Chirkeyskaya HPP (Dagestan)

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

The attraction and pride of Dagestan - the Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power station - is rightfully considered a pearl in the cascade of hydroelectric power stations on the Sulak River. Located in the canyon of the same name, whose rocky circus and depth are not inferior to the world-famous Grand Canyon in America, this station is not only an energy infrastructure facility, but also a tourist attraction. The very first in the Sulak cascade of HPP in Dagestan, this station is a unique object of symbiosis of human engineering and natural beautiful landscapes.

Union of technology and nature

The narrow expanding gorge of Sulak, with a width of 30 meters above the river level, was curbed by the arch dam of the Chirkey hydroelectric power station. The station dam is 400 meters long and 232.5 meters high. The pride of Dagestan, the Chirkeyskaya HPP, ranks 11th in the ranking of the 25 most beautiful and tallest dams in the world. The pressure structures of the dam form a reservoir with a water mass volume of 3 cubic kilometers and a water surface area of 42.5 square kilometers. The composition of the soil of the bottom of the reservoir gives itthe waters of an unimaginably beautiful azure-turquoise color, striking all tourists.

Pride of the Engineers

The Moscow branch of the Glavgidrostroy of the USSR was engaged in the development of the project and research of the potential of the Sulak River. In 1933, he also proposed the first draft of a concrete arch-gravity dam. However, only in 1962, when the Lengidroproekt Institute took up the project, supplementing it with two-tier suction pipes and the arrangement of units in two rows, which were unique at that time, the project acquired the level of an innovative model. At the same time, the length of the dam tunnel was almost doubled and amounted to 730 meters. Today, the station, which is located in a seismologically unstable area, is equipped with modern sensors for recording activity inside the earth's crust. And the International Commission for the Control of Nuclear Tests and Strategic Arms (headquartered in Austria) in 2013 gave the highest rating to the station project as seismic-safe.

The highest in Russia

As already mentioned, the arch dam of the Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power station in the TOP-25 highest in the world is in eleventh place. And in Russia it is the highest. The arched dam of the station is equipped with 4 radial axial units, which are designed for a water head of 170 meters.

Energy value

Chirkeyskaya HPP, the photo of which amaze with its scale and beauty, is one of the stations of the Dagestan branch of JSC RusHydro. The station is the most powerful in the North Caucasus, its installed capacity is 10 thousand MW, and during the period of its operationit has generated more than 88 billion kilowatts of electricity. The highest in the cascade of small HPPs in Dagestan, it is the load regulator of the entire energy system of southern Russia at the peak stage. The Chirkey station is a kind of "ambulance" in emergency situations and the possible failure of thermal power plants. With its power, it is able to compensate for losses in the energy system of the entire country.

Water control function

In the downstream, the Chirkeyskaya HPP is not limited in water discharge modes. By regulating the flow of water in the Sulak River, it affects the performance of downstream stations and performs a water-pressure function for vast areas near the station. The reservoir formed by the dam is a valuable source of fresh water both for the needs of the population and for industrial consumption. The uniqueness of the dam is recognized not only by the world's power engineers, but also by environmentalists.

Building the whole world

For 17 years (1963-1980), at an accelerated pace, with the involvement of working potential from all over the USSR, more than 1.5 million cubic meters of concrete were laid into the body of the Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric dam. The river was blocked using an innovative method of blasting along the contour with a smooth rock spall. The total weight of the charge was 37 tons of explosive. Seismological instability and an earthquake in 1970, when construction stopped for a period of up to six months, also brought many difficulties. But in 1981, the station gave the first electricity at full capacity.

Gidrostroy dynasties

The satellite village of Dubki station was created in 1960 for builders from all the republics of the former Soviet Union and is designed for a population of about 10 thousand people. Its infrastructure has been preserved even today - three preschool institutions, one school, two cinemas and a palace of culture, a hospital complex and an indoor swimming pool. By the end of construction work at the hydroelectric station, a branch of the plant for the production of electronic goods and a clothing factory were put into operation. The dynasties of the builders of the station live in the villages - the parents built, the children completed the construction, and the grandchildren work at the hydroelectric power station. The modern village of dubki is an administrative unit of the Kazbekovsky district. The administration supports the development of multi-ethnic cultural societies, develops sports and introduces methods of local self-government. An example is the successful fish farming, which has already become an attraction in its own right.

Trout, sturgeon and other types of fish

Not a single excursion to the Chirkey hydroelectric power station is complete without a visit to a trout farm, organized as an auxiliary one. The innovative decision of the local government in organizing a trout farm not only gave jobs to local residents, but also performs an ecological function. Herbivorous trout prevents the flooding of drainage structures. The farm releases grown fry in the reservoir and breeds in special pools. Industrial fish farming is difficult and time-consuming, but in this case it is an example of rational and efficient useavailable resources. Golden trout is a capricious and whimsical fish, for which all conditions are created here. And this is the flow of water, and the optimal temperature regime, and special feeds that are purchased in Moscow itself. The farms also breed other valuable species of commercial fish (Siberian sturgeon, bester hybrids and rainbow trout) in five reservoirs. This first experience of fish farming in the north of Dagestan turned out to be successful and promising. The Dubkin people plan to expand production and increase the tourist attractiveness of the region.

Tourism Development

Like any other energy facility, the Chirkeyskaya HPP is a sensitive facility of increased danger and enhanced security. Visiting it is possible only as part of an organized group. But even if you are a solo tourist in the "country of mountains", it is worth going to this station and enjoying the beauty of the rocky circus of the Sulak Gorge and the unimaginable steepness of the mountain serpentine. This majestic structure in the midst of multi-ton rocks will surely amaze with the power of human thought and deed and make you think about the role of humanity in the life of the planet and the impact of our activities on its we alth.