated from which 41 had fatigue cracks. On 8 bolts, the fatigue damaged area exceeded 90% of the total cross-sectional area.
According to this report, on 17 August 2009 at 1:20AM (local time) there was a fire at the hydroelectric power station of Bratsk which broke both communications and the automatic driving systems of other power plants in the region, including Sayano-Shushenskaya. The situation was recovered on 17 August 2009 at 15:03. At 8:12AM local time, turbine 2's output power was reduced by the turbine regulator and it entered into the non-recommended powerband II. Shortly after this, the bolts keeping the turbine cover in place were broken, and under water pressure of about 20 bars (2,000,000 Pa), the spinning turbine with its cover, rotor, and upper parts started to move up, destroying machinery hall installations. At the same time, pressurized water flooded the rooms and continued damaging plant constructions.
According to Rostekhnadzor, the automatic shutdown system of the water intake pipes' gates failed after failure of the turbine 2. This accusation was dismissed by Rakurs, the company which designed the automated safety system for the plant.
, the increased vibration of turbine 2 was going on for some 10 years and was well-known to the plant personnel. According to the former director of Irkutskenergo
, Viktor Bobrovski, the accident could have been caused by an incorrect start-up process of the turbine which resulted in an hydraulic pressure surge, or the excess load of the turbine caused by the peak consumption of electricity. According to Bobrovski, it is common practice in the region to compensate for peak load by overloading hydroelectric power plants, and the energy system of the region is near collapse, as the main goal of its owners is to take out as much profit as possible cutting down on maintenance, investment, safety, and educational costs. Since the load for other turbines ceased after the collapse of the turbine 2, they probably started to spin without load at increasing speed until they smashed. He said that former director of Sayano–Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station, Valentin Bryzgalov, had alerted that it is dangerous to operate the plant at its maximum loads when the turbines are starting to vibrate in the axial direction. He said that the accident probably would not have had such catastrophic results if the safety systems had worked and the safety rules had been followed.
The former general director of the plant, Alexander Toloshinov, has said that the accident was most likely due to a "manufacturing defect" in a turbine. According to Toloshinov, the construction of the turbine blade
s of this type of turbine is not very reliable and cracks are known to develop in them under some working conditions.
On 11 September 2009, RusHydro refuted allegations that the dam overwhelmed the machinery hall leading to the destruction of turbine 2. According to RusHydro, displacements of the dam are seasonal and have been reduced in recent years. The maximum displacement (141.5 millimetres (5.6 in)) was recorded in 2006, which was below the allowed maximum of 145.5 mm (5.7 in). According to RusHydro, the scope of displacement between the anchor legs and the machinery hall does not exceed 2.3 mm (0.0905511811023622 in), which is less than the width between them (50 mm (2 in)), and therefore the dam cannot overwhelm the machinery hall.
On 21 August 2009, a website supporting rebel groups in Chechnya
claimed that they were responsible for the blast, part of a new "economic war" which they were declaring on Russia. These claims were dismissed by authorities as "idiotic".
. RusHydro declared 25 August a day of mourning at the company. A festival in the city of Abakan
on 22 August was canceled.
Due to the accident, the town of Cheryomushki has banned the sale of strong alcoholic beverages.
explosion. Transformer
s 1 and 2 were destroyed, while transformers 3, 4, and 5 were left in satisfactory condition. Other damage was also severe as the machinery hall was destroyed, including the roof, ceilings, and floor.
On 9 September 2009, RusHydro announced the damage caused by the incident:
in Sayanogorsk and Khakassia were completely cut off from the grid before power supplies were replaced using alternate power sources. Power to blacked out areas was fully restored by 19 August 2009. Although smelters continue to work at their normal rate, RUSAL
warned that in the longer term it may lose up to 500000 tonnes (492,101.8 LT) of aluminum output due to the power shortage, and called for accelerating the construction of the Boguchany hydroelectric power station
to replace lost generating capacity.
, releasing at least 40 tonnes (39.4 LT) of transformer oil
which spread over 80 km (49.7 mi) downstream of Yenisei. The oil, which spilled during the approximately 2-3 hour cutoff of river flow when all the gates of the dam were closed, killed 400 tonnes (393.7 LT) of cultivated trout
in two riverside fisheries, with its impact on wildlife as yet unassessed. On 19 August 2009, the 15 km (9.3 mi)-long spill had reached Ust-Abakan, where it was cordoned off with floating barriers and chemical sorbent
s. The oil spill was fully removed by 25 August 2009.
was suspended for two days. After trading resumed on 19 August 2009, the shares dropped 11.4%. On the London Stock Exchange
, the share price dropped more than 15%. It is expected that RusHydro's business losses will amount to 16.5 billion roubles
(US$523 million) by 2013. The power plant was insured for US$200 million by Russian insurance company ROSNO
, part of Allianz
group, and re-insured by Munich Re
.
(about US$3,100) to each survivor, while RusHydro decided to pay a further 1 million rubles in compensation. RusHydro also decided to buy housing for 13 families of killed workers with underage children. There is also programs to support these children in kindergarten
s and schools and to provide higher education
. In addition, a special program for the reconstruction and development of Cheryomushki settlement, the main settlement where the power plant workers live, is planned.
, the rebuilding of the engine room alone would cost 40 billion rubles
(€880 million, US$1.3 billion). Russia's Sberbank
has agreed to lend 20 billion rubles (€440 million, US$630 million) for the repair works. RusHydro also is negotiating a loan with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
.
According to RusHydro, turbines 4, 5, and 6 will probably be repaired. Turbines 7 and 9 were too damaged and are being disassembled. The machinery hall, heating system, electricity supply, and sewage tunnels were under repair. As the spillway works all the time, several methods of preventing the dam from icing are under consideration. The machinery hall is under construction and its heating system is also under repairs. Repair work is going on continuously, 24 hours a day.
For movement time of the spillway well crane КБГС-1000 the spillway was reduced to 1105 m3/s.
, there is an on-going battle with icing. All 11 spillway gates are opened to 0.5 from the first step. 70 heat guns with a total output of 1,500 kW are provisionally installed under part of the recovered machinery hall roof to prevent it from icing. Chemical (MgCl2 6 H20) and mechanical methods are used against icing also.
As of December 27, 2009, there are on-going or prepared dismantling of turbines 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Only turbines 5 and 6 will be repaired in their working place. The other turbines will be replaced, repaired in the factory and/or modernized.
Turbine 6 was restarted on 24 February 2010. President Vladimir Putin
personally switched turbine 6 to the load. Turbine 5 was brought under load on 22 March. Turbine 4 was restarted 4 August 2010.
On 14 April 2010, the process of dismantling of turbine 2, and constructions surrounding it, was finished. By the year 2014 all turbines in the plant will be replaced with new ones.
On 30 June 2010 the turbine 4 was started without the load to dry its electrical coils and to test it and to prepare it for the switching under load in this summer.
On July 2010 the replacement of turbine 3 is going and shall be completed in December 2010. The new turbine has better electrical and hydrodynamic characteristics and has 40 year working resource
On 6. July 2011 the ship loaded with new parts of the turbines for the station started from Sankt Peterburg
On 8. July 2011 The turbines 3, 4 and 5 are working with full load and turbine 6 is in reserve
Background
Sayano–Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station is located on the Yenisei RiverYenisei River
Yenisei , also written as Yenisey, is the largest river system flowing to the Arctic Ocean. It is the central of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean...
, near Sayanogorsk
Sayanogorsk
Sayanogorsk is a town in the Republic of Khakassia, Russia, located on the left bank of the Yenisei River, south of Abakan and about east of the railway station on the line Kamyshta which goes from Abakan to Abaza. Population: -Economy:...
in Khakassia
Khakassia
The Republic of Khakassia or Khakasiya is a federal subject of Russia located in south-central Siberia. Its capital city is Abakan, which is also the largest city in the republic...
, Russia. Before the accident, it was the largest hydroelectric power station
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
in Russia and the sixth-largest hydroelectric power station in the world, by average power generation. The plant is operated by RusHydro
RusHydro
RusHydro , previously known as Hydro-OGK, is a Russian hydroelectricity company. As of 2008 it has a capacity of 25 gigawatts. It is the world's second-largest hydroelectric power producer and is the country's largest power-generating company and the largest successor to RAO UES...
. On 2 July 2009, RusHydro announced the station's all-time highest electricity output per 24 hours.
Turbine 2
Turbine 2 had experienced problems for a long time prior to the 2009 accident. After its installation in 1979, the first problems appeared; during 1980-1983 many more problems with seals, turbine shaft vibrations, and bearings surfaced. From the end of March to the end of November 2000, a complete reconditioning of turbine 2 was performed. Cavities up to 12 mm deep and cracks up to 130 mm long were found on the turbine wheel and repaired. Many other defects were found in the turbine bearings and subsequently repaired. In 2005 further repairs were made to turbine 2. Problems found were similar in several aspects to the defects observed during the previous repair.From January to March 2009, turbine 2 was undergoing scheduled repairs and modernization. It was the first and only turbine in the station which was equipped with a new electro-hydraulic regulator of its rotational speed supplied by the Promavtomatika company. During the course of the repair, the turbine blades were welded, because, after a long period of operation, cracks and cavities had appeared; however, the turbine wheel was not properly rebalanced after these repairs had been completed. After the repairs, turbine 2 had increased vibration, ca 0.15 mm for the main bearing at the full load of the turbine; however it did not exceed specifications but was unacceptable for long term use. The elevated vibration compared to other turbines was apparent for turbine 2 before the repair as well. The vibration exceeded specification on the beginning of July and continued to increase with accelerated speed. On the night of 16–17 August, the level of vibration increased substantially. There were several attempts to stop the turbine. During 16 August up to 20:30, the load of turbine 2 was 600 MW, then it was reduced to 100–200 MW. On 17 August 2009 at 3:00, the load was increased again to 600 MW; at 3:30, the load was decreased to 200 MW; and at 3:45, it was increased again to 600 MW. During this time, the level of vibration was very high, and was also registered by seismic instruments in the plant. During attempts to shut it down, the rotor inside the turbine was pushed up, which in turn created pressure pushing up on the turbine cover. The cover was kept in place by 80 bolts of 8 centimetres (3.1 in) diameter.
In the morning of 17 August 2009, 50 people were around turbine 2. As the plant general director, Nikolai Nevolko, was celebrating his 17th anniversary, early in the morning he went to Abakan to greet the arriving guests, and none of the workers present wanted to make or had no authority to make decisions about further actions regarding the turbine. It seems they were used to those high levels of vibrations.
Turbine 2 was started on 16 August 2009 at 23:14 local time. At 23:44 it was running at full load of 600 MW. During the night its load varied between 10 and 610 MW. At the moment of the accident, which was 8:13 local time (00:13 GMT), its load was 475 MW and water consumption was 256 m3/s. Vibration of the bearing was 0.84 mm which exceeded the values of other turbines by more than fourfold. The work life defined by the manufacturer for the turbines was specified for 30 years. At the moment of accident the age of the turbine was 29 years and 10 months.
The turbines of this type have a very narrow working band at high efficiency regime. If this band is exceeded the turbines begin to vibrate, caused by the pulsation of water flow and waters strokes. These vibrations and shocks on the turbines will degrade them over time. These problems were observed many times in the plant.
On the day of accident the turbines worked at working level 212 metres (695.5 ft). At this pressure the recommended power band for the turbines is 570–640 MW (band III) and the allowed band is 0-265 MW also (band I). Band 265–570 MW (band II) at this pressure is not recommended and output over 640 MW (band IV) is forbidden. On the day of accident turbine 2 worked as the plants power output regulator and due to this, its output power changed constantly. The turbine often operated in band II regime which is accompanied with pulsation and strokes of water flow.
Accident
The accident occurred on 17 August 2009 at 08:13 local time (00:13 GMTGreenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. It is arguably the same as Coordinated Universal Time and when this is viewed as a time zone the name Greenwich Mean Time is especially used by bodies connected with the United...
). There was a loud bang from turbine
Water turbine
A water turbine is a rotary engine that takes energy from moving water.Water turbines were developed in the 19th century and were widely used for industrial power prior to electrical grids. Now they are mostly used for electric power generation. They harness a clean and renewable energy...
2. The turbine cover shot up and the 920 tonnes (905.5 LT) rotor also shot out of its seat. After this water spouted from the cavity of the turbine into the machinery hall. As a result, the machinery hall and rooms below its level were flooded. At the same time, an alarm was received at the power station's main control panel, and the power output fell to zero, resulting in a local blackout
Power outage
A power outage is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network...
. The steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
gates
Gate (engineering)
In engineering, a gate is a rotating or sliding structure, supported by hinges or by a rotating horizontal or vertical axis, that can be located at an extreme of a large pipe or canal in order to control the flow of water or any fluid from one side to the other...
to the water intake pipes of turbines, weighing 150 tonnes (147.6 LT) each, were closed manually by opening of valves of hydraulic jacks keeping them up in between 8:35 and 9:20 hours (9.30 by official report).
The operation took 25 minutes, which is near the minimum time (highest speed) allowed for this operation. The emergency diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
generator
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
was started at 11:32. At 11:50, the opening of 11 spillway
Spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. In the UK they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy...
gates of the dam was started and was finished at 13:07.
75 people were later found dead.
Nine out of the ten turbines were operating at the time, with a total output 4,400 MW. Turbine № 6 was undergoing scheduled maintenance, but was ready for a restart.
Oleg Myakishev, a survivor of the accident, described it as follows:
…I was standing upstairs when I heard some sort of growing noise, then I saw the corrugated turbine cover rise and stand on end. Then I saw the rotor rising from underneath it. It was spinning. I could not believe my eyes. It rose about three meters. Rocks and pieces of metal went flying, we started to dodge them… At that point the corrugated cover was nearly at roof level, and the roof itself had been destroyed… I made a mental calculation: the water is rising, 380 cubic meters per second, so I took to my heels and ran for the № 10 turbine. I thought that I wouldn't make it, I climbed higher, stopped, looked down, and saw everything getting destroyed, water coming in, people trying to swim… I thought: someone must urgently shut the gates to stop the water, manually… Manually, because there was no power, none of the protection systems had worked…
On 9 September 2009 at 17:40 local time (09:40 GMT), a fire started in the turbine hall during repair works. Around 200 people were evacuated. There were no fatalities or injuries. According to RusHydro the fire was extinguished "within a few minutes".
Cause
On 4 October 2009 the official report about Sayano-Shushenskaya hydro accident was published by the Federal Environmental, Technological and Atomic Supervisory Service (Rostekhnadzor)Rostekhnadzor
Rostekhnadzor is the supervisory body of Russia on ecological, technological and nuclear issues....
on its website. However, later the report and the press release on the report were removed from the website.
Names of people killed and those who bear responsibility for the accident, and other data including a historical and technical review about the plant and plans for its future, are given in the report. The report states that the accident was primarily caused by the turbine vibrations which led to the fatigue damage of the mountings of the turbine 2, including the cover of the turbine. It was also found that at the moment of accident at least six nuts were missing from the bolts securing the turbine cover. After the accident 49 recovered bolts were investigated from which 41 had fatigue cracks. On 8 bolts, the fatigue damaged area exceeded 90% of the total cross-sectional area.
According to this report, on 17 August 2009 at 1:20AM (local time) there was a fire at the hydroelectric power station of Bratsk which broke both communications and the automatic driving systems of other power plants in the region, including Sayano-Shushenskaya. The situation was recovered on 17 August 2009 at 15:03. At 8:12AM local time, turbine 2's output power was reduced by the turbine regulator and it entered into the non-recommended powerband II. Shortly after this, the bolts keeping the turbine cover in place were broken, and under water pressure of about 20 bars (2,000,000 Pa), the spinning turbine with its cover, rotor, and upper parts started to move up, destroying machinery hall installations. At the same time, pressurized water flooded the rooms and continued damaging plant constructions.
According to Rostekhnadzor, the automatic shutdown system of the water intake pipes' gates failed after failure of the turbine 2. This accusation was dismissed by Rakurs, the company which designed the automated safety system for the plant.
Media speculation
According to the newspaper IzvestiaIzvestia
Izvestia is a long-running high-circulation daily newspaper in Russia. The word "izvestiya" in Russian means "delivered messages", derived from the verb izveshchat . In the context of newspapers it is usually translated as "news" or "reports".-Origin:The newspaper began as the News of the...
, the increased vibration of turbine 2 was going on for some 10 years and was well-known to the plant personnel. According to the former director of Irkutskenergo
Irkutskenergo
Irkutskenergo is a power company in Russia. It mainly focus on the generation of hydroelectricity.The company's hydroelectric facilities are located on the Angara River: Irkutsk, Bratsk, and Ust-Ilimsk hydroelectric power plants. In addition, the company owns 13 cola-fired combined heat and...
, Viktor Bobrovski, the accident could have been caused by an incorrect start-up process of the turbine which resulted in an hydraulic pressure surge, or the excess load of the turbine caused by the peak consumption of electricity. According to Bobrovski, it is common practice in the region to compensate for peak load by overloading hydroelectric power plants, and the energy system of the region is near collapse, as the main goal of its owners is to take out as much profit as possible cutting down on maintenance, investment, safety, and educational costs. Since the load for other turbines ceased after the collapse of the turbine 2, they probably started to spin without load at increasing speed until they smashed. He said that former director of Sayano–Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station, Valentin Bryzgalov, had alerted that it is dangerous to operate the plant at its maximum loads when the turbines are starting to vibrate in the axial direction. He said that the accident probably would not have had such catastrophic results if the safety systems had worked and the safety rules had been followed.
The former general director of the plant, Alexander Toloshinov, has said that the accident was most likely due to a "manufacturing defect" in a turbine. According to Toloshinov, the construction of the turbine blade
Turbine blade
A turbine blade is the individual component which makes up the turbine section of a gas turbine. The blades are responsible for extracting energy from the high temperature, high pressure gas produced by the combustor. The turbine blades are often the limiting component of gas turbines...
s of this type of turbine is not very reliable and cracks are known to develop in them under some working conditions.
On 11 September 2009, RusHydro refuted allegations that the dam overwhelmed the machinery hall leading to the destruction of turbine 2. According to RusHydro, displacements of the dam are seasonal and have been reduced in recent years. The maximum displacement (141.5 millimetres (5.6 in)) was recorded in 2006, which was below the allowed maximum of 145.5 mm (5.7 in). According to RusHydro, the scope of displacement between the anchor legs and the machinery hall does not exceed 2.3 mm (0.0905511811023622 in), which is less than the width between them (50 mm (2 in)), and therefore the dam cannot overwhelm the machinery hall.
On 21 August 2009, a website supporting rebel groups in Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
claimed that they were responsible for the blast, part of a new "economic war" which they were declaring on Russia. These claims were dismissed by authorities as "idiotic".
Rescue operation
After the accident, the spillway was regulated to decrease the water level of reservoir by 3 to 5 cm (1.2 to 2 in) per day. Flood water was pumped out from the engine room by 24 August 2009. On 28 August, the search and rescue operation was completed, and the state of emergency imposed in Khakassia on 17 August 2009, was lifted.Consequences
As a result of the accident, 75 people were killed. On 19 August 2009, the mourning day was announced in KhakassiaKhakassia
The Republic of Khakassia or Khakasiya is a federal subject of Russia located in south-central Siberia. Its capital city is Abakan, which is also the largest city in the republic...
. RusHydro declared 25 August a day of mourning at the company. A festival in the city of Abakan
Abakan
Abakan is the capital city of the Republic of Khakassia, Russia, located in the central part of Minusinsk Depression, at the confluence of the Yenisei and Abakan Rivers. Population: -History:...
on 22 August was canceled.
Due to the accident, the town of Cheryomushki has banned the sale of strong alcoholic beverages.
Damage
In addition to turbine 2, turbines 7 and 9 also suffered severe damage and were destroyed, while the turbine room roof and ceilings fell on and caused additional damage to turbines 1 and 3, with slight damage to turbines 4, 5, 8, and 10. Turbine 6, which was in scheduled repair at the time of the accident, received only minor damage and was the only one of the station's 10 turbines that did not receive electrical damage due to shorting of transformers. Water immediately flooded the engine and turbine rooms and caused a transformerTransformer
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...
explosion. Transformer
Transformer
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...
s 1 and 2 were destroyed, while transformers 3, 4, and 5 were left in satisfactory condition. Other damage was also severe as the machinery hall was destroyed, including the roof, ceilings, and floor.
On 9 September 2009, RusHydro announced the damage caused by the incident:
- Turbine 6: Flooded
- Turbine 5: Flooding and electrical damage
- Turbines 3 and 4: Electrical and mechanical damage to the middle level. Some damage to the concrete structures around them.
- Turbines 1, 8, and 10: Electrical and mechanical damage to the high level. Some damage to the concrete structures around them.
- Turbines 7 and 9: Completely destroyed, with extreme damage to the concrete structures around them.
- Turbine 2: Destroyed completely, including the concrete structures around it.
Power supply
Power generation from the station ceased completely following the incident, with the resulting blackout in residential areas being alleviated by diverting power from other plants. Aluminium smeltersAluminium smelting
Aluminium smelting is the process of extracting aluminium from its oxide alumina, generally by the Hall-Héroult process. Alumina is extracted from the ore Bauxite by means of the Bayer process at an alumina refinery....
in Sayanogorsk and Khakassia were completely cut off from the grid before power supplies were replaced using alternate power sources. Power to blacked out areas was fully restored by 19 August 2009. Although smelters continue to work at their normal rate, RUSAL
United Company RUSAL
United Company RUSAL is the world's largest aluminium company, with headquarters in Moscow, Russian Federation. UC RUSAL accounts for almost 11% of the world's primary aluminium output and 13% of the world’s alumina production. The United Company was formed by the merger of RUSAL , SUAL, and the...
warned that in the longer term it may lose up to 500000 tonnes (492,101.8 LT) of aluminum output due to the power shortage, and called for accelerating the construction of the Boguchany hydroelectric power station
Boguchany hydroelectric power station
The Boguchany Dam is a large hydroelectric dam currently under construction on the Angara River in Kodinsk, Russia.- History :Preparatory works for construction started in 1974. The design was performed by Hydroproject in 1976. Construction of the power station started in 1980 but was suspended in...
to replace lost generating capacity.
Environmental impact
The accident caused an oil spillOil spill
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters...
, releasing at least 40 tonnes (39.4 LT) of transformer oil
Transformer oil
Transformer oil or insulating oil is usually a highly-refined mineral oil that is stable at high temperatures and has excellent electrical insulating properties. It is used in oil-filled transformers, some types of high voltage capacitors, fluorescent lamp ballasts, and some types of high voltage...
which spread over 80 km (49.7 mi) downstream of Yenisei. The oil, which spilled during the approximately 2-3 hour cutoff of river flow when all the gates of the dam were closed, killed 400 tonnes (393.7 LT) of cultivated trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
in two riverside fisheries, with its impact on wildlife as yet unassessed. On 19 August 2009, the 15 km (9.3 mi)-long spill had reached Ust-Abakan, where it was cordoned off with floating barriers and chemical sorbent
Sorbent
A sorbent is a material used to absorb liquids or gases. Examples include:*A material similar to molecular sieve material. It has a large internal surface area and good thermal conductivity. It is typically supplied in pellets of 1 mm to 2 mm diameter and roughly 5 mm length or as...
s. The oil spill was fully removed by 25 August 2009.
Share prices
Trading in RusHydro shares at the Moscow Interbank Currency ExchangeMoscow Interbank Currency Exchange
The Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange or MICEX is one of the largest universal stock exchanges in the Russian Federation and East Europe. MICEX opened in 1992 and is the leading Russian stock exchange...
was suspended for two days. After trading resumed on 19 August 2009, the shares dropped 11.4%. On the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
, the share price dropped more than 15%. It is expected that RusHydro's business losses will amount to 16.5 billion roubles
Russian ruble
The ruble or rouble is the currency of the Russian Federation and the two partially recognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Formerly, the ruble was also the currency of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union prior to their breakups. Belarus and Transnistria also use currencies with...
(US$523 million) by 2013. The power plant was insured for US$200 million by Russian insurance company ROSNO
Sistema
AFK Sistema is a large Russian conglomerate company, headed by Vladimir Yevtushenkov. In March 2006, Yevtushenkov controlled 62% of the shares in Sistema....
, part of Allianz
Allianz
SE is a global financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core business and focus is insurance. As of 2010, it was the world's 12th-largest financial services group and 23rd-largest company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine.Its Allianz Global Investors...
group, and re-insured by Munich Re
Munich Re
Munich Re Group is a reinsurance company based in Munich, Germany. It is one of the world’s leading reinsurers. ERGO, a Munich Re subsidiary, is the Group’s primary insurance arm....
.
Compensation
The Russian government decided to pay compensation of 1 million rubles (US$31,600) to each victim's family, and 100,000 rublesRussian ruble
The ruble or rouble is the currency of the Russian Federation and the two partially recognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Formerly, the ruble was also the currency of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union prior to their breakups. Belarus and Transnistria also use currencies with...
(about US$3,100) to each survivor, while RusHydro decided to pay a further 1 million rubles in compensation. RusHydro also decided to buy housing for 13 families of killed workers with underage children. There is also programs to support these children in kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
s and schools and to provide higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
. In addition, a special program for the reconstruction and development of Cheryomushki settlement, the main settlement where the power plant workers live, is planned.
Personnel
The director of the plant, Nikolai Nevolko, was replaced by Valerii Kjari. Several people were awarded for their heroic actions during the accident. Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, awarded Juri Salnikov and Oleg Melnitchuck with an Official Letter of Commendation each.Repairs
The replacement of damaged turbines will take up to four years. Over 2,000 people were involved in the rescue works and liquidation of the consequences after the disaster. According to Russian Energy Minister Sergei ShmatkoSergei Shmatko
Sergei Ivanovich Shmatkó is a Russian businessman and politician specializing in the energy industry. Since May 2008, he is the Minister of Energy.-Early life:Shmatko was born in Stavropol...
, the rebuilding of the engine room alone would cost 40 billion rubles
Russian ruble
The ruble or rouble is the currency of the Russian Federation and the two partially recognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Formerly, the ruble was also the currency of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union prior to their breakups. Belarus and Transnistria also use currencies with...
(€880 million, US$1.3 billion). Russia's Sberbank
Sberbank
Sberbank Rossii is the largest bank in Russia and Eastern Europe. The company's headquarters are in Moscow and its history goes back to Cancrin's financial reform of 1841...
has agreed to lend 20 billion rubles (€440 million, US$630 million) for the repair works. RusHydro also is negotiating a loan with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Founded in 1991, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development uses the tools of investment to help build market economies and democracies in 30 countries from central Europe to central Asia. Its mission was to support the formerly communist countries in the process of establishing their...
.
According to RusHydro, turbines 4, 5, and 6 will probably be repaired. Turbines 7 and 9 were too damaged and are being disassembled. The machinery hall, heating system, electricity supply, and sewage tunnels were under repair. As the spillway works all the time, several methods of preventing the dam from icing are under consideration. The machinery hall is under construction and its heating system is also under repairs. Repair work is going on continuously, 24 hours a day.
For movement time of the spillway well crane КБГС-1000 the spillway was reduced to 1105 m3/s.
, there is an on-going battle with icing. All 11 spillway gates are opened to 0.5 from the first step. 70 heat guns with a total output of 1,500 kW are provisionally installed under part of the recovered machinery hall roof to prevent it from icing. Chemical (MgCl2 6 H20) and mechanical methods are used against icing also.
As of December 27, 2009, there are on-going or prepared dismantling of turbines 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Only turbines 5 and 6 will be repaired in their working place. The other turbines will be replaced, repaired in the factory and/or modernized.
Turbine 6 was restarted on 24 February 2010. President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
personally switched turbine 6 to the load. Turbine 5 was brought under load on 22 March. Turbine 4 was restarted 4 August 2010.
On 14 April 2010, the process of dismantling of turbine 2, and constructions surrounding it, was finished. By the year 2014 all turbines in the plant will be replaced with new ones.
On 30 June 2010 the turbine 4 was started without the load to dry its electrical coils and to test it and to prepare it for the switching under load in this summer.
On July 2010 the replacement of turbine 3 is going and shall be completed in December 2010. The new turbine has better electrical and hydrodynamic characteristics and has 40 year working resource
On 6. July 2011 the ship loaded with new parts of the turbines for the station started from Sankt Peterburg
On 8. July 2011 The turbines 3, 4 and 5 are working with full load and turbine 6 is in reserve