The Mingachevir Dam (Mingachevir Hydro Power Station) is an earth-fill
embankment dam
An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface and ...
on the
Kura River just north of
Mingachevir
Mingachevir ( az, Mingəçevir ) is the fourth-largest city in Azerbaijan with a population of about 106,000. It's often called the "city of lights" because of its hydroelectric power station on the Kur River, which divides the city down the mid ...
in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
. It serves several purposes to include
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
power production and water storage for
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...
. The
Mingachevir reservoir
The Mingachevir reservoir ( az, Mingəçevir su anbarı) or The Mingachevir sea ( az, Mingəçevir dənizi),) is a large reservoir in northwestern Azerbaijan. It is the largest reservoir in the Caucasus. The reservoir's filling began in 1953 and w ...
, behind the dam, supplies water to the Upper Qarabag and Upper Sirvan Channels which help irrigate about of farmland in the country. Its six
Francis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency.
The proces ...
-generators were overhauled or replaced with sets in 2000. Mingachevir reservoir has a storage capacity of , covering . The length of the dam is , its width is and height is . It is the largest hydroelectric power station in the South Caucasus, is located over Kur river and not far from
Mingachevir
Mingachevir ( az, Mingəçevir ) is the fourth-largest city in Azerbaijan with a population of about 106,000. It's often called the "city of lights" because of its hydroelectric power station on the Kur River, which divides the city down the mid ...
city.
History
The construction of the station started in 1945, the first hydro aggregate was put into operation in 1953. The main turbines were originally from
Fengman Hydropower Station in
Northeast China
Northeast China or Northeastern China () is a geographical region of China, which is often referred to as "Manchuria" or "Inner Manchuria" by surrounding countries and the West. It usually corresponds specifically to the three provinces east of t ...
, acquired by the Red Army during the
invasion of Manchuria in 1945. In 1954, the station was put into operation with full capacity.
President Aliyev participated in the ceremony of commissioning of Mingachevir hydroelectric power station after reconstruction on February 27, 2018. All hydro generators and hydro turbines of the station were replaced with new ones within the framework of the reconstruction. As a result, the production capacity of the power station was increased from 284 MW to 424 MW.
A large number of people came from different regions of Azerbaijan due to the installation of Mingachevir hydroelectric power station. In total 20,000 people took part in the construction of the power station. Approximately 10,000 German prisoners of the military were involved in the installation towards the end of the 1940s.
Technical parameters
The capacity of the Mingachevir HPP is 359 MW which has 6 hydroaggregates. Average annual electric power production is 1.4 billion kWh.
Water intersection includes concrete dam consisting of 3 holes (width of 30 m with an open channel), water intake facility to pressured water pipes consisting of 6 holes (length of 66 m), dam of land (Length 1550 m, height 80 m), device with 1 hole that intakes water to Upper Garabagh and Upper Shirvan canal.
See also
*
List of power stations in Azerbaijan
The following page lists all power stations in Azerbaijan.
Renewable energy
Hydroelectric power stations in Azerbaijan
Photovoltaic power stations
Non-renewable energy
Thermal power stations
See also
* Energy law
* List ...
*
Mingachevir reservoir
The Mingachevir reservoir ( az, Mingəçevir su anbarı) or The Mingachevir sea ( az, Mingəçevir dənizi),) is a large reservoir in northwestern Azerbaijan. It is the largest reservoir in the Caucasus. The reservoir's filling began in 1953 and w ...
References
External links
Dams completed in 1953
Mingachevir
Earth-filled dams
Dams in Azerbaijan
Hydroelectric power stations built in the Soviet Union
1953 establishments in the Soviet Union
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