Kolyma Hydroelectric Station is located on the Kolyma River in the village of Sinegorye, Yagodninsky District, Magadan Oblast Russia. It has an installed power generation capacity of 900 MW. Kolyma HPP is the basis of the energy system of Magadan Oblast; it produces about 95% of the electricity in the region. It is the upper stage of the Kolyma cascade. The lower one (Ust-Srednekan Hydroelectric Plant), with an installed capacity of 570 MW, was completed in 2024.

Construction began in 1974 and the first generator was commissioned in 1982, the last in 1994. The facility was placed into permanent operation in 2007. Construction of the Kolyma HPP was carried out in the harsh climatic conditions in the zone of permafrost. At , it is the highest earth filled dam in Russia. It is also the most powerful hydroelectric plant in the country with an underground power station.

+ Electricity generation of the Kolyma Hydroelectric Station since 2007, million kWh Year 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 million kWh 2016 2012 1943 1973 2033 2030 1924 1558 Year 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 million kWh 1672 1663 1748 1933 2022 1942 2134 2188

Structural design

Kolyma Hydroelectric Station is a high-head dam-type power plant. Its main structures include a rock-fill dam, an underground powerhouse with water supply system, a floodgate, and a production and technology complex with an indoor switchgear. The station features an extensive system of permanent and temporary underground facilities, with a total length of 7.2 km and a rock excavation volume of 425,000 m³. The plant has a nameplate capacity of 900 MW, a guaranteed capacity of 224 MW, and a projected average annual electricity output of 3.325 billion kWh.

Economic significance

The Kolyma Hydroelectric Station launch allowed the Arkagalinskaya Thermal Power Plant to be placed on standby and significantly reduced coal consumption at the Magadan Thermal Power Plant, which is shut down outside the heating season and replaced by an electric boiler. Several settlements in the Magadan Region have also transitioned to electric heating.

The reduction in coal use helps prevent the burning of approximately 1 million tons of coal annually. During the construction of the Kolyma Hydroelectric Station, the settlements of Sinegorye and Uptar were also built, along with power transmission lines and reconstructed transport infrastructure.

See also Kolyma Reservoir Taskan

References

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