Krasnoyarsk Dam

It was constructed from 1956 to 1972, and it supplies about 6,000 MW of electricity, mostly used to supply the KrAZ (Krasnoyarsky Aluminievyy Zavod, the Krasnoyarsk Aluminum Plant). Both power and aluminum plants are controlled by the RUSAL company.

Krasnoyarsk Dam
The dam with one of its spillways open.
Location of Krasnoyarsk Dam in Krasnoyarsk Krai Show map of Krasnoyarsk Krai Krasnoyarsk Dam (Russia) Show map of Russia
Location	Divnogorsk, Russia
Coordinates	55°56′05″N 92°17′37″E / 55.93472°N 92.29361°E / 55.93472; 92.29361
Construction began	1956
Opening date	1972
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Gravity dam
Impounds	Yenisey River
Height	124 m (407 ft)
Length	1,065 m (3,494 ft)
Reservoir
Creates	Krasnoyarsk Reservoir
Total capacity	73.3 km3 (17.6 cu mi)
Surface area	2,000 km2 (772 sq mi)
Power Station
Installed capacity	6,000 MW

Beginning with the opening of the 10th turbine in April 1971, the powerhouse was the world's single largest power plant until the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state reached 6,181 MW in 1983. The Krasnoyarsk Dam is held to be a landmark symbol of Krasnoyarsk, and it is depicted on the 10-ruble banknote.

As a result of the damming, the Krasnoyarsk Reservoir was created. This reservoir, informally known as the Krasnoyarsk Sea, has an area of 2,000 square kilometres (770 sq mi) and a volume of 73.3 cubic kilometres (18 cu mi). It is 388 km (241 mi) in length and 15 km (9 mi) in width at its widest, has an average depth of 36.6 m (120.1 ft), and a depth of 105 m (344 ft) near the dam.

The Krasnoyarsk Dam significantly influences the local climate; normally the river would freeze over in the bitterly cold Siberian winter, but because the dam releases unfrozen water year-round, the river never freezes in the 200 kilometres (120 mi) to 300 kilometres (190 mi) stretch of river immediately downstream from the dam. In winter, the frigid air interacts with the warm river water to produce fog, which shrouds Krasnoyarsk and other downstream areas.

 

The dam is equipped with a canal inclined plane to allow passage of ships. It is in fact an electric rack railway. The track gauge is 9,000 mm (29 ft 6+5⁄16 in), making it the widest-gauge railway of any type in the world. At the time of its construction, this feat of modern engineering allowed for ships to be physically moved in only 90 minutes.

• List of power stations in Russia