Upper Svir Hydroelectric Station (russian: Верхнесвирская ГЭС) is a
hydroelectric station
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 an ...
on the
Svir River
The Svir (, Veps: , Karelian/Finnish: ) is a river in Podporozhsky, Lodeynopolsky, and Volkhovsky districts in the north-east of Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It flows westwards from Lake Onega to Lake Ladoga, thus connecting the two largest ...
located in the town of
Podporozhye,
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, a ...
, in northwestern
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
. It was open on February 13, 1952 and has the total power of 160 MW. It is operated by the
TGC-1
TGC-1 (also referred as TGK-1; full name: Territorial generating company number 1; , ''Territorial’naya generiruyushchaya kompaniya No 1''; traded as ) is a regional power company operating in North-West Russia. The company has its headquarters ...
power company.
The power station contains four turbines, with the power of 40 MW each.
The water reservoir formed above the dam is known as
Ivinsky Razliv Reservoir. Svir is a part of the
Volga–Baltic Waterway
The Volga–Baltic Waterway (Volgobalt, Волгобалт), formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System (Russian: Мариинская водная система), is a series of canals and rivers in Russia which link the Volga with the Balti ...
, connecting the basins of the Volga and the Neva Rivers, with heavy cargo and cruise traffic. To accommodate the waterway, a lock was built to bypass the dam of the power station.
The construction of the station started in 1936. At the same time, the construction of the timber production plant in Podporozhye started. The construction areas were served by a dedicated railway line. The construction of the hydroelectric plant was not completed until 1941, when, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Podporozhye was occupied by Finnish troops until 1944. It was resumed after the war and completed in 1952. Since 1955, the Upper Svir Hydroelectric Station and the
Lower Svir Hydroelectric Station
Lower Svir Hydroelectric Station (russian: Нижнесвирская ГЭС) is a hydroelectric station on the Svir River located in the urban-type settlement of Svirstroy, Leningrad Oblast, in northwestern Russia. It was open on December 19 ...
, located in
Svirstroy, perform coordination and, in particular, jointly regulate the water level in the Svir.
References
External links
{{stack, {{Portal, Russia, Water, Renewable energy
Energy infrastructure completed in 1952
TGC-1
Hydroelectric power stations built in the Soviet Union
Hydroelectric power stations in Russia
Buildings and structures in Leningrad Oblast
Cultural heritage monuments of regional significance in Leningrad Oblast