Volgograd HPP: general information

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Volzhskaya HPP 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 building is located between the Traktorozavodsky district of Volgograd and its satellite city called Volzhsky. This HPP belongs to the group of medium-pressure run-of-river plants.

When was the Volgograd hydroelectric power 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 complex with a capacity of at least 1.7 million kW north of Volgograd.

During the construction of this important object was:

• 130 million m3 completed3 earthworks;
• 5462 thousand m3 assembled3 concrete structures;
• mounted 85 thousand different mechanisms.

Drawings and diagrams of the power plant were compiled by eleven research institutes under the leadership of the Hydroproject organization. Beganthe construction of such an important facility as the Volgograd hydroelectric power station, the photo of which is presented on the page, in 1951. In 1958, the first three hydroelectric units were launched, and in 1962, the station workers assembled the last one - the 22nd. More than 1,500 enterprises from 500 cities of the country supplied equipment for the construction of hydroelectric power stations.

A huge number of specialists of various profiles from all over the USSR took part in this all-Union construction. More than 10,000 Komsomol members and 20,000 prisoners of the Akhtuba ITK worked on the construction of the hydroelectric power station. The average monthly salary of workers was 329 rubles.

Design Features

To date, the Volgograd HPP includes:

• concrete dam with 725m long spillway;
• station building with trash storage facility - 736 m;
• underground river dam – 3250 m;
• left-bank floodplain dam with three locks and a 5.6 km long approach channel.

Besides this, the station includes a fish pass facility and the Volga-Akhtuba Canal. Automobile and railway lines pass through the structures of the hydroelectric complex. The pressure structures of the station form the Volgograd reservoir. The area of the latter is 3117 m², the volume is 31.5 km^{3. The maximum height of the Volgograd hydroelectric power station (concrete dam) is 44 m.}

Station productivity

HPP capacity is 2587.5 MW. This number is actually very large. The Volgogradskaya HPP generates an average of 11.1 billion kWh of electricity. The main vertical hydraulic units at the station are installed22. The capacity of nine of them is 115 MW, eight - 125.5 MW, five - 120 MW. The units were installed in separate rooms in pairs. There is another small 11 MW plant of this type at the fish elevator. The total culvert capacity of the station is 63,060 m3/s.

Role in the national economy

The construction of the Volgograd hydroelectric power station was planned in the middle of the last century in order to provide 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 transmits 500 kV DC to the Center, 220 kV to the Volga region and 800 kV to the southern regions.

In addition to the actual power supply, the station solves other problems of the development of the national economy. In particular, the reservoir formed by it is used to irrigate the arid lands of the Trans-Volga region and the Caspian lowland. In addition, the hydroelectric complex creates a convenient way for ships to pass from Astrakhan to Saratov.

The railway and motorway stations laid along the dam provide the shortest connection between the regions of the Volga region. Unfortunately, traffic jams are often formed on the highway at the present time. It's all about dilapidated dam structures and the need for frequent repairs. Fortunately, after the construction of a large bridge across the Volga in this area, the load on the highway passing through the dam has slightly decreased.

Resets

As onany other station, at the Volgograd hydroelectric power station, during the melting of snow, excess water is drained from the dam. The time it takes to complete this operation depends on many factors. The water discharge schedule of the Volgograd HPP is mainly influenced by such factors as the amount of precipitation during the winter and the intensity of their melting.

For example, in 2016, the discharge at the station began on April 22 and continued until May 16 inclusive. The maximum level of water discharge from the Volgograd HPP was 27,000 m³. In total, more than 100 cubic kilometers were drained from the reservoir. Starting from May 17, discharges gradually decreased (by about 1000 m³ per day). By 20.05 they reached a level of about 23,000 m^3.

Every year, the administration of the HPP tries to extend the discharge of water for as long as possible. The fact is that its shortage in late May - early June seriously disrupts the ecological balance of the region. If little water is released from the hydroelectric power station in the spring, by the middle of summer lakes, channels and eriki will begin to dry up in the coastal area of the Volga River. By smoothly reducing discharges from the Volgograd hydroelectric power station, its administration, among other things, prevents the destruction of the banks. In addition, the unhurried discharge schedule contributes to the productive spawning of fish in the river.

Mayak HPP

As one of the most grandiose structures of the 20th century, the Volgograd hydroelectric power station, of course, attracts many tourists, domestic and foreign. The sight of this building is truly impressive. Especially during the springwater discharge.

Besides the power plant itself, tour guides usually advise tourists to visit the station's lighthouse, located on the southern lock. From here, a simply unique view of the Volga itself, the city, and the islands opens. Well visible from the lighthouse and the monument to the Motherland.

Environmental aspects

Of course, the construction of the Volgograd hydroelectric power station brought enormous benefits to the country's economy. But at the same time, its construction, unfortunately, caused significant damage to the ecosystem of the Volga and coastal zones. So, for example, the hydroelectric dam blocked the spawning road for fish from the Caspian Sea. In particular, the Russian sturgeon, beluga, and Volga herring suffered from this. The fish elevator available at the station does not have a very high throughput and ensures the passage of fish by no more than 15%. Fortunately, the construction of the hydroelectric power station had almost no effect on the stellate sturgeon and roach spawning in the lower reaches of the river.

Like any other station, the Volgograd hydroelectric power station is criticized by environmentalists, including for the fact that it occupies a large amount of arable land.

Disappeared villages

During the construction of the Volga cascade, of which the HPP in question is also 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. Reports sent to higher authoritiesit was subsequently noted that they all "suffered from nervous disorders", that is, simply put, they were mentally unhe althy.

During the construction of the Volgograd hydroelectric power station, a large number of villages were also flooded. For example, the place where people had to be resettled was the village of Lugovaya Proleyka. During the Battle of Stalingrad, this village was the closest rear of the Soviet troops. Parts of the 8th Air Army and four hospitals were located here. After the construction of the hydroelectric power station, the village was moved to another place, where it is located to this day.

Before the Great Patriotic War, there was a project according to which a hydroelectric station was supposed to be built 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 prevailed then, 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) HPP, for the first time in the USSR, a cable car was used to move goods. Later, this technology was used more than once in the construction of other power plants.

It was planned to complete the construction of such an important facility as the Volgogradskaya HPP in record time - within 6 years. However, in fact, its construction lasted 11 years. The deadlines were delayed primarily because of the death of Stalin. After all, the main labor force at the construction site were prisoners. After the death of the leader in 1953, a largepart of them had to be disbanded.

When building the Volgograd hydroelectric power station, the builders chose 140 million cubic meters of soil. If it had to be transported by rail, then 8 million wagons would be needed. A layer of clay 12 m thick was compacted in the area of the spillway dam during the construction of the hydroelectric power station.

In our time, in front of the entrance to the dam, there is a traffic police station, a monument to builders, and there is also a warning sign about the prohibition of photography and video filming. Walking across the dam is not allowed.

Today, this HPP is still the most important facility that has a huge impact on the economy of the state and the well-being of residents of the cities of Volgograd, Kamyshin, Volzhsk, etc. All the processes taking place at the station, as before, are covered by the media. This is especially true for water drains. It is easy to find out when the water discharge at the Volgogradskaya HPP will be reduced or what date the first opening of the locks is scheduled for, for example, both through newspapers and on local news Internet portals.