Volga Hydroelectric Station
Encyclopedia
The Volga Hydroelectric Station or Volga GES also known as the 22nd Congress of the CPSU Stalingrad/Volgograd Hydroelectric Power Station , is the largest hydroelectric station in Europe and is the last of the Volga-Kama Cascade of dams, before the Volga River
flows into the Caspian Sea
. Today, it is operated by the electricity company RusHydro
.
signing the Council of Ministers of the USSR order #3555 on 6 August 1950. The plan called for building a station north of the city of Stalingrad (modern Volgograd
) with a minimum storage capacity of 1.7 million KWh.
Ten thousand youths from the Komsomol
league flocked from the whole Union. For the building a whole city of Volzhsky
was formed on the left bank of the river to provide housing for the families. Machinery was sent from all corners of the country - Moscow
, Tashkent
, Chelyabinsk
and Kharkov, forestry from Karelia
. Newest electric equipment came from Zaporozhye and Sverdlovsk, whilst the turbines and generators were built in Leningrad
. In total more than 1,500 individual plants and dozens of research institutes sent their equipment and specialists.
The first powerhouse came online on 22 December 1958, and the plant was fully declared complete on 10 September 1961. Technologically the station broke many new grounds. In 1959 a new Moscow-Stalingrad 500 kV high voltage line power came into operation. Several years later, for the first time in the world a new experimental 800 kV DC
line Donbas-Volgograd was successfully tested and later became operational. During the 1960s and 1970s several new electrotechnical and hydromechanical machinery was tested on the station for the future Siberian and foreign stations.
The present power rating of the station is 2,582.5 MW and annual energy output of 12.3 billion KW-hours. There are a total of 22 generators. 17 generators produce 115 MW each (four of which have recently received repairs and overhauls), three produce 125.5 MW each and two produce 120 MW. Three fishery paths drive additional 11 MW units each, but at present two are not functioning. Thus the initial output is slightly downrated.
The 4.9 kilometre dam forms the Volgograd reservoir
. At present the station is managed by OAO Volzhskaya GES that is owned by OAO GidroOGK, a daughter company of the state organisation RAO AES Rossii.
The generators of the power plant are connected to the power grid in a somewhat unusual way as the machine transformers of the generators serve also as inverter transformers of the static inverter plant
of HVDC Volgograd-Donbass
, which is situated on the dam. In opposite to other static inverter plants, it has no harmonic filters.
to Astrakhan
and the Caspian. In addition, there were projects for the irrigation of the excessive adjacent dry region of the left bank Volga south of it, particularly the West Kazakhstan Province
.
The power generated by the station is used primarily for the city of Volgograd
(220 KV) and for Moscow (500 KV) and for Donbas via the only long distance HVDC-line in Russia, the HVDC Volgograd-Donbass
.
, crucial to the Black Caviar
industry. The fishery canal turned out to be inefficient, and from 1962 to 1967 the annual rate was 15% of the pre-dam.
The other major effect of the dam is that it formed one of the largest reservoirs, which amounts for a behemoth volume 31.5 cubic kilometres of water and stretches 540 km long, and up to 17 wide with a massive 3,117 square kilometre surface area. As a result numerous settlements and fertile lands were lost.
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
flows into the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
. Today, it is operated by the electricity company 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...
.
History
Built as part of the massive post-war industrialization project - the so-called Great building sites of communism, it was authorised by Joseph StalinJoseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
signing the Council of Ministers of the USSR order #3555 on 6 August 1950. The plan called for building a station north of the city of Stalingrad (modern Volgograd
Volgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
) with a minimum storage capacity of 1.7 million KWh.
Ten thousand youths from 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...
league flocked from the whole Union. For the building a whole city of Volzhsky
Volzhsky
Volzhsky , Volzhskaya , or Volzhskoye may refer to:*Volzhsky District, name of several districts and city districts in Russia...
was formed on the left bank of the river to provide housing for the families. Machinery was sent from all corners of the country - Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
, Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk is a city and the administrative center of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located in the northwestern side of the oblast, south of Yekaterinburg, just to the east of the Ural Mountains, on the Miass River. Population: -History:...
and Kharkov, forestry from Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
. Newest electric equipment came from Zaporozhye and Sverdlovsk, whilst the turbines and generators were built in Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
. In total more than 1,500 individual plants and dozens of research institutes sent their equipment and specialists.
The first powerhouse came online on 22 December 1958, and the plant was fully declared complete on 10 September 1961. Technologically the station broke many new grounds. In 1959 a new Moscow-Stalingrad 500 kV high voltage line power came into operation. Several years later, for the first time in the world a new experimental 800 kV DC
HVDC Volgograd-Donbass
The HVDC Volgograd–Donbass is a long bipolar 400 kV high voltage direct current powerline used for transmitting electric power from Volga Hydroelectric Station at Volgograd to Donbas and vice versa...
line Donbas-Volgograd was successfully tested and later became operational. During the 1960s and 1970s several new electrotechnical and hydromechanical machinery was tested on the station for the future Siberian and foreign stations.
Technical details
Today the station is the largest in Europe. It consists of a 725-metre long, 44-metre high concrete dam that crosses the Volga river. Supporting it is a 3250-metre long landfilled dam with a maximum height of 47 metres. The Station also offers railway and road crossings of the Volga.The present power rating of the station is 2,582.5 MW and annual energy output of 12.3 billion KW-hours. There are a total of 22 generators. 17 generators produce 115 MW each (four of which have recently received repairs and overhauls), three produce 125.5 MW each and two produce 120 MW. Three fishery paths drive additional 11 MW units each, but at present two are not functioning. Thus the initial output is slightly downrated.
The 4.9 kilometre dam forms the Volgograd reservoir
Volgograd Reservoir
The Volgograd Reservoir is a reservoir in Russia formed at the Volga River by the dam of the Volga Hydroelectric Station. It lies within the Volgograd Oblast and Saratov Oblast and named after the city of Volgograd. It was constructed during 1958-1961....
. At present the station is managed by OAO Volzhskaya GES that is owned by OAO GidroOGK, a daughter company of the state organisation RAO AES Rossii.
The generators of the power plant are connected to the power grid in a somewhat unusual way as the machine transformers of the generators serve also as inverter transformers of the static inverter plant
Static inverter plant
A static inverter station, also known as an HVDC Converter Station, is the terminal equipment for a high-voltage direct-current transmission line, in which direct current is converted to three-phase alternating current, and, usually, the reverse...
of HVDC Volgograd-Donbass
HVDC Volgograd-Donbass
The HVDC Volgograd–Donbass is a long bipolar 400 kV high voltage direct current powerline used for transmitting electric power from Volga Hydroelectric Station at Volgograd to Donbas and vice versa...
, which is situated on the dam. In opposite to other static inverter plants, it has no harmonic filters.
Economical value
The new plant played a decisive role in the development of the Lower Volga region and the Donbas, as well as uniting the large energetic system of the Central, Volga, and Southern economic regions. The new dam also allowed for the Volga to become navigable, allowing for a path from SaratovSaratov
-Modern Saratov:The Saratov region is highly industrialized, due in part to the rich in natural and industrial resources of the area. The region is also one of the more important and largest cultural and scientific centres in Russia...
to Astrakhan
Astrakhan
Astrakhan is a major city in southern European Russia and the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast. The city lies on the left bank of the Volga River, close to where it discharges into the Caspian Sea at an altitude of below the sea level. Population:...
and the Caspian. In addition, there were projects for the irrigation of the excessive adjacent dry region of the left bank Volga south of it, particularly the West Kazakhstan Province
West Kazakhstan Province
West Kazakhstan Province is a province of Kazakhstan. Its capital is Oral , a city of about 200,000 inhabitants.-Geography:...
.
The power generated by the station is used primarily for the city of Volgograd
Volgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
(220 KV) and for Moscow (500 KV) and for Donbas via the only long distance HVDC-line in Russia, the HVDC Volgograd-Donbass
HVDC Volgograd-Donbass
The HVDC Volgograd–Donbass is a long bipolar 400 kV high voltage direct current powerline used for transmitting electric power from Volga Hydroelectric Station at Volgograd to Donbas and vice versa...
.
Ecology
One of the most negative results that the dam caused was that it disrupted the traditional path of Caspian fish migration to their breeding grounds. The most affected became the belugaBeluga sturgeon
The beluga or European sturgeon is a species of anadromous fish in the sturgeon family of order Acipenseriformes. It is found primarily in the Caspian and Black Sea basins, and occasionally in the Adriatic Sea...
, crucial to the Black Caviar
Caviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe. The roe can be "fresh" or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value....
industry. The fishery canal turned out to be inefficient, and from 1962 to 1967 the annual rate was 15% of the pre-dam.
The other major effect of the dam is that it formed one of the largest reservoirs, which amounts for a behemoth volume 31.5 cubic kilometres of water and stretches 540 km long, and up to 17 wide with a massive 3,117 square kilometre surface area. As a result numerous settlements and fertile lands were lost.
See also
- List of conventional hydroelectric power stations
- List of power stations in Russia
- HVDC Volgograd-DonbassHVDC Volgograd-DonbassThe HVDC Volgograd–Donbass is a long bipolar 400 kV high voltage direct current powerline used for transmitting electric power from Volga Hydroelectric Station at Volgograd to Donbas and vice versa...
External links
- Volzhskaya GES official site
- Description of the station
- Google maps - Satellite shot centred on the station.