The Irkutsk Hydroelectric Power Station (Irkutsk HPS) is a

rock-fill dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...

on the

Angara River The Angara ( Buryat and mn, Ангар, ''Angar'', "Cleft"; russian: Ангара́, ''Angará'') is a major river in Siberia, which traces a course through Russia's Irkutsk Oblast and Krasnoyarsk Krai. It drains out of Lake Baikal and is ...

with an adjacent hydroelectric

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many ...

. It is located adjacent to Irkutsk,

Irkutsk Oblast Irkutsk Oblast (russian: Ирку́тская о́бласть, Irkutskaya oblast; bua, Эрхүү можо, Erkhüü mojo) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of the Angara, Lena, and N ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and is the first dam on the Angara cascades. Construction on the dam began in 1950, its reservoir began filling in 1956 and its first turbines were also commissioned in 1956. It was the first large hydroelectric power station constructed in

Eastern Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

and its completion was hailed by the Soviets as an engineering success.

History

Background

Complex studies to develop the Angara River began in 1930 as part of a large effort for economic development along the river. In 1935, the research stage of the study was complete and recommended a hydroelectric power plant at the top of the Angara for industrial consumption. In 1936, the State Plan of the USSR reviewed the results and determined that six hydroelectric power stations in a cascade should be built on the river, the Irkutsk being the first. After further studies, designs and authorizations, the project was approved in 1949.

Construction

Construction on the Irkutsk HPS began in February 1950 and was conducted by Angaragesstroy with Anton Melnikonis managing. Andrey Efimovich Bochkin served as the Chief of Angaragesstroy and Sergey Nikandrovich Moiseyev was appointed Chief Engineer. At the time, such a large rock-fill dam was unprecedented in the world and brought difficulties in designing and construction. Earthquakes in the area could reach a magnitude of 8, so the dam needed to be earth-fill and packed firmly. In addition, the cold temperatures and flooding of the river made construction and concrete settling difficult. In June 1954, the foundation stone for the dam was laid and concrete pouring began soon after. On July 7, 1956, the river was cut off to allow the filling of the Irkutsk Dam's reservoir and on December 29 of that same year, its first generator began to produce electricity. By December 31, a second generator was operational. Within seven years, the reservoir behind the dam was filled and it had raised Lake Baikal by . A total of 138,600 hectares of land were inundated by the reservoir, forcing 200 communities and 17,000 people to relocate. By 1958, the last two generators in the HPS were operational ahead of schedule and it was accepted by the state in 1959.

Power station

The power station is contained in a long, wide and high reinforced concrete building. It consists of 8 generators, 5 rated at 82.8 MW and 3 at 107.5 MW , for a total of 736.5 MW. Since first operation, the station has produced 192 billion kWh of electricity and an average of 4.1 billion kWh a year. Power is supplied to the Irkutsk Aluminum Factory in

Shelekhov Shelekhov ( rus, Шелехов, p=ˈʂelʲɪxəf) is a town and the administrative center of Shelekhovsky District in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Irkutsk, the administrative center of the oblast. It is located on the plains b ...

and local areas for residential use. In 1993, a modernization and rehabilitation of the power station was authorized. The work includes replacing the stators on seven of the turbines and a complete replacement of generator No. 5. Relays, switches and transformers are also being replaced and the work is expected to be complete by 2010.

Soviet legacy

After the HPS's first operation, G.M. Krzhizhanovsky, who wrote the Plan of Russian State Electrification Committee, exclaimed that "Start-up of the Irkutsk Hydroelectric Power Station is the great holiday for the Soviet power industry. The Irkutsk Hydroelectric Power Station opened a new epoch in development of electrification of the country." Another academic, A.V. Vinter, congratulated the construction team with "The old dream of the Soviet engineers came true: Baikal and Angara is a Siberian miracle, a pearl of the Soviet water-power engineering, and now it started working for the people." In 1960, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR, 349 workers, engineers and employees including Bochkin were awarded Hero of Socialist Labour medals for the outstanding success of the HPS.

References