The Chirkey hydroelectric power plant is located on the Sulak River in Dagestan. The largest hydroelectric power station in the North Caucasus, the highest arch dam in Russia. And perhaps one of the most beautiful.
The construction of the hydroelectric power station began in 1964 and ended in 1978. The most basic structure of the complex is, of course, the dam - a beautiful arch 232.5 m high and 338 m long along the crest. The thickness of the dam is from 6 (only SIX!) to 30 m But enough of the meager technical data, read it yourself on Wikipedia. Let's look at this marvel of engineering!
1. The total height of the structure is 232.5 m. In fact, the height of the arched part of the biconvex curvature is 185 meters. It stands on a wedge-shaped concrete plug 48 meters high. The thickness of the arch smoothly changes from 30 meters below to 6 meters above. 
2. The width of the Chirkey Gorge at the dam site is only 30 meters. The construction area is very complex in terms of geological conditions. Moreover, many problems got out only during construction. 
3. The narrowness of the gorge and the rejection of the underground machine room led to non-standard layout solutions for the entire hydroelectric complex. For example, four main transformers weighing more than 1000 tons are located on the roof of the machine room. In the photo on the left you see an administrative building, and on the right - two reinforced concrete pockets (pockets play the role of additional fire protection) for two transformers. 
4. For the first time in world practice, a two-row layout of hydraulic units with a two-tier arrangement of suction pipes was used. In the photo, the upper pool is on the left, and the lower pool is on the right. 
5. HPP capacity - 1000 MW, average annual output - 2.47 billion kWh. The HPP building has 4 radial-axial hydraulic units with a capacity of 250 MW each, operating at a design head of 170 m. 
6. Spiral chamber of one of the turbines. Compared to the Zeya hydroelectric power station, here the size of the chamber is very modest, but here the pressure is 170 meters (against 80). 
7. Due to the narrowness of the gorge, the water mark in the downstream can vary by 15 meters. Therefore, in fact, the engine room here is underwater. At the moment of the greatest discharge of water, only its roof with buildings remains visible. And lifebuoys appeared after the accident in the Sayans. Although the sense of them ... 
8. Water is supplied to the units through 4 turbine conduits with a diameter of 5.5 meters. Usually they are placed in the body of the dam, but here for the first time in the USSR they were taken out of the arch. This made it possible to relieve its stressed state, make the arch thinner and simplify the construction of the dam. But on the dam itself, I had to suffer with a water intake - this is a tower almost as high as a twenty-story building in a seismically dangerous place. On the picture gelio_nsk figachit bow chistoprudov a. 
9. The project of the station included a huge complex of underground workings. Three mines, various adits, culverts and motor transport tunnels. 
10. The banks of the gorge, in which the hydroelectric power station was built, were like brickwork, only these rocky bricks were not fastened with mortar. Therefore, they passed water like a sieve. If nothing is done with them, then it will not be possible to fill the reservoir - all the water will go away. Therefore, from both banks, cement adits were laid in five tiers for a length of 150-250 meters. And from them, wells 50 meters deep were drilled, into which the solution was pumped under high pressure. It filled all the voids in the rock and created an almost waterproof barrier. Everything was fine with the right bank, but the left one let us down. Pay attention to the photo. Below - a huge concrete patch, and in the slope - 6 tiers of orange spots. These are the consequences of a huge collapse of several tens of thousands of cubic meters. 
11. A huge piece fell off the rock, which formed a grotto. The upper part of the rock was still held by some miracle, but it could also slide down. Then the dam would at least have to be redesigned and it would not have been possible to make such an elegant arch. And in the worst case, the gate would be ruined. The grotto was quite easy to concrete, but what to do with the hanging rock? A very dangerous decision was made for the construction. In the depths of the left bank, in a healthy rock, 6 adits were passed on different tiers, located along the river. From them, transverse workings were passed, already to the shore. Their sinking was carried out just in this miraculously hanging rock. And the work required jewelry precision and accuracy, so as not to provoke a new collapse. In the longitudinal adits and on the shore, powerful reinforced concrete beams were concreted, which were then tightened with jacks. Thus, the left bank was fortified. 
12. General form to the engine room transformer substation and gorge. 
13. On May 14, 1970, the hydroelectric power station under construction was at the epicenter of a 9-point Dagestan earthquake. The HPP facilities were not damaged, but the construction of the HPP was suspended for some time. The fact is that the seismic wave of the greatest force worked not to separate, but to press the unstable array of the left bank against the rock. That's where he stayed. 
14. Cable cranes were installed for concreting the dam. Two overpasses are mounted on both banks, three trolleys move along each of them. Two cables are thrown from each cart to its pair on the other side, along which another cart rides. But from it the cable is already lowered down, to a depth of three hundred meters. The crane driver does not see the bottom of the gorge and receives all commands via radio from the operator. But it's still half the trouble. 
15. The main problem was in the design of the cable cranes themselves - it is flexible. Four hundred meters of cables were thrown across the gorge. And lowering the load down to a depth of three hundred meters, it was necessary to take into account not only the buildup from the wind of the entire structure, but also, the most difficult, the emptying of a 25-ton bucket of concrete. After all, in fact, such a crane is a stretched bow, where the bowstring is the same four-hundred-meter cables stretched under the weight of the load through the gorge. And after an instant dumping of 25 tons concrete mix into the next block of concreting, the entire structure shot into space. But machinists and operators have learned to compensate for this. 
16. Downstream and access tunnel portal. Its construction also caused many problems: the tunnellers stumbled upon a fault, which, due to the turn of the tunnel, now went along it. You can't change the tunnel's tracing - there's just nowhere to put the portal. I had to change the tunneling technology: first we went through a small advanced adit, then we worked out pieces of a large adit from it and immediately concreted the permanent lining. The speed of penetration has dropped many times. 
17. The switchgear (outdoor switchgear) is nestled on the right bank, and the entire area in front of the dam is shrouded in wires. 
18. I want to remind you that a dam is not a monolithic piece of concrete. It is built in "small" cubes. The length of the section along the dam is 15 meters. The depth of the block is taken equal to the thickness of the arch in this place. But the height is only 1.5 meters. This is due to the convenience of work, the amount of concrete produced by the plant and many other factors, including cooling. 
19. According to the project, in the body of the dam, after 1.5 meters, there are pipe coils through which river water circulated - the concrete heats up during solidification and must be cooled. In the photo you see one of the adits in the body of the dam. On the left are two cabinets - now there are pipes for cementing and various sensors, and earlier there were fittings for cooling. 
20. One of two vertical shafts with a depth of about 250 meters. One has an elevator and a cable channel installed, and this one is not used in any way. Previously, concrete was fed through it to various levels of cement adits. 
21. A hole in hell or a slide in Dagestan. :) This is a tunnel-type operational spillway. It consists of a tunnel section 510 meters long and 12.6 meters high, a 144-meter open flume and a 77-meter long end springboard with side discharge. The speed of water, or rather, the water-air mixture in the underground tunnel reaches 55 meters per second. This made the most severe demands on the quality and geometry of the concrete masonry in the tunnel. 
22. Climate of the alignment area Chirkeyskaya HPP- dry. In the entire history of operation of the Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power station (the first hydroelectric unit of the station was put into operation in 1974), water was discharged idly only three times. 
23. The height of the drawdown of the reservoir of the Chirkeyskaya HPP from October to April is 40 m. In the center of the dam there is a water intake device - the same tower 64 meters high and 20 m wide. 
24. Downstream in all its glory. On the right - an open flume and the beginning of the lateral discharge of the operational spillway. 
25. Outdoor switchgear. 
26. In order to appreciate the full scale and beauty of the dam, you need to climb the mountains nearby. There is a beautiful view from there. 
27. Breathtaking view from the top ridge. 
28. Unfortunately, the photo cannot convey that the thickness of the dam here is only SIX meters! 
29. But, believe me, it takes your breath away when you see a huge reservoir on one side, and a two-hundred-meter abyss on the other. 
If you are going to visit the “country of mountains” Dagestan, you should definitely stop by and look at the miracle of architectural and engineering thought, located in the Sulak Canyon. Chirkeyskaya HPP - the pearl of Dagestan, advertised by everyone travel agencies. However, keep in mind that this is a sensitive energy facility and you can visit it only as part of organized tourist groups. But it is worth going to the Chirgei hydroelectric power station if only to feel the extreme mountain roads and see the Sulak Canyon. A canyon that is deeper than the Grand Canyon of America and is not inferior to it with the beauty of the rock circus.
Symbiosis of technology and nature
Built in a narrow widening gorge, where the width at the river level is only 30 meters, the arch dam of the Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power station, 338 meters long and 232.5 meters high, rightfully takes 11th place in the TOP-25 of the highest dams in the world. The highest arch dam in Russia is equipped with 4 radial-axial units, designed for a water head of 170 m. The pressure structures form a reservoir with a capacity of almost 3 cubic kilometers and a water surface area of 42.2 square kilometers. The mineral composition of the bottom gives the water of the reservoir an amazing turquoise-azure hue.
Water regulation and energy value
The Chirkeyskaya HPP, whose photos are impressive in beauty and scale, is part of the Dagestan branch of JSC RusHydro. The highest station in the cascade of hydroelectric power plants on the Sulak River regulates loads in the peak part in the entire unified energy system of southern Russia with its maneuverability. It can become an "ambulance" in case of failure of blocks of thermal power plants, replacing the retired capacity in the country's energy system. The installed capacity of the Chirkeyskaya HPP of 10,000 MW makes it the most powerful in the North Caucasus. During its operation, the Chirkeyskaya HPP has generated more than 88 billion kilowatts of electricity.
The station has no restrictions in the modes of water discharge and flow rates in the downstream. Regulation of water flow in the river - the station increases the productivity of the underlying hydroelectric stations of the cascade and stably satisfies the water consumption needs of the adjacent territories.
Research work and the potential of the Sulak River were initially studied by the Moscow branch of the Glavgidrostroy of the USSR. It also developed in 1933 the first project of an arch-gravity concrete dam. In 1962, the designers of the Lengidroproekt Institute came to grips with the project. The design of the station is complemented by a two-row arrangement of units, unique at that time, and two-tier suction pipes, which makes the tunnel twice as long (730 meters).
The pride of the Soviet engineering potential, an innovative model of that time, today the Chirkeyskaya HPP is equipped with modern seismological equipment. The International Commission for the Control of Nuclear Tests and Strategic Arms in Austria praised this project, which was presented in 2013 Russian Academy Sciences as the most seismologically safe.
Construction of the Chirkey hydroelectric power station
Construction was carried out for 17 years, from 1963 to 1981. 1.5 million cubic meters of concrete were laid into the body of the dam at an accelerated pace. Union construction brought together builders of various nationalities.
The blocking of the Sulak River during construction was carried out according to the principle of the collapse of the rock mass. Here, for the first time, the method of contour explosion with a smooth spall was applied. Total charge weight explosives amounted to about 37 tons.
During construction, the station suffered several earthquakes. Due to an earthquake in 1970, work was even suspended for six months.
In 1981, the Chirkeyskaya HPP started operating at full capacity. Considering the seismological instability of the region, the station is equipped with modern system seismological control. The uniqueness of this dam is recognized by the world's leading power engineers.
Trout and sturgeons
Not a single guest of the hydroelectric power plant will miss a visit to a trout farm organized as a subsidiary farm.
This innovative solution not only provided additional jobs for local residents, but also has a purely environmental significance. Herbivorous fish removes silt and prevents the muddying of drainage facilities. The fry are also released into the reservoir, which also contributes to the stable operation of the station.
To think that it is enough just to put fish into reservoirs and then you only need to catch is a deep delusion. Industrial fish farming is a complex and time-consuming process.
Golden trout is bred here - a very capricious fish. As soon as the water warms up more than 19 degrees, the fish will stop eating and may be on the verge of death. In addition, trout is picky about food - they are brought from Moscow itself. On the territory of the Chirkeyskaya HPP, at a low altitude, the conditions for trout turned out to be optimal: the water is crystal clear and saturated with oxygen.
But not only trout teems in the five ponds of this farm. Here, such valuable fish species as the Siberian sturgeon, the hybrid form of bester and rainbow trout are bred.
The first experience of organizing a trout farm in the northern part of Dagestan turned out to be successful. The company plans to expand production volumes. Here is such a not only beautiful, but also enterprising Chirkey hydroelectric power station.
Oaks and Dubkintsy
The settlement of Dubki was historically created in the 60s of the last century as a satellite of hydroelectric power plants - Chirkeyskaya and Miatlinskaya. Social infrastructure - three kindergartens, two cinemas, a secondary school, a palace of culture, a hospital complex, an indoor swimming pool - has been built for an estimated population of 10,000 people. To ensure employment of the population by the end construction works at the hydroelectric power station in Dubki, a branch of the Eltava electronic goods factory and a clothing factory were put into operation.
Today, Dubkin residents, and there are 5.5 thousand of them, are an active part of the electorate of Kazbekovsky district. This is a cheerful and multinational family, defending their rights to a decent life. The village administration supports the development of culture and sports, effectively implements the principles of self-government in economic activity on the territory of the village.
There are whole dynasties of hydrobuilders in the village. Parents built, children finished building, and grandchildren work at the most beautiful hydroelectric power station in Russia.
Summing up
The Chirkey hydroelectric power station in Dagestan is striking in scope and grandeur. Neighborhood of unimaginably beautiful rocky landscapes, a symbol of the strength of the human spirit and the breadth of intellectual capabilities, makes us think about the place of man in the system of the organic world on the planet. If we are able to create such a structure, subordinating the grandeur of multi-ton rocks to our will, are we really not able to preserve this magnificence for our descendants?
The Chirkey hydroelectric power plant is located on the Sulak River in the Republic of Dagestan. This is the largest hydroelectric power station in the North Caucasus and the highest arch dam in Russia. It was built in a narrow Chirkey gorge with a depth of more than 200 m, a width of 12-15 m in the lower part, and 300 m in the upper part. It is part of the Sulak HPP cascade. The installed capacity of the HPP is 1000 MW. Average annual output 2.47 billion kWh.
The Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power station was built in a seismically active area, in difficult geological conditions. Concrete laying and installation work were carried out using three cable cranes with a lifting capacity of 25 tons and a span of 550 m.
General form. 
Construction began in 1964. The blocking of the river Sulak was carried out by the collapse of the rock mass by explosion. As a result of the explosion, more than 65 thousand m3 of rock was brought down. The total weight of the charge was 37t. 
In 1974 the first hydraulic unit was put into operation. The last fourth unit was put into operation in 1976. At the construction of a hydroelectric power station, cable cranes were used for the first time to lay concrete in the body of the dam. 
The dam has maximum height 232.5 m, length along the crest axis 338 m. 
The arch of biconvex curvature of a symmetrical outline is elastically embedded along the contour into the base. The thickness of the arch dam varies from 6 m at the crest to 30 m at the contact with the plug. Chirkeyskaya HPP is the largest of the three hydroelectric power plants with arch dams available in Russia. 
The Chirkeyskaya HPP, given its maneuverability, has become the main regulating station in the Unified Energy System of the South of Russia. 
Open switchgear (OSG) with a voltage of 330 kV. 
Herds of sheep are driven along the crest of the dam to summer pastures. The reservoir of the Chirkeyskaya HPP of long-term regulation has a length of 40 km, and a maximum width of 5 km. 
4 metal pressure turbine conduits with a diameter of 5.5 m originate from the water intake openings of the ChHPP dam. The reinforced concrete shell of the conduits has a thickness of 1.5 m. 
The building of the hydroelectric power station is located directly at the downstream face of the dam plug. 
Transformers and generator voltage switchgears are located on the floor of the machine room. 
The original technical solution, which has no analogues in the practice of hydraulic construction, is the two-row arrangement of hydraulic units and suction pipes. This was done so that the building of the hydroelectric power station would minimally crash into the steep sides of the gorge. 
There are 2 parallel machine rooms in the HPP building, while the machine rooms are combined in such a way that during installation it is possible to use a common assembly site. The transfer of the generator rotor weighing about 560 tons is carried out by two cranes with a lifting capacity of 320 tons, connected by a common traverse. 
4 radial-axial hydraulic units with a capacity of 250 MW each, operating at a design head of 170 m. The manufacturer of the HPP generators is Uralelektrotyazhmash 
During the press tour, a scheduled overhaul of the 4th hydroelectric unit was carried out, and thanks to this, we managed to get into the drained spiral chamber of the hydroturbine. The spiral chamber provides a uniform flow of water around the entire perimeter of the guide vane, i.e., the axisymmetric mode of operation of all guide vanes. The water passing here has a pressure of 17 atmospheres. 
Chirkeyskaya HPP is a hydroelectric power station on the Sulak River near the village of Dubki in the Buynaksky district of Dagestan. It impresses with its scope and grandeur. The largest hydroelectric power station in the North Caucasus, has the 2nd highest dam in Russia and the highest arch dam in the country. The majestic construction of a hydroelectric power station in the middle of multi-ton rocks is the pride of Russian builders. The reservoir is a multi-year one, a unique object of human engineering and beautiful natural landscapes.
Features of the Chirkeyskaya HPP
"Pearl of Dagestan" 11th position in the ranking 25 most beautiful and highest dams in the world. Part of the Dagestan PJSC branch RusHydro.
- Construction conditions are very difficult. This is due to the mountainous terrain. The station was built in the narrow Chirkey Gorge, 200 meters deep, 15 meters wide at the bottom and 300 meters at the top.
- There are many unstable rock blocks on the steep sides of the gorge.
- The station was built in a seismically active area, in difficult geological conditions. Seismicity of the construction area is 9 points.
- Concrete laying and installation work were carried out using three cable cranes with a lifting capacity of 25 tons and span 550 m.
- The blocking of the Sulak riverbed was carried out by collapse of the rock mass by explosion.
- The dam has a double curvature, it is curved not only horizontally, but also vertically.
- The flow of the river is formed due to the melting of snow and glaciers, rainfall. In an arid climate and prolonged floods, the water level can vary by up to 40 m. This requires special operation of the station.
The structure of the hydroelectric power plant
HPP includes:
- Arched dam.
- The dam building of the hydroelectric power station.
- Spillway.
- Dam.
An arched concrete dam 232 m high and 338 m long is curved in an arc towards the river flow. It consists of an arched part, a wedge-shaped plug 48 m high, 40 m wide and 88 m long at the base. It takes your breath away when you see this elegant arch, sandwiched in the narrow gorge of the Sulak River.
The design allows you to withstand the huge pressure of the water mass. Thanks to double curvature arch structure the dam is quite thin - 6 meters at the crest and 30 at the base.
In the concrete body of the dam, 9 tunnels were laid, in which sensors for recording activity inside the earth's crust are installed. They monitor the condition of the building.
The international commission headquartered in Austria in 2013 gave the highest rating to the project of the station as seismic safe.
HPP building
The building of the hydroelectric power station of the dam type is 60 m long and 43.8 m wide. Feature - two-row arrangement of hydraulic units with two-tier arrangement of suction pipes. This made it possible to halve the length of the building and minimize the cut into the rocky sides of the gorge.
The HPP building has two parallel machine rooms with two units each. They are served by two gantry cranes. A road leads to the engine room through an 800-meter tunnel on the right bank. Cattle are driven along the crest of the dam to the summer pasture.
HPP reservoir
In front of the hydroelectric dam, there is the largest artificial reservoir in Dagestan - the Chirkey reservoir with an area of 42 square kilometers.
Reservoir years of regulation, its capacity allows you to accumulate water in high-water years and spend it in low-water years. In winter, the flow of water is minimal, and the hydroelectric power plant works on reserves, triggering the reservoir.
Water from the mountains carries a lot of impurities that settle to the bottom of the reservoir. The composition of the bottom soil gives its waters an unimaginably beautiful azure-turquoise color. The water is used to supply the cities of Makhachkala and Kaspiysk.
The history of the construction of the Chirkey hydroelectric power station
The station in the mountains was built by the whole world for 17 years (1963 -1980) at an accelerated pace with the involvement of workers from all over the USSR. Large-scale survey work at the site of the Chirkeyskaya HPP began in 1956, and the technical design of the station was approved only on December 14, 1967.
Stages and difficulties
June 13, 1963 was created building management for the construction of a hydroelectric power station. Has begun preparatory stage from road construction to construction site stations and power lines. At the same time, the construction of a permanent settlement of hydro-builders Dubki began.
October 29, 1967 blocked the river Sulak using an innovative method of blasting along the contour with a smooth spall of the rock. A directed explosion with a total charge weight of 37 tons brought down more than 65 thousand cubic meters of rock.
Hydroelectric power station under construction almost destroyed the strongest earthquake in 1970. Powerful shocks with a force of 9 points completely destroyed 22 settlements. The rock, to which the edge of the dam was attached, moved from its place. Hydraulic builders simply "sewn" it with steel cables to the stone slope.
A large collapse of the left-bank slope filled up the foundation pit of the HPP building. To eliminate the consequences of the earthquake, construction was stopped for six months.
Difficulties and successes in construction
The dam was built in a narrow gorge. This imposed its own characteristics when laying concrete. It was fed into the body of the dam from above with the help of three cable cranes using cylindrical radio-controlled huge containers of 8 cubic meters.
Concrete from factories was delivered by specially equipped dump trucks. It is characteristic that only all concrete work at the construction site was mechanized. This led to the rapid construction of the dam.
December 22, 1974 is considered the birthday of the Chirkeyskaya HPP, when the first hydroelectric unit was launched. During 1975, the 2nd and 3rd were launched, the last - the fourth - hydroelectric unit was put into operation on June 30, 1976.
Official construction of the Chirkey hydroelectric power station completed February 9, 1981 year with the signing of the act of acceptance of the hydroelectric complex for commercial operation. The cost of construction is 283 million rubles in 1970 prices.
Satellite village of Dubki
The Dubki settlement was created for builders who arrived from all the republics of the former Soviet Union. The population is 10 thousand people. To date, the entire infrastructure has been preserved in it, a branch of the plant for the manufacture of electronic goods, a clothing factory are operating.
Chirkeyskaya HPP strikes the imagination every time you find yourself on it. It is exactly what "takes your breath away" when you see this graceful arch, more than 200 meters high, sandwiched in the narrow gorge of the Sulak River in Dagestan.
I have already visited this station and, to be honest, I did not plan to make a new one, but on one of the trips I again found myself at the Chirkeyskaya HPP and even managed to go where I had not been before. And learn something new. Thanks to friends from RusHydro!
1. Majestic view of the Chirkey reservoir.
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2. One of the features of the station is that the water level can vary widely - by about 40 meters.
3. Insidious and almost quicksand. We almost left one car at the bottom.
4. A feature of mountain hydroelectric power stations is that in winter the water flow is minimal and the station operates on accumulated reserves, triggering a reservoir. From the end of March, the flood begins, which ends only by August. The flow of the river is formed due to the melting of snow and glaciers, as well as rainfall, and the peak occurs in May-June.
5. You can see how far the water has gone, exposing the bottom of the reservoir. By the way, the Sulak River carries a large amount of sediment - 21.4 million tons per year.
6. First we went to the village of Dubki, which used to be a village of hydroelectric power plant builders. Now it is a very poor village. Our guide first offered to go see the canyon, which is visible from the village. We were skeptical about this, well, what the hell can be a canyon in the village?! But it was impolite to refuse.
7. "Fuck your mother!" - the only thing that escaped us in chorus when, after passing through garages and a landfill, we went out to the canyon. With a friendly click, the jaws dropped to a depth of a kilometer or so. The view was mesmerizing, to say the least.
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8. This is one of the deepest canyons in the world. Its length is 53 kilometers, the depth reaches up to 1920 meters. It is 120 meters deeper than the famous Grand Canyon. In depth it is second only to the Kotausi canyon. And to see it, it is enough to get to the village of Dubki in Dagestan. And there nearby, pass only by garages and dumps.
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9. An unusual view even opens up, which is the counter-regulator of the Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power station, smoothing out fluctuations in the level of the river. Sulak, arising from the uneven operation of the hydroelectric power station.
10. Having found our jaws at the bottom of the canyon, we went to another observation point, to the benchmark. There is a fantastic view of the dam.
11. Insanely beautiful view.
12. The concrete arch dam has a crest length of 338 m and a maximum height of 232.5 m - this is the second highest dam in Russia (after the dam of the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP, which has not a purely arch, but an arch-gravity structure).
13. The dam consists of an arched part, a wedge-shaped plug and a right-bank abutment. The arched part of the dam is of double curvature, symmetrical shape, 184.5 m high, the thickness varies from 6 m at the crest to 30 m at the contact with the plug.
14. The base of the dam is a cork 48 m high, 40 m wide and 88 m long along the base, in the lower part of which there is a longitudinal cavity of an elliptical shape 21 m long and 21 m span.
15. The presence of this cavity intrigued me. It is marked on the cross section of the dam, it remains to be understood whether it is possible to get there?
16. These two panoramas were processed at different times, so they are different. But both are good in their own way. Yes, the color of the water there really is! Water from the mountains carries a lot of impurities that settle to the bottom of the reservoir. And in the downstream we can see the water of the most delicate turquoise color.
17. Using a tripod and fish eye trying to take a view inside the arch.
18. Well, something like this. It can be seen here that, indeed, the dam has a double curvature.
19. Or here's a panorama from Dima.
20. On the right bank there is an outdoor switchgear.
21. During construction on the left bank, a huge rock fall occurred, which jeopardized the construction of the station in general in this alignment. We coped by pulling the mountain with steel ropes from the inside. - from point 10.
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22. Portal of the road tunnel. You have to drive along it to go down to the lower pool.
23. We are discussing the filming plan. Since the water level in the reservoir has dropped almost to the minimum level and is below the spillway threshold, there cannot be water in it. Therefore, it can be entered.
24. We go there. The photo shows an open spillway ending with a springboard with a side drain - an extinguisher; The open part of the spillway has a total length of 221 m.
25. An artificial wall 200 meters high. The height of the entire dam, as I already wrote, is 232.5 meters, but it is not all in the photo. Even considering the traffic jam height of almost 50 meters, there will be 180 meters here.
26. Open tray and people for scale.
27. Slightly inclined part of the spillway 350 m long and 12.6 meters high. If you look closely, you can find the person in the photo.
28. An inclined section of a horseshoe-shaped tunnel 158 m long, 9.2 m wide at the bottom and 12.6 m high.
29. The speed of water, or rather, the water-air mixture in an underground tunnel reaches 55 meters per second.
30. The entire sloping section. Above you can see a piece of the shutter.
31. Portal of the tunnel through which the river was passed during the construction period. It can be seen due to the low water level in the downstream.
32. For the first time in my life I made a vertical panorama. Break your brain :)
33. They entered the engine room, but quickly. Last time everyone was filmed here and they even climbed into the spiral chamber. Let me remind you that due to the narrowness of the gorge, for the first time in the world, a two-row layout of hydraulic units was used here. Those. 4 GAs are arranged in pairs in two rows.
34. Turbine shaft.
35. A very familiar phone. Previously, I saw these at the metro construction and they were called shaft phones.
36. Due to the low water level, we managed to see this structure, which is usually hidden from view.
37. On the spot, there was an assumption that this was a temporary spillway, when one hydroelectric unit was put into operation at a lower water level.
38. View of the dam from the side of the reservoir.
39. Naturally, it was impossible to miss the opportunity not to go down to the bottom of the reservoir and see that strange structure.
40. Beautiful metal texture.
41. Dima Chistoprudov chistoprudov
.
42. We even found a boat! Dima makes a 360-degree panorama.
43. We swam to the dam. Fantastic water color!
44. Dimon on oars. Behind the scenes there was a cat that went on a boat trip with us. But there will be a separate report about it :)
45. The head of the current spillway. As you can see, the water is very far from it.
46. Some adit from the time of construction.
47. Devil's point or spillway head. Now the top view.
48. There was a task to shoot a panorama right in the devil's glasses. But how is it safe to get there? As a result, Dima with a caving harness climbs the mail inside, and I insure him from the shutter.
49. View from the head of the spillway to the old spillway and the dam.
50. And here is a drawing showing a temporary and permanent spillway.
51. Naturally, filmed at night.
52. What can you do, for the sake of a frame and a friend. Elements of barbed wire and clothing remained intact.
53. Beautiful view.
54. Niva - one of two expedition vehicles.
55. Actually, we came to the dam to shoot it.
56. And the second car - Blazer - in the car tunnel.
Many thanks to the press service of RusHydro and the Dagestan branch for their hospitality!