Spot the Hydropower Plant spillway

🗺 The majestic Siberian river runs all the way through Russia, winding its way between towering cliffs and hugging numerous islands. Camels live in the upper reaches of the Yenisei, polar bears live in its lower reaches, and its swift current is five times faster than that of the Volga.

⚡️ Man has learned to use the power of the Yenisei for his own benefit, and it is not only a source of fresh water or transportation arteries. The Yenisei hydropower cascade, which includes the Sayano-Shushenskaya, Mainskaya and Krasnoyarskaya hydropower plants, supplies “green” energy to half of Siberia.

🏗 The Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP, located in Khakassia, is considered the most powerful in Russia. The arched-gravity construction of the dam is twice as high as the Cheops pyramid. It took 20 million tons of concrete to build such a giant structure: enough to build a road from Moscow to Vladivostok!

😮 Even the calm waters of the Yenisei River impress with their majesty. Rent a boat to see the dam from all sides and then give yourself a few hours or even days of well-deserved relaxation by mooring at one of the many pontoon tourist bases.

How to spot a hydroelectric spillway?

☔️ It happens that because of heavy rains or melting snow, too much water accumulates in the reservoir above the hydropower plant. In such cases it must be released.

💧 Russia’s most powerful hydroelectric power plant, Sayano-Shushenskaya, has two spillways: the onshore one on the side and the station one in the dam body. It’s very rare to see both of them working, it doesn’t happen every year. But even the operation of one spillway is an impressive sight, which attracts locals and guests of the region like a magnet! Usually, you can find out in advance about the release of water into the tailrace basin from Khakassia news sources or on RusHydro’s website.

🤓 If the spillway is not expected, don’t get upset! Recently Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP became available for fans of industrial tourism. To see how the hydroelectric power plant operates from the inside, you can join an organized tour group. You must book a tour no later than two weeks before the desired date.