The Chirkey Dam (Chirkeisk GES) is an
arch dam on the
Sulak River in
Dagestan
Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...
,
Russia. The main purpose of the dam is
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
power production, and it supports a 1,000 MW power station. Construction on the dam began in 1964, the first generator was operational by 1974, the last in 1976 while the project was officially completed in 1978. It is the tallest arch dam in Russia.
Design
The dam is a tall and long (crest) concrete arch dam. It is wide at its crest, wide at its base and contains of
concrete. The dam withholds a reservoir of which is active or "useful" storage. The reservoir has a surface area of , length of and maximum width of . Maximum depth of the reservoir is and its catchment area is .
The dam's
spillway consists of a long non-pressure tunnel with its intake on the left bank of the dam. The spillway's capacity is . The dam's
outlet works, spillway and power station have a combined discharge capacity of .
The dam's power station contains 4 × 250
MW Francis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency.
The proces ...
-generators for a total installed capacity of 1,000 MW. Each generator is supplied with water by a
penstock, all four of which intake on the upstream side of the dam's face and run down its surface toward the power station at the dam's base.
See also
*
List of power stations in Russia
References
External links
Photos of the damat EnglishRussia.com
{{Authority control
Hydroelectric power stations built in the Soviet Union
Hydroelectric power stations in Russia
Dams in Russia
Arch dams
Dams completed in 1978
Caspian Sea basin