Riga's Hydroelectric Power Plant ( lv, Rīgas hidroelektrostacija, shortened Rīgas HES) is located just beyond Riga's southern border. It is geographically located in the town of

Salaspils Salaspils (; german: Kircholm; sv, Kirkholm) is a town in Latvia, the administrative centre of Salaspils Municipality. The town is situated on the northern bank of the Daugava river, 18 kilometers to the south-east of the city of Riga. His ...

. Total installed power generating capacity is 402 MW. There are six generators, two transformers and two 330 kV power lines (to Salaspils and Bišuciems).

History

The Riga Hydroelectric Power Plant was put into operation in 1974. In order to build Riga HES, a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

was constructed across the

Daugava , be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna , image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png , image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava , source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia , mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic ...

River through the middle of Doles Sala, half of which has since been flooded to make room for Riga

Reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

. Along with Doles Sala, there have been several other smaller

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

s drowned in order to fill the reservoir. The

was built in the late 1970s. Aside from its main purpose of keeping the reservoir contained, its top is used as a motor vehicle

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-acces ...

. A

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

was also constructed on the dam, but it was utilized only during construction of the powerplant and was demolished at the beginning of the 21st century. This is because there are no existing railroads on the Daugava's left bank. This railroad began at Salaspils railway station, and ended at approximately the middle of Doles sala.

Description

There is a powerline pylon in the middle of reservoir, it carries two 330 kV lines (from

Jelgava Jelgava (; german: Mitau, ; see also other names) is a state city in central Latvia about southwest of Riga with 55,972 inhabitants (2019). It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united Du ...

and from Salaspils to Rīgas HES), shore to shore distance there is approximately . Rigas HES is an important part of Riga's development. It is the primary source of electricity in Riga, while Riga reservoir is a source of

tap water Tap water (also known as faucet water, running water, or municipal water) is water supplied through a tap, a water dispenser valve. In many countries, tap water usually has the quality of drinking water. Tap water is commonly used for drinking, ...

for the majority of Riga residents. In addition, the power plant is used as a compensation plant for TEC2 thermal power plant to regulate voltage in electrical networks and to compensate the power deficiencies. The power plant is operated by Latvenergo.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rigas HES Hydroelectric power stations built in the Soviet Union Hydroelectric power stations in Latvia Dams in Latvia Dams completed in 1974

History

Description

See also

References

External links