Volzhskaya Hydroelectric Power Station is the largest water power plant in the European part of Russia. Currently, it is part of the RusHydro Corporation as a branch. This grandiose construction is located between the Traktorozavodsky district of Volgograd and its satellite city called Volzhsky. This hydroelectric station belongs to the group of medium-pressure channel-type stations.
When was the Volgograd hydroelectric station built in the USSR?
The decision to build this power plant was made on August 6, 1950. It was on this day that Stalin signed a decree of the USSR Council of Ministers on the start of construction of a hydroelectric facility north of Volgograd with a capacity of at least 1.7 million kW.
In the process of erecting this important facility was:
- 130 million m 3 earthworks completed;
- 5462 thousand m 3 of concrete structures were collected;
- 85 thousand various mechanisms were mounted.
Drawings and schemes of the power plant were made by eleven research institutes under the leadership of the Hydroproject organization. The construction of such an important facility as the Volgograd Hydroelectric Power Station, a photo of which is presented on the page, began in 1951. In 1958, the first three hydropower units were launched, and in 1962 the station workers assembled the last - the 22nd. Equipment for the construction of hydropower plants supplied more than 1,500 enterprises from 500 cities of the country.
A huge number of specialists of various profiles from all over the USSR took part in this all-Union construction project. More than 10,000 Komsomol members and 20,000 prisoners of the Akhtuba ITK worked at the construction of the hydroelectric station. The average monthly salary of workers was 329 rubles.
Design features
To date, the Volgograd hydroelectric station includes:
- concrete dam with a mud trap 725 m long;
- station building with a waste-retaining structure - 736 m;
- soil channel dam - 3250 m;
- left-bank floodplain dam with three locks and a 5.6 km long approach channel.
In addition, a fish passage structure and the Volga-Akhtubinsky Canal are assigned to the station . According to the designs of the hydroelectric complex, there are automobile and railway lines. Pressure structures of the station form the Volgograd reservoir. The area of the latter is 3117 m 2 , the volume is 31.5 km 3 . The maximum height of the Volgograd hydroelectric station (concrete dam) is 44 m.
Station performance
The capacity of the hydroelectric power station is 2587.5 MW. This figure is actually very large. Generates Volgograd hydroelectric station on average 11.1 billion kWh of electricity. The main vertical hydraulic units at the station were installed 22. The power of nine of them is 115 MW, eight - 125.5 MW, five - 120 MW. Units are mounted in separate rooms in pairs. On the fish elevator there is another small installation of this type at 11 MW. The total water throughput of the station is 63,060 m 3 / s.
Role in the national economy
The construction of the Volgograd hydroelectric station in the middle of the last century was planned with the aim of providing electricity to the center of the RSFSR, the Volga region and some southern regions of the country. To date, this station is one of the main strongholds of the Unified Energy System of Russia. It transfers 500 kV of direct current to the Center, 220 kV in the Volga region and 800 kV to the southern regions.
In addition to the power supply itself, the station solves other problems of the development of the national economy. In particular, the reservoir formed by her is used to irrigate the dry lands of the Volga region and the Caspian lowland. In addition, the hydroelectric facility creates a convenient route for vessels to navigate from Astrakhan to Saratov.
The railway and motorways laid along the dam of the station provide the shortest connection between the Volga regions. Unfortunately, on the highway, traffic jams are now often formed. It is all about dilapidated dam structures and the need for frequent repairs. Fortunately, after the construction of a large bridge over the Volga in this area, the load on the highway passing through the dam slightly decreased.
Discharges
Like at any other station, at the Volgograd hydroelectric station during the melting of snow, excess water is drained from the dam. The timing of this operation depends on many reasons. Such factors as the amount of precipitation during the winter and the intensity of their melting mainly affect the water discharge schedule of the Volgograd hydroelectric station.
For example, in 2016, the discharge at the station began on April 22 and lasted until May 16 inclusive. The maximum level of water discharge of the Volgograd hydroelectric station was 27,000 m 3 . In total, more than 100 cubic kilometers were drained from the reservoir. Starting from May 17, discharge costs gradually decreased (by about 1000 m 3 per day). By 20.05, they reached a level of approximately 23,000 m 3 .
Every year, the administration of the hydroelectric station tries to extend the discharge of water as long as possible. The fact is that its shortage in late May - early June seriously violates the ecological balance of the region. If there is little water discharged from the hydroelectric power station in spring, by the middle of summer, lakes, ducts and eriks will dry up in the coastal area of the Volga River. By smoothly lowering the discharges of the Volgograd hydroelectric station, its administration, among other things, also prevents the destruction of the coast. In addition, an unhurried discharge schedule promotes productive spawning of fish in the river.
Hydroelectric power station
As one of the most grandiose structures of the 20th century, the Volgograd hydroelectric station, of course, attracts many tourists, domestic and foreign. The spectacle of this building is really impressive. Especially during spring water discharge.
In addition to the hydroelectric power plant itself, guides usually advise tourists to visit the station's lighthouse, located on the south gateway. From here, a unique view of the Volga itself, the city, and the islands opens. Visible from the lighthouse and the monument to Motherland.
Environmental aspects
Of course, the construction of the Volgograd hydroelectric station brought enormous benefits to the country's economy. But at the same time, its construction, unfortunately, caused significant damage to the Volga ecosystem and coastal zones. So, for example, the dam of the hydroelectric power station blocked the spawning road for fish from the Caspian Sea. In particular, Russian sturgeon, beluga, and Volga herring suffered from this. The fish hoist available at the station does not differ in too high a throughput capacity and ensures fish passage by no more than 15%. Fortunately, the construction of the hydroelectric power station had practically no effect on stellate sturgeon and roach spawning in the lower reaches of the river.
Like any other station, the Volgograd hydroelectric station is criticized by environmentalists, including for the fact that it occupies a large number of arable land.
Disappeared villages
During the construction of the Volga cascade, of which the hydroelectric power station under consideration is a part, a huge number of settlements were flooded. So, for example, during the construction of the Rybinsk station , the ancient city of Mologa, which in our time is often called the Soviet Atlantis, went under water . 249 people then flatly refused to leave this settlement and, of course, died. In reports sent to higher authorities, it was subsequently noted that they all “suffered from nervous disorders”, that is, simply put, were mentally unhealthy.
During the construction of the Volgograd hydroelectric station, a large number of villages were also flooded. For example, the place from which people had to be resettled was the village of Lugovaya Proleika. During the Battle of Stalingrad, this village was the closest rear of the Soviet troops. Here were parts of the 8th Air Army and four hospitals. After the construction of the hydroelectric station, the village was moved to another place, where it is still located.
Before World War II, there was a project according to which it was planned to build a hydroelectric station near the city of Kamyshin. If it were implemented, part of the city of Saratov, the city of Engels, Volsk and some others would go under water. Fortunately, common sense then triumphed, and the Volga Hydroelectric Power Station was built where it is today. Not a single city was flooded during its construction.
Interesting Facts
During the construction of the Volgograd (Stalingrad) hydroelectric station, for the first time in the USSR, a cableway was used to move goods. Later, this technology was used more than once in the construction of other power plants.
The construction of such an important facility as the Volgograd hydroelectric station was scheduled to be completed in record time - within 6 years. However, in fact, its construction lasted 11 years. The deadlines dragged on primarily due to the death of Stalin. After all, prisoners were the main workforce at the construction site. After the death of the leader in 1953, most of them had to be dissolved.
During the construction of the Volgograd hydroelectric station, builders selected 140 million cubic meters of soil. If it had to be transported by rail, then 8 million wagons would be needed. In the area of the spillway dam, a 12 m thick clay layer was rammed during the construction of the hydroelectric dam.
Nowadays, before entering the dam, there is a traffic police station, a monument to builders, and a warning sign hanging on the ban on photo and video shooting. Walking through the dam is not permitted.
Today, this hydroelectric power station remains the most important object, having a huge impact on the state economy and the well-being of residents of the cities of Volgograd, Kamyshin, Volzhsk, etc. All processes occurring at the station, as before, are covered by the media. This is especially true for water drains. To find out when the discharge of water in the Volgograd hydroelectric power station will be reduced or by what date the first opening of the locks is planned, for example, it is easy both through newspapers and on local news Internet portals.