Riga Hydroelectric Power Plant (, shortened Rīgas HES) is located just beyond

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

's southern border. It is geographically located in the town of

Salaspils Salaspils (; ; ) (literally: "island castle") is a town in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is the administrative centre of Salaspils Municipality. The town is situated on the northern bank of the Daugava river, 18 kilometers to the south-east ...

. 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, aqua ...

was constructed across the

Daugava The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...

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

Reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

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

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

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 includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...

. A

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

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 () is a state city in central Latvia. It is located about southwest of Riga. It is the largest town in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the ad ...

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 running water, piped water or municipal water) is water supplied through a Tap (valve), tap, a water dispenser valve. In many countries, tap water usually has the quality of drinking water. Tap water is commonly used f ...

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