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Volga Hydroelectric Station
1:20 PM
The Volga Hydroelectric Station or Volga GES (Russian: Волжская ГЭС) also known as the 22nd Congress of the CPSU Stalingrad/Volgograd Hydroelectric Power Station, is the largest hydroelectric station in Europe and is the last of the Volga-Kama Cascade of dams, before the Volga River flows into the Caspian Sea. Today, it is operated by the electricity company RusHydro.
Today the Volga Hydroelectric Station is the largest in Europe. Volgograd Hydroelectric Power Station consists of a 725-metre long, 44-metre high concrete dam that crosses the Volga river. Supporting it is a 3250-metre long landfilled dam with a maximum height of 47 metres. The Station also offers railway and road crossings of the Volga.
The present power rating of the station is 2,582.5 MW and annual energy output of 12.3 billion KW-hours. There are a total of 22 generators. 17 generators produce 115 MW each (four of which have recently received repairs and overhauls), three produce 125.5 MW each and two produce 120 MW. Three fishery paths drive additional 11 MW units each, but at present two are not functioning. Thus the initial output is slightly downrated.
The 4.9 kilometre dam forms the Volgograd reservoir. At present the station is managed by OAO Volzhskaya GES that is owned by OAO GidroOGK, a daughter company of the state organisation RAO AES Rossii.
The generators of the Volga Hydroelectric Station are connected to the power grid in a somewhat unusual way as the machine transformers of the generators serve also as inverter transformers of the static inverter plant of HVDC Volgograd-Donbass, which is situated on the dam. In opposite to other static inverter plants, it has no harmonic filters.
| Volga Hydroelectric Power Station | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Волжская ГЭС |
| Locale | Volga,  Russia |
| Coordinates | 48°49′34″N 44°40′19″E / 48.82611°N 44.67194°E |
| Construction began | 6 August 1950 |
| Opening date | 10 September 1961 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Length | 725 m (2,379 ft) |
| Height | 44 m (144 ft) |
| Impounds | Volga River |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Volgograd Reservoir |
| Capacity | 31.5 km3 (8 cu mi) |
| Surface area | 3,117 km2 (1,203 sq mi) |
| Power station | |
| Type | No |
| Turbines | 17 × 115.0 MW 03 × 125.5 MW 02 × 120.0 MW 03 × 011.0 MW |
| Installed capacity | 2,582.5 MW |
| Maximum capacity | 2,604.5 MW |
| Annual generation | 12,300 GWh |
