2009 Sayano-Shushenskaya Power Station Accident
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On 17 August 2009, a
turbine A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced can be used for generating electrical ...
in the
hydroelectric power station Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also mo ...
of the
Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam The Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam (, ''Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelektrostantsiya'') is located on the Yenisei River, near Sayanogorsk in Khakassia, Russia. It is the largest power plant in Russia and the List of largest hydroelectric power stations, 1 ...
near
Sayanogorsk Sayanogorsk (; ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in the Republic of Khakassia, Russia, located on the left bank of the Yenisei River, south of Abakan, the capital city, capital of the republic. Population: Geography The tow ...
in Russia failed catastrophically, killing 75 people and severely damaging the plant. The
turbine hall The turbine hall, generating hall or turbine building is a building or room in any steam cycle or hydroelectric power plant which houses a number of components vital to the generation of electricity from the steam that comes from the boiler, or ...
was flooded, and a section of its roof collapsed. All but one of the ten turbines in the hall were destroyed or damaged. The entire power output of the plant, totalling 6,400 megawatts, was lost, leading to widespread
power outage A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user. There are many causes of power failures in an el ...
s in the area. An official report on the accident was released in October 2009.


Background

The
Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam The Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam (, ''Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelektrostantsiya'') is located on the Yenisei River, near Sayanogorsk in Khakassia, Russia. It is the largest power plant in Russia and the List of largest hydroelectric power stations, 1 ...
is located on the
Yenisey The Yenisey or Yenisei ( ; , ) is the list of rivers by length, fifth-longest river system in the world, and the largest to drain into the Arctic Ocean. Rising in Mungaragiyn-gol in Mongolia, it follows a northerly course through Lake Baikal a ...
River in south-central
Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
, Russia, about south of
Sayanogorsk Sayanogorsk (; ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in the Republic of Khakassia, Russia, located on the left bank of the Yenisei River, south of Abakan, the capital city, capital of the republic. Population: Geography The tow ...
,
Khakassia Khakassia (), officially the Republic of Khakassia, is a republic of Russia located in southern Siberia. It is situated between Krasnoyarsk Krai to the north and the Altai Republic to the south. The capital city of Khakassia is Abakan, and the ...
. Before the accident, it was the largest
hydroelectric power station Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also mo ...
in Russia and the sixth-largest in the world by average power generation. On 2 July 2009,
RusHydro RusHydro (previous name: Hydro-OGK, ) is a Russian hydroelectricity company. As of early 2012 it had a capacity of 34.9  gigawatts. In late 2009, it was the world's second-largest hydroelectric power producer and is the country's largest p ...
, the power station's operator, announced the station's all-time highest electricity output over 24 hours.


Turbine 2

Turbines of the type used in this power plant have a very narrow working band at high efficiency regimes. If this band is exceeded the turbines begin to vibrate, caused by the pulsation of water flow and water strokes. These vibrations and shocks cause the turbines to degrade over time. Turbine 2 had experienced problems for a long time prior to the 2009 accident. The first of these appeared after its installation in 1979. Throughout 1980–1983, numerous problems with seals, turbine shaft
vibration Vibration () is a mechanical phenomenon whereby oscillations occur about an equilibrium point. Vibration may be deterministic if the oscillations can be characterised precisely (e.g. the periodic motion of a pendulum), or random if the os ...
s and bearings surfaced. From the end of March to the end of November 2000, a complete reconditioning of turbine 2 was performed. Cavities up to deep and cracks up to long were found on the turbine runner and repaired. Many other defects were found in the turbine bearings and subsequently repaired. In 2005, further repairs were made to turbine 2. The problems found were similar in several aspects to the defects observed during the previous repair. From January to March 2009, turbine 2 was undergoing scheduled repairs and modernization. It was the first and only turbine in the station which was equipped with a new electro-hydraulic regulator of its rotational speed supplied by the Promavtomatika company. During the course of the repair, the turbine blades were welded, because after a long period of operation, cracks and cavities had once again appeared. The turbine runner was not properly rebalanced after these repairs, following which turbine 2 had increased vibrations, ca for the main bearing during the full load of the turbine. While this did not exceed specifications, the increased vibrations were unacceptable for long term use. The elevated vibration levels compared to other turbines were apparent for turbine 2 before the repair as well. The vibrations exceeded the allowed specification in the beginning of July and continued to increase with accelerated speed. On the night of 16–17 August, the level of vibration increased substantially, and there were several attempts to stop the turbine. During 16 August up to 20:30, the load of turbine 2 was 600 MW, then it was reduced to 100–200 MW. On 17 August 2009 at 03:00, the load was increased again to 600 MW; at 03:30, the load was decreased to 200 MW; and at 03:45, it was increased again to 600 MW. During this time, the level of vibration was very high, and was also registered by seismic instruments in the plant. During attempts to shut it down, the rotor inside the turbine was pushed up, which in turn created pressure pushing up on the turbine cover, which was kept in place by 80 bolts, each 8 cm in diameter. During the morning of 17 August 2009, 50 people were gathered around turbine 2. As the plant general director, Nikolai Nevolko, was celebrating his anniversary, early in the morning he went to
Abakan Abakan ( ; , ) is the capital city of Khakassia, Russia, located in the central part of the Minusinsk Depression, at the confluence of the Yenisei and Abakan Rivers. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 165,214—a slight incre ...
to greet the arriving guests, and none of the workers present wanted, or had the authority, to make decisions about further actions regarding the turbine. It seems they were used to the high levels of vibration. Turbine 2 was started on 16 August 2009 at 23:14 local time. At 23:44 it was running at a full load of 600 MW. During the night, its load varied between 10 and 610 MW. At the moment of the accident, which was 08:13 local time (00:13 GMT), its load was 475 MW and water consumption was . Vibration of the bearing was , which far exceeded the values of the other turbines by more than fourfold. The working life defined by the manufacturer for the turbines was specified as 30 years. At the moment of the accident, the age of the turbine was 29 years and 10 months. On 17 August 2009, the turbines were at a working level of . At this pressure the recommended power band for the turbines is 570–640 MW (band III) and the allowed band is 0–265 MW also (band I). Band 265–570 MW (band II) at this pressure is not recommended and output over 640 MW (band IV) is forbidden. On the day of the accident, turbine 2 worked as the plant's power output regulator and due to this, its output power changed constantly. The turbine often operated in the band II regime, which is accompanied by pulsation and strokes in the water flow.


Accident

The accident occurred on 17 August 2009 at 08:13 local time (00:13 GMT). There was a loud bang from
turbine A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced can be used for generating electrical ...
2. The turbine cover shot up and the
rotor ROTOR was an elaborate air defence radar system built by the British Government in the early 1950s to counter possible attack by Soviet bombers. To get it operational as quickly as possible, it was initially made up primarily of WWII-era syst ...
then shot out of its seat. After this, water spouted from the cavity of the turbine into the machinery hall. As a result, the machinery hall and rooms below its level were flooded. At the same time, an alarm was received at the power station's main control panel, and the power output fell to zero, resulting in a local
blackout Blackout(s), black out, or The Blackout may refer to: Loss of lighting or communication * Power outage, a loss of electric power * Blackout (broadcasting), a regulatory or contractual ban on the broadcasting of an event * Blackout (fabric), a t ...
. The
steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
gates Gates is the plural of gate, a point of entry to a space which is enclosed by walls. It may also refer to: People * Gates (surname), various people with the last name * Gates Brown (1939-2013), American Major League Baseball player * Gates McFadd ...
to the water intake pipes of the turbines, weighing each, were closed manually by opening the valves with
hydraulic jack A jack is a mechanical lifting device used to apply great forces or lift heavy loads. A mechanical jack employs a screw thread for lifting heavy equipment. A hydraulic jack uses hydraulic machinery, hydraulic power. The most common form is a car ...
s, keeping them up between 08:35 and 09:20 hours (09.30 by official report). The operation took 25 minutes, which is near the minimum time (highest speed) allowed for this operation. The emergency
diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...
generator was started at 11:32. At 11:50, the opening of 11 
spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...
gates of the dam was started and was finished at 13:07. Seventy-five people were later found dead. Nine out of the ten turbines were operating at the time, with a total output 4,400 MW. Turbine 6 was undergoing scheduled maintenance, but was ready for a restart. Oleg Myakishev, a survivor of the accident, described it as follows:
...I was standing upstairs when I heard some sort of growing noise, then I saw the corrugated turbine cover rise and stand on end. Then I saw the rotor rising from underneath it. It was spinning. I could not believe my eyes. It rose about three meters. Rocks and pieces of metal went flying; we started to dodge them... At that point the corrugated cover was nearly at roof level, and the roof itself had been destroyed... I made a mental calculation: the water is rising, 380 cubic meters per second, so I took to my heels and ran for the turbine 10. I thought that I wouldn't make it. I climbed higher, stopped, looked down, and saw everything getting destroyed, water coming in, people trying to swim... I thought: someone must urgently shut the gates to stop the water, manually... Manually, because there was no power, none of the protection systems had worked...
On 9 September 2009 at 17:40 local time (09:40 GMT), a fire started in the turbine hall during repair works. Around 200 people were evacuated. There were no fatalities or injuries.


Investigation

On 4 October 2009, the official report about Sayano-Shushenskaya hydro accident was published by the Federal Environmental, Technological and Atomic Supervisory Service (Rostekhnadzor) on its website. However, later the report and the press release on the report were removed from the website. Names of people killed and those who bear responsibility for the accident, and other data including a historical and technical review about the plant and plans for its future, are given in the report. The report states that the accident was primarily caused by the turbine vibrations which led to the
fatigue Fatigue is a state of tiredness (which is not sleepiness), exhaustion or loss of energy. It is a signs and symptoms, symptom of any of various diseases; it is not a disease in itself. Fatigue (in the medical sense) is sometimes associated wit ...
damage of the mountings of the turbine 2, including the cover of the turbine. It was also found that at the moment of accident at least six nuts were missing from the bolts securing the turbine cover. After the accident 49 recovered bolts were investigated, of which 41 had fatigue cracks. On 8 bolts, the fatigue damaged area exceeded 90% of the total cross-sectional area. According to this report, on 17 August 2009 at 01:20 (local time) there was a fire at the hydroelectric power station of Bratsk which broke both communications and the automatic driving systems of other power plants in the region, including Sayano-Shushenskaya. The situation was recovered on 17 August 2009 at 15:03. At 08:12 local time, turbine 2's output power was reduced by the turbine regulator and it entered into the non-recommended powerband II. Shortly after this, the bolts keeping the turbine cover in place broke, and under water pressure of about , the spinning turbine with its cover, rotor, and upper parts started to move up, destroying machinery hall installations. At the same time, pressurized water flooded the rooms and damaged plant constructions. According to Rostekhnadzor, the automatic shutdown system of the water intake pipes' gates failed after failure of the turbine 2. This accusation was dismissed by Rakurs, the company which designed the automated safety system for the plant.


Media speculation

According to the newspaper ''
Izvestia ''Izvestia'' ( rus, Известия, r=Izvestiya, p=ɪzˈvʲesʲtʲɪjə, "The News") is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Russia. Founded in February 1917, ''Izvestia'', which covered foreign relations, was the organ of the Supreme Soviet of th ...
'', the increased vibration of turbine 2 was going on for some 10 years and was well-known to the plant personnel. According to the former director of Irkutskenergo, Viktor Bobrovski, the accident could have been caused by an incorrect start-up process of the turbine which resulted in a hydraulic pressure surge, or excess load of the turbine caused by peak consumption of electricity. According to Bobrovski, it is common practice in the region to compensate for a peak load by overloading hydroelectric power plants. He also stated that the energy system of the region is near collapse, as the main goal of its owners is to take out as much profit as possible, typically by cutting down on maintenance, investment, safety, and educational costs. Since the load for other turbines ceased after the collapse of the turbine 2, they probably started to spin without load at increasing speed until they failed. He said that the former director of Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station, Valentin Bryzgalov, had alerted that it is dangerous to operate the plant at its maximum loads when the turbines are starting to vibrate in the axial direction. He said that the accident probably would not have had such catastrophic results if the safety systems had worked and the safety rules had been followed. The former general director of the plant, Alexander Toloshinov, has said that the accident was most likely due to a "manufacturing defect" in a turbine. According to Toloshinov, the construction of the s of this type of turbine is not very reliable and cracks are known to develop in them under some working conditions. On 11 September 2009,
RusHydro RusHydro (previous name: Hydro-OGK, ) is a Russian hydroelectricity company. As of early 2012 it had a capacity of 34.9  gigawatts. In late 2009, it was the world's second-largest hydroelectric power producer and is the country's largest p ...
disputed allegations that the dam overwhelmed the machinery hall leading to the destruction of turbine 2. According to RusHydro, displacements of the dam are seasonal and have been reduced in recent years. The maximum displacement () was recorded in 2006, which was below the allowed maximum of . According to RusHydro, the scope of displacement between the anchor legs and the machinery hall does not exceed , which is less than the width between them (), and therefore the dam cannot overwhelm the machinery hall. On 21 August 2009, a website supporting rebel groups in
Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...
claimed that they were responsible for the blast, part of a new "economic war" which they were declaring on Russia. These claims were dismissed by authorities as "idiotic". A November 2010, peer-reviewed article in ''International Water Power and Dam Construction'' suggested a previously unpublicized direct cause for the turbine failures: draft tube waterhammer. The immediate cause of this is proposed to be simply the too-sudden closure of the turbine wicket (flow-control) gates. Too-rapid closure results in rupture of the liquid column as the local pressure downstream of the gates goes to vapor pressure. This frees the draft tube liquid to first surge towards the tailrace and then reverse, eventually slamming rapidly into the turbine with great force. Only such a phenomenon seems capable of producing the extremely sudden, extremely large, and ''extremely vertical'' force which is evident from photographic and verbal descriptions of the damage. From the article:
This hypothesis is that the explosion was caused by water column separation in the draft tubes of the destroyed units. This condition can readily be caused by a too-rapid wicket gate closure during unit load rejection. Adjustment of governor times to unsafe values to achieve fast response to operating load changes may have occurred in recent times in response to a need to improve grid frequency control. This, combined with compromised stud connections due to poor maintenance, can explain the extreme violence of this accident.
A subsequent review for the 10th anniversary of the incident, published by the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR), concluded that no intervening revelations had lessened the feasibility of this explanation.


Rescue operation

After the accident, the spillway was regulated to decrease the water level of the reservoir by per day. Flood water was pumped out from the engine room by 24 August 2009. On 28 August, the search and rescue operation was completed, and the state of emergency imposed in Khakassia on 17 August 2009, was lifted.


Aftermath

As a result of the accident, 75 people were killed. On 19 August 2009, a mourning day was announced in
Khakassia Khakassia (), officially the Republic of Khakassia, is a republic of Russia located in southern Siberia. It is situated between Krasnoyarsk Krai to the north and the Altai Republic to the south. The capital city of Khakassia is Abakan, and the ...
. RusHydro declared 25 August a day of mourning at the company. A festival in the city of
Abakan Abakan ( ; , ) is the capital city of Khakassia, Russia, located in the central part of the Minusinsk Depression, at the confluence of the Yenisei and Abakan Rivers. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 165,214—a slight incre ...
on 22 August was canceled. Due to the accident, the town of Cheryomushki banned the sale of strong alcoholic beverages.


Damage

In addition to turbine 2, turbines 7 and 9 also suffered severe damage and were destroyed, while the turbine room roof and ceilings fell on and caused additional damage to turbines 1 and 3, with slight damage to turbines 4, 5, 8, and 10. Turbine 6, which was in scheduled repair at the time of the accident, received only minor damage and was the only one of the station's 10 turbines that did not receive electrical damage due to shorting of the associated transformers. Water immediately flooded the engine and turbine rooms and caused a
transformer In electrical engineering, a transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple Electrical network, circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces ...
explosion.
Transformer In electrical engineering, a transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple Electrical network, circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces ...
s 1 and 2 were destroyed, while transformers 3, 4, and 5 were left in satisfactory condition. Other damage was also severe as the machinery hall was destroyed, including the roof, ceilings, and floor. On 9 September 2009, RusHydro announced the damage caused by the incident: * Turbine 6: Flooded * Turbine 5: Flooding and electrical damage * Turbines 3 and 4: Moderate electrical and mechanical damage. Some damage to the concrete structures around them. * Turbines 1, 8, and 10: Severe electrical and mechanical damage. Some damage to the concrete structures around them. * Turbines 7 and 9: Completely destroyed, with extreme damage to the concrete structures around them. * Turbine 2: Destroyed completely, including the concrete structures around it.


Power supply

Power generation from the station ceased completely following the incident. The resulting
blackout Blackout(s), black out, or The Blackout may refer to: Loss of lighting or communication * Power outage, a loss of electric power * Blackout (broadcasting), a regulatory or contractual ban on the broadcasting of an event * Blackout (fabric), a t ...
in residential areas was alleviated by diverting power from other plants.
Aluminium smelters Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has a great affinity ...
in Sayanogorsk and Khakassia were completely cut off from the grid before power supplies were replaced using alternate power sources. Power to blacked out areas was fully restored by 19 August 2009. Although smelters continue to work at their normal rate, RUSAL warned that in the longer term it may lose up to of aluminum output due to the power shortage, and called for accelerating the construction of the Boguchany hydroelectric power station to replace the lost generating capacity.


Environmental impact

The accident caused an
oil spill An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into th ...
, releasing at least of
transformer oil Transformer oil or insulating oil is an oil that is stable at high temperatures and has excellent electrical insulating properties. It is used in oil-filled wet transformers, some types of high-voltage capacitors, fluorescent lamp ballasts, and so ...
which spread over downstream of Yenisei. The oil, which spilled during the approximately 2–3 hour cutoff of river flow when all the gates of the dam were closed, killed of cultivated
trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...
in two riverside fisheries, with its impact on wildlife as yet unassessed. On 19 August 2009, the -long spill had reached , where it was cordoned off with floating barriers and chemical
sorbent A sorbent is an insoluble material that either absorbs or adsorbs liquids or gases. They are frequently used to remove pollutants and in the cleanup of chemical accidents and oil spills. Besides their uses in industry, sorbents are used in comm ...
s. The oil spill was fully removed by 25 August 2009.


Financial impact


Share prices

Trading in RusHydro shares at the
Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange The Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange () or MICEX () was a stock exchange that operated in Russia from 1992 to 2011. MICEX was the leading Russian stock exchange and one of the largest universal stock exchanges in Eastern Europe. It merged with ...
was suspended for two days. After trading resumed on 19 August 2009, the shares dropped 11.4%. On the
London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange based in London, England. the total market value of all companies trading on the LSE stood at US$3.42 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cath ...
, the share price dropped more than 15%. It is expected that RusHydro's business losses will amount to 16.5 billion
roubles The ruble or rouble (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is a currency unit. Currently, currencies named ''ruble'' in circulation include the Russian ruble (RUB, ₽) in Russia and the Belarusian ruble (BYN, Rbl) in Belarus. These currencies are su ...
(US$523 million) by 2013. The power plant was insured for US$200 million by Russian insurance company ROSNO, part of
Allianz Allianz SE ( , ) is a German Multinational corporation, multinational financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core businesses are insurance and asset management. Allianz is the world's largest List of largest insurance ...
group, and re-insured by
Munich Re Munich Re Group or Munich Reinsurance Company () is a German Multinational corporation, multinational insurance company based in Munich, Germany. It is the world's largest reinsurance, reinsurer. ERGO Insurance Group, ERGO, a subsidiary of Munich ...
.


Compensation

The Russian government decided to pay compensation of 1 million rubles (US$31,600) to each victim's family, and 100,000 
rubles The ruble or rouble (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is a currency unit. Currently, currencies named ''ruble'' in circulation include the Russian ruble (RUB, ₽) in Russia and the Belarusian ruble (BYN, Rbl) in Belarus. These currencies are su ...
(about US$3,100) to each survivor, while RusHydro decided to pay a further 1 million rubles in compensation. RusHydro also decided to buy housing for 13 families of killed workers with underage children. There are also programs to support these children in
kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
s and schools and to provide
higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...
. In addition, a special program is planned for the reconstruction and development of the Cheryomushki settlement, the main settlement where the power plant workers live.


Personnel

The director of the plant, Nikolai Nevolko, was replaced by Valerii Kjari. Several people were awarded for their heroic actions during the accident. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, awarded Juri Salnikov and Oleg Melnitchuck each with an Official Letter of Commendation.


Repairs

At the time, repairs were estimated to take up to four years. Over 2,000 people were involved in the rescue work and liquidation of the consequences after the disaster. According to Russian Energy Minister
Sergei Shmatko Sergei Ivanovich Shmatko (, 26 September 1966 – 7 November 2021) was a Russian businessman and politician specializing in the energy industry. He was Russia's Minister of Energy from May 2008 until May 2012. Early life and education Shmatk ...
, the rebuilding of the engine room alone was estimated to cost 40 billion
rubles The ruble or rouble (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is a currency unit. Currently, currencies named ''ruble'' in circulation include the Russian ruble (RUB, ₽) in Russia and the Belarusian ruble (BYN, Rbl) in Belarus. These currencies are su ...
(€880 million, US$1.3 billion). Russia's
Sberbank The Public JSC Sberbank (, initially a contraction of ) is a Russian majority state-owned banking and financial services company headquartered in Moscow. As the Russian successor entity of the State Labor Savings Banks System of the USSR, it was ...
agreed to lend 20 billion rubles (€440 million, US$630 million) for the repair works. RusHydro also negotiated a loan with the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, shortened to EBRD ( French: ''Banque européenne pour la reconstruction et le développement'' or ''BERD''), is an international financial institution founded in 1991 in Paris. As a multilat ...
. According to RusHydro, turbines 4, 5, and 6 would probably be repaired. Turbines 7 and 9 were too damaged and were disassembled. The machinery hall, heating system, electricity supply, and sewage tunnels were under repair. As the spillway works all the time, several methods of preventing the dam from icing were also under consideration. The machinery hall and its heating system also underwent repairs. The repair work was performed continuously, 24 hours a day. During repairs, water was being discharged using the spillway only. Special measures were taken to ensure its safe operation in winter conditions. Water gates were modified to be temporarily locked into an intermediate position for better flow control. Vapor clouds at the base of the spillway were expected to cause unwanted ice buildup on the construction site. A team of climbers equipped with chainsaws and jackhammers was assembled to remove excess ice, and a heating system was installed under the machine hall's roof. By 27 December 2009, there were on-going or prepared dismantling of turbines 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Only turbines 5 and 6 were to be repaired ''in situ''. The other turbines were to be replaced, repaired in the factory and/or modernized. Turbine 6 was restarted on 24 February 2010. Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
personally switched turbine 6 to the load. Turbine 5 was brought under load on 22 March. On 14 April 2010, the process of dismantling turbine 2 and the infrastructure surrounding it was finished.На Саяно-Шушенской ГЭС завершен демонтаж гидроагрегата №2
By the year 2014 all turbines in the plant will be replaced with new ones. On 30 June 2010, turbine 4 was started without a load to dry its electrical coils, to test it and to prepare it for switching under load later in 2010. It was fully restarted on 4 August 2010. By July 2010 the replacement of turbine 3 was underway and expected to be completed in December 2010. The new turbine has better electrical and hydrodynamic characteristics and a 40-year working life. On 6 July 2011, a ship loaded with new parts for the turbines left
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
. On 8 July 2011, turbines 3, 4 and 5 were working under full load and turbine 6 was in reserve. On 11 November 2014 the renovations and repairs were fully completed.


Attack on journalist

It was reported that on 9 September 2009, Novy Fokus Mikhail Afanasyev, the editor of a regional news website, was attacked and beaten near his house in Abakan. Earlier, he was charged for "spreading false information and defaming rescuers in his reports" by the local prosecutor's office. Afanasyev believes that the attack is "probably connected to his articles about the accident".


See also

* August curse *
Critical speed In solid mechanics, in the field of rotordynamics, the critical speed is the theoretical angular velocity that excites the natural frequency of a rotating object, such as a shaft, propeller, leadscrew, or gear. As the speed of rotation approaches ...
*
List of hydroelectric power station failures This is a list of major hydroelectric power station failures due to damage to a hydroelectric power station or its connections. Every generating station trips from time to time due to minor defects and can usually be restarted when the defect ...


References


External links


Photo series of 32 images of the disaster from the ''Boston Globes "The Big Picture" online series

Photoessay by Mitya Aleshkovsky (on flickr)


* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hVUeNp3o3M Water hammer causes power plant tragedy''RT news'' YouTube archival footage, uploaded on 18 August 2009 (eyewitness images filmed at the foot of the dam immediately after the event)
Horror Footage: CCTV cameras catch dam burst
''RT news'' YouTube archival footage, uploaded on 9 September 2009 (filmed inside the dam's turbine hall during the event) {{DEFAULTSORT:Sayano-Shushenskaya power station accident, 2009 2009 disasters in Russia 2009 industrial disasters August 2009 in Russia Dam failures in Asia History of Khakassia