The Krasnoyarsk Dam is a high

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

gravity dam located on the

Yenisey River The Yenisey (russian: Енисе́й, ''Yeniséy''; mn, Горлог мөрөн, ''Gorlog mörön''; Buryat: Горлог мүрэн, ''Gorlog müren''; Tuvan: Улуг-Хем, ''Uluğ-Hem''; Khakas: Ким суғ, ''Kim suğ''; Ket: Ӄук, ...

about upstream from

Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk ( ; rus, Красноя́рск, a=Ru-Красноярск2.ogg, p=krəsnɐˈjarsk) (in semantic translation - Red Ravine City) is the largest city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yeni ...

Divnogorsk Divnogorsk ( rus, Дивногорск, p=dʲɪvnɐˈɡorsk) is a town in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River, southeast of Krasnoyarsk, the administrative center of the krai. Population: History Paleolithic remains, which w ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. 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 Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...

plants are controlled by the RUSAL company. Banknote 10 rubles 2004 back

Beginning with the opening of the 10th turbine in April 1971, the powerhouse was the world's single largest

power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an el ...

until the

Grand Coulee Dam Grand Coulee Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation water. Constructed between 1933 and 1942, Grand Coulee originally had two powerh ...

Washington state Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

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 Krasnoyarsk Reservoir, known also as the Krasnoyarsk Sea, is an artificial lake which was created by the construction of the Krasnoyarsk Dam. It is one of the largest artificial reservoirs in the world. In Russia, it now ranks second (after the B ...

was created. This reservoir, informally known as the Krasnoyarsk Sea, has an area of and a volume of . It is in length and in width at its widest, has an average depth of , and a depth of near the dam. The Krasnoyarsk Dam significantly influences the local climate; normally the river would freeze over in the bitterly cold Siberian

winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultur ...

, but because the dam releases unfrozen water year-round, the river never freezes in the to 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.

Ship lift

The dam is equipped with a

canal inclined plane An inclined plane is a type of cable railway used on some canals for raising boats between different water levels. Boats may be conveyed afloat, in caissons, or may be carried in cradles or slings. History Inclined planes have evolved over the ...

to allow passage of ships. It is in fact an electric

rack railway A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with th ...

. The track gauge is , 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.

References

External links

Yenisey River Steam Navigation
- photo gallery showing ship elevator
Single Russian shiplift/Единственный в России судоподъемник
- Video of the ship elevator in operation Hydroelectric power stations built in the Soviet Union Hydroelectric power stations in Russia Buildings and structures in Krasnoyarsk Krai Dams completed in 1972 Dams on the Yenisei River Broad gauge railways by size {{Russia-powerstation-stub

Ship lift

See also

References

External links