“Well, be with us in Kolyma - we ask for mercy!” How long this phrase had a sarcastic meaning, invariably provoking an unambiguous response: "No, you’re better off to us." In the past few years, coming to the Magadan region has become fashionable, interesting and exciting. Suddenly, the stunning beauty of harsh nature, the identity of a small population, and many Russians began to discover their vast Motherland. But the most important thing is that the region began its rapid development, not only due to mineral resources, but also due to the investment of resources and forces in the improvement. The completion of the cascade of hydropower plants on the Kolyma River will allow the region to attract investment and unleash the full potential of the region.
Where is
Ust-Srednekanskaya hydroelectric station - a large-scale northern construction. Geographically located on the Kolyma River in the Magadan Region. It is part of the Kolyma cascade of hydroelectric power plants. The facility under construction is located 217 km below the current Kolyma hydroelectric station and is the lower stage of the cascade of stations. The nearest housing is the village of Ust-Srednekan, which has been abandoned for several years, it is difficult to call it a settlement. Several dormitories have been built for employees and workers in the immediate vicinity of the hydroelectric station. The construction is carried out by the company RusHydro.
Kolyma hydroelectric power station generates 95% of the electric power of the whole region, its capacity is 900 MW. This is enough to meet almost all current needs, but not for development. Ust-Srednekanskaya hydroelectric station is designed to increase the amount of electricity generated, which will allow to begin the development of local minerals, to build energy-intensive and demanded production enterprises. Its design capacity is 570 MW, the average annual electricity generation is 2.55 billion kWh.
History
The station design was developed by 1978, and construction began in 1990. The work was stopped in the late 90s due to lack of funding. In the subsequent period, construction money was allocated only from the federal budget, for which an object of this magnitude was unbearable. The resumption of work occurred in 2005 after evaluating the financial costs of its construction and the economic effect after the launch. The first tranche of funding was received in 2006, which revived the work on the site.
In 2008, the future power plant became the property of RusHydro, which was the result of reforms in the company. During the construction period, the hydroelectric power station became the legal entity of Ust-Srednekanskaya hydroelectric power station JSC. The work was significantly accelerated, and by 2011 the readiness of the complex was 86%. In September of the same year, the Kolyma River was blocked, which completed the first stage of construction work. At the moment, equipment is being installed, construction of the dam and other structures is ongoing.
Natural conditions
The Magadan region is a territory with a harsh climate where negative temperatures are already observed at the end of September. Construction work requires special technology, as it is carried out in permafrost conditions: in some places the soil freezes up to 300 meters deep. The temperature according to the average annual observations is -12 ° , the record of the January cold -62 ° , the average temperature of the middle of winter -38 ° . The region is also located in a zone of high seismic activity.
The capital of the region and the main consumer of energy in the near future will be Magadan. Ust-Srednekanskaya hydroelectric power station (the distance to the mouth of the Kolyma River is 1677 km) will become the main energy supplier. Around the station there are so far uninhabited places, from the Kolyma federal highway to the object you need to drive 40 km.
Between the two stations of the cascade, the river is filled with several tributaries, the total volume of water is 4.5 km³. In the warmer months of the year two major floods occur here: in the spring and in the summer-autumn periods. The maximum flow rate during the flood period is 17,900 m³ per second (recorded in 1939). In winter, water consumption drops significantly due to climatic conditions and can be no more than 5 m³ per second. The estimated flow rate of the station is 33,300 m³ per second.
Station design
Ust-Kolymskaya HPP has a widespread design solution - it is a medium-pressure dam station. The structure of the facility includes:
- Earth dam (length - 2100 meters, height at the highest point - 66 meters).
- Concrete dam (length - 325 meters, height - 74 meters).
- Reservoir (total area - 265 m 2 , volume - 5.4 km 3 , usable volume - 2.57 km 3 ).
- Flooding of agricultural land will be 40 hectares, there are no settlements in the flood zone.
- The pressure head of the hydroelectric station is about 2.5 km.
Dam
Two station dams form a single water front. An earthen dam is poured from a mixture of sand and gravel. The priority one has a height of 33.5 meters, it creates a minimum working head of water for temporary work of two already installed hydraulic units.
The second dam of the Ust-Srednekanskaya hydroelectric station (325 meters) consists of three parts:
- spillway;
- stationary;
- deaf.
Since the hydroelectric power station is built in permafrost conditions, in places of freezing soil, an airtight curtain is laid only after work on the electrical thawing of the rock. The depth of the bookmark is 25 meters, in places of tectonic destruction, the depth can reach 100 meters.
The spillway dam provides a water pass of about 17,200 m³ per second, the discharge is carried out in a water well (length - 168.5 meters, width - 147 meters). The station dam consists of a four-section water intake. This dam is 96 meters long, 57 meters wide, and 70 meters high. A pressure dam is connected to the shore with a concrete dam, the length of which is 105 meters.
Progress
In 2011, the riverbed was blocked, for which 2,000 concrete cubes were laid, each weighing eight tons. In 2013, the first two temporary hydraulic units were put into operation, the pressure front and earthen dam continued to build up, and preparations were underway to launch the third hydraulic unit.
According to data from the beginning of September 2016, the installation of embedded parts for the third hydraulic unit was completed at the Ust-Srednekanskaya HPP, the turbine itself is already on the way and follows the train. The turbine disassembled fit in 50 freight cars. Some parts of it have already arrived in Magadan.
The manufacturer of hydraulic equipment is a Russian company - Power Machines concern. The power of the water turbine is 142.5 MW. The first stationary hydraulic unit will soon be mounted with the strength and skills of specialists from a supplier of equipment. Now the station has two temporary hydraulic units. At the moment, the site is being concreted, which will require about 3 thousand cubic meters of mixture.
Work is being carried out strictly according to the plan, builders are trying to do the maximum while holding the positive temperature in the places where the Ust-Srednekanskaya hydroelectric station is located. Photos of buildings and the surrounding landscape contrast sharply with each other, demonstrate the power of nature and human efforts to curb it. The launch of the station is scheduled for 2018.
Economical effect
Ust-Srednekanskaya HPP after launch will help to solve a number of problems:
- To increase the winter capacity of the Kolyma hydroelectric station by 102 MW.
- To ensure the development of the Natalka GOK (gold mining) and create capacities for the development of planned mining enterprises.
- Adjust shipping and supply water during floods.
- Ensure energy security throughout the Magadan region, especially in winter.
- Reduce the consumption of imported fuel by refusing to build thermal stations. This will further reduce the burden on the environment.
- To reduce the cost of electricity, which will reduce tariffs by 38-50%.
- Create jobs, improve social security of citizens and reduce population migration, improve the quality of life.
Reviews
Large-scale construction projects implemented in recent years in various regions of Russia have convinced even skeptics of the country's ability to solve its problems and increase its production potential. Part of promising projects is the Ust-Srednekanskaya hydroelectric station. Reviews from correspondents and ordinary people who visited the facility are only enthusiastic. Almost everyone expressed the hope that the Magadan region and the entire Kolyma region will begin to find a different story, not so gloomy, based on camp stories.
There are few reviews of the employer PJSC Kolymaenergo (a subsidiary of PJSC RusHydro). Perhaps because in the Kolyma region with the Internet things are deplorable. Those who have bothered to write a review talk about both negative and positive aspects of working at the enterprise.
Of the negative, the main complaint is not too high wages, which significantly reduces the desire to apply for jobs where you have to work in the Far North. Some employees point to a voluntary change in the terms of the contract by the administration of the enterprise, an unfair system of fines, manipulations with the calculation of vacation pay and compensation. The pluses include an excellent team of professionals, established at a construction site. It is difficult to judge by fragmentary information about the qualities of the employer, but working in extreme conditions is not easy, and therefore every employee wants normal working and resting conditions.
Jobs
PJSC “Kolymaenergo” recruits personnel for the facility of Ust-Srednekanskaya HPP. Jobs are open for specialists with higher engineering education, secondary specialized, and working personnel are needed. It requires hydraulic engineers, IT specialists, shift supervisors, chemists, laboratory assistants, divers, crane operators and so on. The main requirement is an understanding of the specifics of the work of power engineers, specialized education, and preferably work experience at other hydropower plants. The company recruits personnel not only for the station under construction, but also for the working Kolyma hydroelectric station.