Bratsk hydroelectric plant
Encyclopedia
The Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station (also referred to as 50 years of Great October) is a concrete gravity dam
on the Angara River
and adjacent hydroelectric power station
. It is the second level of the Angara River
hydroelectric stations cascade in Irkutsk Oblast
, Russia
. Located in Bratsk
. From its full commissioning in 1967, the station was the world’s single biggest power producer until Canada's Churchill Falls
was opened in 1971. Annually the station produces 22.6 TWh. Currently, the Bratsk Power Station operates 18 hydro-turbines, each with capacity of 250 MW, produced by the Leningrad Metal Works
("LMZ", ) in the 1960s.
On the upper part of the dam there is the railway track of the Taishet-Lena
line and a vehicle road.
There are no navigation passes, because Angara River
has no through ship routes. Nevertheless, construction project includes the possibility to build a ship elevator.
contains 18 Francis hydroturbine units
, 250 MW each, with a 106 m of operating head. 5,140 m long penstock
forms the Bratsk Reservoir
. With the 4,500 MW of output and 22.6 TWh of annual output, it is Russia's second single producer of hydroelectricity. Output is distributed into five 500 kV power line
s and twenty 220 kV lines.
The plant was designed by the Moscow-based Hydroproject
institute, and is operated by the joint-stock company Irkutskenergo
, although all the buildings themselves belong to the Russia's federal government
. A reconstruction project includes increasing the output towards 5,000 MW. At present, Irkutskenergo together with JSC Silovii Mashini is modernizing the aging turbines.
of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR.
Construction was declared as the Komsomol
's high tempo priority goal and was in the center of public attention. Eventually, a lot of the workers were awarded state prizes and The plant became a symbol of industrial development of Siberia
.
From July 1955 to October 1957 the 220 kV power line to Irkutsk
was constructed. On November 6, 1957 Bratsk substation received the first current from the newly constructed plant and later that year this current was transmitted it to Irkutsk for the first time via the newly created power line. In 1961 the second 500 kV power line was added.
On March 30, 1957 the right coast of Angara river was dammed right before the icebreaking. This operation held for 9.5 hours by 8 excavator
s and 220 dump truck
s.
On July 18, 1961 the Bratsk Reservoir started filling (level raised up to 100 m so it became the largest artificial lake of that time). First stationary 225 MW generator (No. 18) went operational on November 28, 1961 at 10:15 local time. After 7 days on December 5 the second unit No. 17 started to operate and on December 12, 1963, units No. 16 and No. 15 were included into the Unified Energy System of Siberia. On May 9, 1964, operators began to control the plant as the central control post was put into service. On September 30, 1964, the last cubic meter of concrete was poured into the dam wall.
Since March 3, 1965 a railway track was being constructed over the dam and it started to operate on June 16. A vehiclular road opened on July 28.
On December 14, 1966 the last unit, No. 1 was operational and on September 8, 1967, the State Commission accepted the inclusion of Bratsk into constant use.
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
on the Angara River
Angara River
The Angara River is a long river in Irkutsk Oblast and Krasnoyarsk Krai, south-east Siberia, Russia. It is the only river flowing out of Lake Baikal, and is the headwater tributary of the Yenisei River....
and adjacent hydroelectric power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
. It is the second level of the Angara River
Angara River
The Angara River is a long river in Irkutsk Oblast and Krasnoyarsk Krai, south-east Siberia, Russia. It is the only river flowing out of Lake Baikal, and is the headwater tributary of the Yenisei River....
hydroelectric stations cascade in Irkutsk Oblast
Irkutsk Oblast
Irkutsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of Angara River, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska Rivers. The administrative center is the city of Irkutsk. Population: -History:...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Located in Bratsk
Bratsk
Bratsk is a city in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Angara River near the vast Bratsk Reservoir. Population: Although the name sounds like the Russian word for 'brother' , it actually comes from 'bratskiye lyudi', an old name for the Buryats.-History:The first Europeans in the area arrived...
. From its full commissioning in 1967, the station was the world’s single biggest power producer until Canada's Churchill Falls
Churchill Falls Generating Station
The Churchill Falls Generating Station is a hydroelectric power station located on the Churchill River in Newfoundland and Labrador. The underground power station can generate 5,428 MW, which makes it the second-largest in Canada, after the Robert-Bourassa generating station. The generating station...
was opened in 1971. Annually the station produces 22.6 TWh. Currently, the Bratsk Power Station operates 18 hydro-turbines, each with capacity of 250 MW, produced by the Leningrad Metal Works
Leningradsky Metallichesky Zavod
Leningradsky Metallichesky Zavod , also known as LMZ, is the largest Russian manufacturer of power machines and turbines for electric power stations.-History:...
("LMZ", ) in the 1960s.
Dam
Components:- concreteConcreteConcrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
wall of 924 m long and 124.5 m maximum height (stationary part 515 m long, waterdrop part 242 m long, dumb part 167 m). - by-wall house 516 m long
- coastal concrete walls all 506 m long
- right coast groundGroundGround may refer to:* Earth's surface* Soil, a mixture of clay, sand and organic matter present on the surface of the Earth and serving as substrate for plant growth and micro-organisms development...
wall 2987 m long, left - 723 m long.
On the upper part of the dam there is the railway track of the Taishet-Lena
Lena River
The Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
line and a vehicle road.
There are no navigation passes, because Angara River
Angara River
The Angara River is a long river in Irkutsk Oblast and Krasnoyarsk Krai, south-east Siberia, Russia. It is the only river flowing out of Lake Baikal, and is the headwater tributary of the Yenisei River....
has no through ship routes. Nevertheless, construction project includes the possibility to build a ship elevator.
Power plant
The Turbine HallTurbine Hall
The turbine hall, generating hall or turbine building is a building that is a part of any steam cycle or hydroelectric power plant which houses a number of components vital to the generation of electricity from the steam that comes from the boiler, or from the water coming from the reservoir...
contains 18 Francis hydroturbine units
Francis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts....
, 250 MW each, with a 106 m of operating head. 5,140 m long penstock
Penstock
A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydraulic turbines and sewerage systems. It is a term that has been inherited from the technology of wooden watermills....
forms the Bratsk Reservoir
Bratsk Reservoir
Bratsk Reservoir is a reservoir on the Angara River, located in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. It is named after the city of Bratsk, the largest city adjacent to the reservoir. It has a surface area of and a maximum volume of 169.27 × 1012 litres .The concrete dam of the Bratsk hydroelectric plant was...
. With the 4,500 MW of output and 22.6 TWh of annual output, it is Russia's second single producer of hydroelectricity. Output is distributed into five 500 kV power line
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
s and twenty 220 kV lines.
The plant was designed by the Moscow-based Hydroproject
Hydroproject
Hydroproject is a Russian hydrotechnical design firm. Based in Moscow, it has a number of branches around the country. Its main activities are design of dams, hydroelectric stations, canals, sluices, etc....
institute, and is operated by the joint-stock company 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...
, although all the buildings themselves belong to the Russia's federal government
Federal government
The federal government is the common government of a federation. The structure of federal governments varies from institution to institution. Based on a broad definition of a basic federal political system, there are two or more levels of government that exist within an established territory and...
. A reconstruction project includes increasing the output towards 5,000 MW. At present, Irkutskenergo together with JSC Silovii Mashini is modernizing the aging turbines.
Economics
- The plant powers hundreds of factories.
- It became a part of Bratsk territorial-production complex
- About 75% of the output is consumed by the Bratsk Aluminium Plant.
History
The plan to build the hydroelectric plant was approved in September 1954 and later year the first workers and machines arrived at Bratsk. On December 21, 1954 preparation works were initiated by the Nizhneangargasstroy departament , later renamed to Bratskgasstroy . Concurrently, the city of Bratsk was founded. On December 12, 1955 Bratsk was officially converted from workers settlement into the city by the decreeDecree
A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...
of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR.
Construction was declared as the Komsomol
Komsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
's high tempo priority goal and was in the center of public attention. Eventually, a lot of the workers were awarded state prizes and The plant became a symbol of industrial development of Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
.
From July 1955 to October 1957 the 220 kV power line to Irkutsk
Irkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
was constructed. On November 6, 1957 Bratsk substation received the first current from the newly constructed plant and later that year this current was transmitted it to Irkutsk for the first time via the newly created power line. In 1961 the second 500 kV power line was added.
On March 30, 1957 the right coast of Angara river was dammed right before the icebreaking. This operation held for 9.5 hours by 8 excavator
Excavator
Excavators are heavy construction equipment consisting of a boom, stick, bucket and cab on a rotating platform . The house sits atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. A cable-operated excavator uses winches and steel ropes to accomplish the movements. They are a natural progression from the...
s and 220 dump truck
Dump truck
A dump truck is a truck used for transporting loose material for construction. A typical dump truck is equipped with a hydraulically operated open-box bed hinged at the rear, the front of which can be lifted up to allow the contents to be deposited on the ground behind the truck at the site of...
s.
On July 18, 1961 the Bratsk Reservoir started filling (level raised up to 100 m so it became the largest artificial lake of that time). First stationary 225 MW generator (No. 18) went operational on November 28, 1961 at 10:15 local time. After 7 days on December 5 the second unit No. 17 started to operate and on December 12, 1963, units No. 16 and No. 15 were included into the Unified Energy System of Siberia. On May 9, 1964, operators began to control the plant as the central control post was put into service. On September 30, 1964, the last cubic meter of concrete was poured into the dam wall.
Since March 3, 1965 a railway track was being constructed over the dam and it started to operate on June 16. A vehiclular road opened on July 28.
On December 14, 1966 the last unit, No. 1 was operational and on September 8, 1967, the State Commission accepted the inclusion of Bratsk into constant use.
See also
- Ust-Ilimsk Hydroelectric Power StationUst-Ilimsk Hydroelectric Power StationThe Ust-Ilimsk Hydroelectric Power Station is a concrete gravity dam on the Angara River and adjacent hydroelectric power station. It is located near Ust-Ilimsk, Irkutsk Oblast in Russia and is the third and last dam on the Angara cascades...
- Irkutsk Hydroelectric Power StationIrkutsk Hydroelectric Power StationThe Irkutsk Hydroelectric Power Station is an earthen embankment dam on the Angara River with an adjacent hydroelectric power station. It is located adjacent to Irkutsk, Irkutsk Oblast in Russia and is the first dam on the Angara cascades. Construction on the dam began in 1950, its reservoir began...
- Boguchany Dam
- Irkutsk Energy, an operator of Bratsk plant
- List of conventional hydroelectric power stations
- List of power stations in Russia