How does a hydroelectric power plant work? Three largest hydroelectric power stations in Russia Hydroelectric power stations on the Volga list

Hydroelectric power plants, or HPPs, generate electricity using the energy of falling water. Hydroelectric power stations most often appear on the largest rivers, which are blocked by dams for this purpose. It is also known that the most populous country in the world is China, and its booming economy requires an incredible amount of electricity. That is why huge power plant projects are now being implemented in this country. Against this background, it is not surprising that the largest hydroelectric power station in the world is also located in China. The rating is based on the installed capacity of hydroelectric power plants (indicated in brackets).

1. Three Gorges, China (22.5 GW)

One of the deepest and third longest rivers in the world, the Yangtze became the place where the world's most powerful dam, the Three Gorges Dam, was built, which shares first and second place in terms of the amount of energy generated. It is one of the most ambitious hydraulic structures on the planet. It is located in Hubei province, in the urban district of Yichang near the city of Sandouping. One of the world's largest concrete gravity dams is built here.
Before filling the reservoir, it was necessary to resettle 1.3 million local residents - this is the largest resettlement in history associated with such technological solutions. Construction of this hydroelectric power station began in 1992, and it was officially put into operation in July 2012. The capacity of the Three Gorges hydroelectric power station under the project was 22.5 GW, and the design annual production level of one hundred billion kilowatts was practically achieved in the same year. A large reservoir with a capacity of 22 cubic meters was formed in front of the hydroelectric dam. km of water and having a water surface area of ​​1045 sq. km. By the end of 2008, about 26 billion dollars were invested in the project of this hydroelectric power station, 10 of which were for the resettlement of people, the same amount for its construction, and interest on loans amounted to another 6 billion.


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2. Itaipu, Paraguay/Brazil (14 GW)

20 kilometers from the city of Foz do Iguaçu, on the Brazilian-Paraguayan border on the Parana River, a dam with the Itaipu hydroelectric power station was built. It inherited its name from the island at the mouth of this large river, which became the basis of the dam. It was this power plant that in 2016 became the first in the world to produce over 100 billion kilowatts of electricity, or more precisely, 103.1 billion kWh. Design and preparatory work for its construction began back in 1971; in 1991, the last two generators out of 18 planned were put into operation, and in 2007, 2 more electric machines were added to them, bringing the power of the hydroelectric station to 14 GW.
During the construction process, the authorities had to resettle approximately 10 thousand families living on the banks of the Paraná, many of whom later became members of the landless peasant movement. Initially, experts estimated the cost of building a hydroelectric power station at $4.4 billion, but successive dictatorial regimes did not have effective policies, which is why the real cost figure increased to 15.3 billion.

3. Xiluodu, China (13.86 GW)

In the upper reaches of the Yangtze River there is a tributary of the Jinsha, on which the large Xiluodu hydroelectric power station was built. This is how it was named after the nearby village of Silodu, the center of the Yongshan city district of Yunnan province. The administrative border with another province, Sichuan, runs along the river bed. Once completed, the station became a critical element of the Jinsha River Controlled Flow Project, which aimed not only to generate electricity, but also to reduce the amount of silt entering the Yangtze.
Silodu became the third largest hydroelectric power station in the world. The maximum capacity of its reservoir is almost 12.7 cubic kilometers.
In 2005, the construction of the hydroelectric power station was temporarily suspended for a more detailed study of its consequences on the ecology of the area, but was later resumed. The Jinsha riverbed was blocked in 2009, the first 770 MW turbine was put into operation in July 2013, and in April 2014 the 14th turbine started operating. In August of the same year, the last units of the hydroelectric power station were launched.


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4. Guri, Venezuela (10.235 GW)

In the Venezuelan state of Bolivar, a large hydroelectric power station was built on the Caroni River, 100 km from its confluence with the Orinoco. Officially, it bears the name of Simon Bolivar, although from 1978 to 2000 it was named after Raul Leoni. Construction of this hydroelectric power station began in 1963, its first stage was completed in 1978, and the second in 1986.
This station alone covers 65% of the electricity costs of the entire Venezuela, and together with other large hydroelectric power stations (Macagua and Caruachi) it provides 82% of the electricity. This electricity has a completely renewable source, which is important for this country with low energy supply. Moreover, Venezuela sells part of its energy to Brazil and Colombia. In 2013, a strong fire occurred near the hydroelectric power station, leaving almost the entire country without power supply for a short time, as three high-voltage power lines distributing energy to different states of the country were damaged.

5. Tucurui, Brazil (8.37 GW)

This hydroelectric power station was built on the Tocantins River in the Brazilian state of the same name. The hydroelectric power station inherited its name from the nearby town of Tucurui. But now a city with the same name has appeared downstream of the dam along the river. There are 24 electric generators installed on the dam. The volume of water in the reservoir almost reaches 46 cubic meters. km, and the water surface area is 2430 sq. km. At the international competition announced on the occasion of the development and implementation of the hydroelectric power station project, the victory was won by a consortium formed in 1970 of two Brazilian firms. The work itself began in 1976 and was completely completed in 1984. The dam has a height of 76 meters. The local spillway has the largest capacity in the world, amounting to 120,000 cubic meters. m/s.

6. Belo Monti hydroelectric power station, Brazil (7.57 GW)

A large-scale construction of a hydroelectric power station complex is underway on the Xingu River near the city of Altamira in Brazil. By the time the work is completed, scheduled for 2020, the hydroelectric power station should reach an installed capacity of 11.2 GW. But even now, with 12 hydraulic units out of 20 running and the auxiliary Pimental hydroelectric power station, the capacity of the complex amounted to 7566.3 MW.

7. Grand Coulee, USA (6,809 GW)

At the moment, this is the largest hydroelectric power station in North America, located on the Columbia River. It was built in 1942. The volume of its reservoir is 11.9 km3. The dam was built not only to generate electricity, but also to be able to irrigate the desert lands of the northwest coast (approximately 2000 sq. km of farmland). Almost 9.2 million cubic meters of concrete were poured into the body of this gravity dam, 168 meters high and 1,592 meters long. The spillway part of the dam is 503 meters wide. There are 4 turbine rooms in which 33 turbines are installed, annually generating 20 TWh of electricity.

8. Xiangjiaba, China (6,448 GW)

Another powerful hydroelectric power station was built on the same tributary of the Yangtze - the Jinshu River. It is located in Yunnan Province, Yongshan County. The hydroelectric power station is part of a cascade of dams being gradually built on the Yangtze River and its tributaries. It is also designed not only to generate electricity, but also to reduce the flow of silt into the Yangtze. Its hydroelectric complex is equipped with a vertical ship lift, while the Silodu hydroelectric power station located upstream does not have such a ship lift. As a result, upstream the Jinsha, the Xiangjiaba Reservoir became the last navigable section.

9. Longtan, China (6,426 GW)


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This large Chinese hydroelectric power station appeared on the Hongshuihe River, which is a tributary of the Pearl River. The height of its dam reaches 216.5 meters. In May 2007, the first of three planned power units was tested. When construction was completed in 2009, 9 generators came into operation, which, according to the plan, should generate 18.7 billion kWh.

10. Sayano-Shushenskaya, Russia (6.4 GW)

Until now, this hydroelectric power station is the largest in Russia in terms of installed capacity. It stands on the Yenisei, separating the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Khakassia, and the villages of Cheryomushki and Sayanogorsk are nearby. The Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station is the top stage of the cascade of hydroelectric power stations built on the Yenisei. Its arch-gravity dam, with a height of 242 meters, is the highest in Russia, and there are not many similar dams in the world. It got its name from the nearby Sayan Mountains and the village of Shushenskoye, where V. Lenin once rested in exile.
Construction of this hydroelectric power station began in 1963, and it was officially completed only in 2000. During the construction and operation of the power plant itself, various shortcomings appeared, for example, the destruction of spillway structures, the formation of cracks in the dam, which were gradually resolved.
But in 2009, the most serious accident in the domestic hydropower industry occurred at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station, as a result of which the station was temporarily out of commission, killing 75 people. It was only in November 2014 that the power plant was restored.

A hydroelectric power station is a station that receives and produces electricity using falling water. Usually such stations are built on large rivers. They are blocked off with a high dam and a station is built.

All hydroelectric power plants are divided into several categories according to the degree of pressure:

  • low-;
  • medium-;
  • high-pressure.

Hydroelectric power stations are also divided by capacity:

  • small;
  • average;
  • powerful.

The top five largest hydroelectric power plants in the world include dams from China, Brazil, Canada and Venezuela. Today we present the top 10 largest hydroelectric power plants in the world.

10th place. Boguchanskaya HPP

Location: Kodinsk, Kezhemsky district, Krasnoyarsk region, Russia

Year of launch: 2012

Power: 2997 MW

The dam is located 444 km from the mouth of the Angara River. The construction of the Boguchanskaya hydroelectric power station is considered one of the longest in the world. Her project was proposed back in 1987. In the same year, construction of the dam began. It continued until 1994. Then, due to lack of funding, the project was frozen until 2005. In 2006, construction continued, and the launch of the first units started only 6 years later.

The hydroelectric dam is 776 m long and 79 m high. The structure has a unique stepped spillway designed to release water during floods. It is also designed to withstand extreme flooding, which, according to scientists, happens in the Krasnoyarsk Territory once every 10 thousand years.

9th place. Ust-Ilimskaya HPP

Location: Ust-Ilimsk, Irkutsk region, Russia

Year of launch: 1974

Power: 3840 MW


Construction of the dam was carried out from 1963 to 1980. The first units were launched in 1974. The hydroelectric power station became fully operational in 1979. The dam has a height of 105 m and a length of slightly less than 1.5 km.

Initially, the project involved the construction of 18 units. However, the dam currently operates with 16 units, and reserves have been created for 17 and 18, if necessary - there are turbine conduits and pipes for suction.

Ust-Ilimskaya is one of the largest hydroelectric power stations in Russia.

8th place. Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station named after. 50th anniversary of the Great October Revolution

Location: Bratsk, Irkutsk region, Russia

Year of launch: 1961

Power: 4500 MW


The Bratsk hydroelectric power station is one of the most famous in the world and the largest in Russia. Its construction began in 1954 and was completed in 1967. The dam of the Bratsk hydroelectric power station is slightly less than a kilometer long and 124.5 m high.

The Bratsk hydroelectric power station is one of the most powerful energy suppliers for all of Siberia. The Bratsk aluminum plant takes its power from this dam.

A commission conducted in 1998 came to the conclusion that the Bratsk hydroelectric power station covers the profitability of all similar dams in Russia.

7th place. Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station

Location: Divnogorsk, Krasnoyarsk region, Russia

Year of launch: 1967

Power: 6000 MW


Construction of the dam took place from 1956 to 1972. The height of the station is 124 m, the length is 1065 m. The Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station is one of the 10 largest hydroelectric power stations in the world. The dam is part of the Yenisei cascade.

It is noteworthy that the Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Station owns the only ship lift in Russia.

In terms of profitability as of 2012, the Krasnoyarsk HPP surpasses all thermal stations in Russia. Among hydroelectric power plants, it ranks second in terms of profitability after the Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station.

6th place. Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP named after. P. S. Neporozhniy

Where is it located: Cheryomushki village, between the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Republic of Khakassia, Russia

Year of launch: 1978, 2011

Power: 6400 MW


The construction of the hydroelectric power station was carried out from 1963 to 2000. The first commissioning of the station’s units began in 1978. The hydroelectric power station finally began operating in 1985. However, later problems began - the drainage structures began to collapse, and cracks appeared in the dam.

This is one of the largest dams in the world and Russia. And only on it a famous accident occurred on August 17, 2009. Unit No. 2 collapsed and failed. He was squeezed out of his place by a powerful pressure of water. The water flowing through it flooded the engine room and technical rooms in a matter of seconds. This man-made accident claimed the lives of 75 people.

After repairs, the station began to be launched in 2011. The hydroelectric power station finally began operating at full capacity only in 2014.

5th place. Tukuruyskaya HPP

Location: Tucurui County, Tocantes State, Brazil

Year of launch: 1984

Power: 8370 MW


The decision to build was made in 1970. The height of the dam is 76 m and the length is 11 km. The hydroelectric power station is located in the valley of the river of the same name as the state. Tocantis is a deep river that flows into the Amazon.

The power of the dam allows daily energy supply not only to Brazil, but also to neighboring countries.

4th place. Churchill Falls

Location: Between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Year of launch: 1967

Power: 5428 MW


There was a waterfall at the site where construction of the hydroelectric power station began in 1967. It was not functioning almost all the time, so the government decided to build a dam. Both the waterfall and the hydroelectric power station are named after British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

The hydroelectric power station is one of two hydroelectric power stations in the world that has a large underground turbine room.

The height of the dam is not known exactly, but the total length is 64 km.

3rd place. GES them. Simon Bolivar or "Guri"

Location: Bolivar State, Venezuela

Year of launch: 1978

Power: 10,235 MW


Construction began in 1963. The first start-up of the units began in 1978, and the hydroelectric power station reached full capacity in 1986.

Today the station is named after. Simon Bolivar. However, from the moment of its first launch until 2000, it bore the name of Raoul Leoni.

The height of the dam is 162 m, length – 1.3 km.

The Guri hydroelectric power station supplies 65% of Venezuela's energy consumption. Hydroelectric power is also sold to neighboring Brazil and Colombia.

In February 2013, a strong fire occurred near the hydroelectric station. Power lines were damaged, which became an emergency situation for the hydroelectric power station. For some time, the bulk of the Venezuelan states were left without electricity.

2nd place. Itaipu

Location: Foz do Iguacu, border of Brazil and Paraguay

Launch year: 1984

Power: 14,000 MW


The second largest hydroelectric power plant in the world. The dam is also one of the largest structures in the world. The dam project began to be discussed in 1971. Construction began in 1978. Already 13 years later, 18 generators were put into operation. In 2007, two more generators were connected.

Last year, the hydroelectric power station became the world leader in the volume of energy produced. For the entire 2016, the hydroelectric station produced more than 100 billion kW/h of electricity.

An emergency situation occurred with this giant at the end of 2009. Due to a severe thunderstorm, the power lines that supplied energy from the hydroelectric station were damaged. As a result of this emergency, the entire part of Paraguay, which is powered by Itaipu, was left without electricity, as well as about 50 million homes in Brazil.

1 place. Three Gorges

Location: Yichang City, Hubei Province, China

Launch year: 2003

Power: 22,500 MW


The Three Gorges Hydroelectric Power Station is the largest structure in the world and at the same time the most powerful hydroelectric station. Its construction started in 1992, and the launch of the first units began in 2003. The hydroelectric power station became operational at full capacity relatively recently - in mid-summer 2012.

The dam is located on the Yangtze River, which is one of the three largest rivers in the world. The Three Gorges marked another record - the largest resettlement in the history of mankind. 1.3 million local residents were resettled to fill the dam.

The dam is 2.3 km long and 185 m high.

For the country's economy, the Three Gorges Hydroelectric Power Station is of particular value. It was initially planned that the commissioning of the dam would cover 10% of the country's energy consumption.

The dam also regulates the flooding of the Yangtze River. Over the past 2000 years, river floods have been devastating to the country's economy almost 200 times! During the 20th century alone, the catastrophic floods of the Yangtze killed 1.5 million people in the country.

The resulting reservoir had a positive effect on navigation along the Yangtze. Thanks to the increase in the amount of water, cargo turnover on the river increased 10 times. Every year, ships carry up to 100 million different cargoes.

When scientists invented the light bulb and the dynamo automobile in the nineteenth century, the need for electricity increased. In the twentieth century, the need was compensated by burning coal in power plants, and when it increased even more, new sources had to be looked for. Thanks to innovative research, current is obtained from environmentally friendly sources. There are 5 largest hydroelectric power plants, thermal power plants and nuclear power plants in Russia.

HES - hydroelectric power station. In each of them, energy is produced from an induction current. It appears when a conductor in a magnet rotates, with water doing the mechanical work. Hydroelectric power stations are dams that block rivers, controlling the flow, from which energy is drawn.

5 largest hydroelectric power plants in Russia

  1. Sayano-Shushenskaya named after. P.S. Neporozhniy on the river. Yenisei in Khakassia: 6,400 MW. It has been operating since December 1985 under the leadership of JSC RusHydro.
  2. Krasnoyarsk, 40 km from Krasnoyarsk: 6,000 MW. It has been operating since 1972 under the leadership of OJSC Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Station, owned by Oleg Deripaska.
  3. Bratskaya on the river Angara in the Irkutsk region: 4,500 MW. It has been operating since 1967 under the leadership of OJSC Irkutskenergo Oleg Deripaska.
  4. Ust-Ilimskaya on the river. Angara: 3,840 MW. It has been operating since March 1979 under the leadership of OJSC Irkutskenergo Oleg Deripaska.
  5. Volzhskaya on the river Volga: 2,592.5 MW. It has been operating since September 1961 under the leadership of JSC RusHydro.

TPP - thermal power plant. Electrical energy is generated by burning fossil fuels. Thermal power plants generate more than 40% of the world's electricity. Coal, gas or oil are used as fuel in Russia.

5 largest thermal power plants in Russia

  1. Surgutskaya GRES-2 in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug: 5,597 MW. It has been operating since 1985 under the leadership of Unipro PJSC.
  2. Reftinskaya GRES in the village of Reftinsky (Sverdlovsk region): 3,800 MW. It has been operating since 1963 under the leadership of Enel Russia.
  3. Kostroma State District Power Plant c. Volgorechensk: 3,600 MW. It has been operating since 1969 under the leadership of Inter RAO.
  4. Surgutskaya GRES-1 in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug: 3,268 MW. It has been operating since 1972 under the leadership of OGK-2.
  5. Ryazan State District Power Plant in Novomichurinsk: 3,070 MW. It has been operating since 1973 under the leadership of OGK-2.

NPP - nuclear power plant. Although it is dangerous, it is clean, unlike hydroelectric and thermal power plants. Electricity comes from the consumption of a small amount of fuel - Uranium, Plutonium. Nuclear power plants are concrete chambers where heat appears due to the decay of radioactive elements. High temperatures lead to the evaporation of water, and the steam begins to rotate turbines, like at a hydroelectric power station.

5 largest nuclear power plants in Russia

  1. Balakovskaya in Balakovo (Saratov region): 4,000 MW. It has been operating since December 28, 1985 under the leadership of Rosenergoatom.
  2. Kalininskaya in Udomlya (Tver region): 4,000 MW. It has been operating since May 9, 1984 under the leadership of Rosenergoatom. The director is Ignatov Viktor Igorevich.
  3. Kurskaya at the Seimas in Kursk: 4,000 MW. It has been operating since December 19, 1976 under the leadership of Rosenergoatom.
  4. Leningradskaya in Sosnovy Bor (Leningrad region): 4,000 MW. It has been operating since December 23, 1973 under the leadership of Rosenergoatom.
  5. Novovoronezhskaya: 2,597 MW, planned - 3,796 MW. It has been operating since September 1964 under the leadership of Rosenergoatom.

Since ancient times, people have used the driving force of water. They ground flour in mills, the wheels of which were driven by streams of water, floated heavy tree trunks downstream, and generally used hydropower to solve a variety of problems, including industrial ones.

The first hydroelectric power stations

At the end of the 19th century, with the beginning of the electrification of cities, hydroelectric power plants began to very rapidly gain popularity in the world. In 1878, the world's first hydroelectric power station appeared in England, which then powered only one arc lamp in the art gallery of inventor William Armstrong... And by 1889, there were already 200 hydroelectric power stations in the United States alone.

One of the most important steps in the development of hydropower was the construction of the Hoover Dam in the United States in the 1930s. As for Russia, here already in 1892, in Rudny Altai on the Berezovka River, the first four-turbine hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 200 kW was built, designed to provide electricity for the mine drainage of the Zyryanovsky mine. Thus, with the development of electricity by mankind, hydroelectric power stations marked the rapid pace of industrial progress.

Today, modern hydroelectric power plants are huge structures with gigawatts of installed capacity. However, the principle of operation of any hydroelectric power station remains, on the whole, quite simple, and almost completely the same everywhere. The water pressure directed at the blades of the hydraulic turbine causes it to rotate, and the hydraulic turbine, in turn, being connected to the generator, rotates the generator. The generator produces electricity, which...

In the turbine room of the hydroelectric power station, hydraulic units are installed that convert the energy of the water flow into electrical energy, and all the necessary switchgear, as well as control and monitoring devices for the operation of the hydroelectric power station, are located directly in the building of the hydroelectric power station.


The power of a hydroelectric power plant depends on the quantity and pressure of water passing through the turbines. Direct pressure is obtained due to the directional movement of water flow. This can be water accumulated at the dam when a dam is built in a certain place on the river, or the pressure is obtained due to flow diversion - this is when water is diverted from the riverbed through a special tunnel or canal. Thus, hydroelectric power plants can be dam, diversion and dam-diversion.

The most common dam hydroelectric power plants are based on a dam that blocks the river bed. Behind the dam, water rises and accumulates, creating a kind of water column that provides pressure and pressure. The higher the dam, the stronger the pressure. The world's tallest dam has a height of 305 meters, this is the dam at the 3.6 GW Jinping Hydroelectric Power Station on the Yalongjiang River in the western part of Sichuan Province in Southwest China.

Hydroelectric power stations using water energy are of two types. If the river has a slight fall, but is relatively high in water, then with the help of a dam blocking the river, a sufficient difference in water levels is created.

A reservoir is formed above the dam, ensuring uniform operation of the station throughout the year. At the shore below the dam, in close proximity to it, a water turbine is installed, connected to an electric generator (dam station). If the river is navigable, then a lock is made at the opposite bank to allow ships through.

If the river is not very high in water, but has a large fall and a rapid current (for example, mountain rivers), then part of the water is diverted through a special canal, which has a much lower slope than the river. This canal sometimes has a length of several kilometers. Sometimes terrain conditions force us to replace the channel with a tunnel (for powerful stations). This creates a significant level difference between the outlet of the canal and the lower reaches of the river.

At the end of the channel, water enters a steeply inclined pipe, at the lower end of which a hydraulic turbine with a generator is located. Due to the significant difference in levels, water acquires high kinetic energy, sufficient to power the station (diversion stations).

Such stations can have greater power and belong to the category of regional power plants (see -). At the smallest stations, the turbine is sometimes replaced by a less efficient, cheaper water wheel.

Types of hydroelectric power stations and their devices


In addition to the dam, the hydroelectric power plant includes a building and a switchgear. The main equipment of the hydroelectric power station is located in the building; turbines and generators are installed here. In addition to the dam and the building, the hydroelectric power station may have locks, spillways, fish ladders and ship lifts.

Each hydroelectric power station is a unique structure, therefore the main distinguishing feature of hydroelectric power plants from other types of industrial power plants is their individuality. By the way, the world's largest reservoir is located in Ghana, the Akosombo reservoir on the Volta River. It occupies 8,500 square kilometers, which is 3.6% of the area of ​​the entire country.

If there is a significant slope along the river bed, then a diversion hydroelectric power station is built. There is no need to build a large dam reservoir; instead, the water is only directed through specially constructed water channels or tunnels directly to the power plant building.

Sometimes, at diversion hydroelectric power stations, small daily regulation pools are installed, which make it possible to control the pressure and thus influence the amount of electricity generated depending on the load on the power grid.


Pumped storage power plants (PSPP) are a special type of hydroelectric power station. Here the station itself is designed to smooth out daily fluctuations and peak loads on the power supply, and thereby increase the reliability of the power grid.

Such a station is capable of operating both in generator mode and in storage mode, when pumps pump water into the upper pool from the lower pool. A pool, in this context, is a pool-type object that is part of a reservoir and adjacent to a hydroelectric power station. The upper pool is located upstream, the lower pool is located downstream.

An example of a pumped storage power plant is the Taum Sauk reservoir in Missouri, built 80 kilometers from the Mississippi, with a capacity of 5.55 billion liters, allowing the power system to provide a peak power of 440 MW.

At first glance, a hydroelectric power station is a fairly simple thing - water flows, the generator spins, and electricity is generated. In fact, a modern hydroelectric power station is a system with very complex equipment and thousands of sensors, controlled by computers.

Today I will tell you something that few ordinary people know about hydroelectric power stations.


Now I am at the construction site of the Ust-Srednekanskaya hydroelectric power station, which is located 400 kilometers from Magadan. I will tell you more about the hydroelectric power station and construction later, but today there are a few interesting facts.

1. A hydroelectric power station is perhaps the only large engineering facility that begins to operate long before the completion of construction. At the Ust-Srednekanskaya HPP, the dam has not yet been fully erected, the turbine hall has not yet been fully built, and the first two of the four hydraulic units are already generating electricity.

2. While the hydroelectric power station is being built, its hydraulic units operate with temporary impellers designed for low water pressure. When the dam is completed, the water pressure will increase and the temporary wheels will be replaced with permanent high-pressure wheels with a different blade shape.

3. Despite the fact that the construction of hydroelectric power stations is very expensive, many hydroelectric power stations pay for themselves even before they are completed. By the way, the Ust-Srednekanskaya HPP sells electricity at 1.10 rubles per kWh.

4. Before entering the turbine of a hydroelectric power station, the water is swirled using a huge steel snail - a spiral chamber. Now at the Ust-Srednekanskaya HPP the installation of the spiral chamber of the third power unit is just finishing, and I was able to see and photograph it. When the power unit is completed, a giant snail will be buried in the concrete.

To understand the size of the structure, pay attention to the workers installing the spiral chamber.

5. The impeller of the hydraulic unit always rotates at the same speed, providing a stable frequency of 50 hertz. It has always been a mystery to me how a stable rotation speed is maintained. It turned out simply by changing the flow of water. The computer-controlled paddles are constantly in motion, reducing and increasing the flow of water. The system’s task is to achieve an accurate rotation speed regardless of the force with which the generator shaft rotates (and it depends on the power generated).

6. The voltage supplied by the generator is regulated by changing the excitation voltage. This is a constant voltage that is supplied to the rotor electromagnet. In this case, the voltage generated by the stator winding depends on the strength of the magnetic field. In the photo, a multi-ton rotor is rotating above my head.

7. The hydroelectric power station generator produces a voltage of 15.75 kV. At the Ust-Srednekanskaya HPP, generators are installed with a rated power of 142.5 MW (142,500,000 W) and the current in the wires that remove the generated electricity from the generator can reach 6150 A. Therefore, these wires, or rather the tires, have a huge cross-section and are enclosed in pipes like these .

Any switching at such currents turns into a big problem. This is what a simple switch looks like. Of course, at a current of six thousand amperes and a voltage of fifteen thousand volts, it becomes quite difficult.

8. Step-up transformers are usually located on the street behind the turbine room of a hydroelectric power station (to transmit to consumers, the voltage received from the generators is most often increased to 220 kV).

9. Not only electricity at a frequency of 50 Hz is transmitted through power line wires, but also information signals at a high frequency. Using them, for example, you can accurately determine the location of an accident on a power line. Special high-frequency signal filters are installed at power plants and substations. You've probably seen such things, but you probably didn't know what they were for.

10. All high-voltage switching occurs in an environment of SF6 gas (sulfur fluoride, which has very low electrical conductivity), so the wires look like pipes and the electrics are more reminiscent of plumbing. :)

p.s. Thanks to the employees of the Ust-Srednekanskaya HPP Ilya Gorbunov and Vyacheslav Sladkevich (he is in the photo) for detailed answers to my many questions, as well as to the RusHydro company for the opportunity to see with my own eyes the construction and operation of such a grandiose structure.

2016, Alexey Nadezhin

The main topic of my blog is technology in human life. I write reviews, share my experiences, talk about all sorts of interesting things. I also make reports from interesting places and talk about interesting events.
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