“Stopped for a long time”: hydraulic engineer Tetelmin spoke about the significance of the disabled Dnieper hydroelectric station

In response to the shelling of Belgorod and other peaceful Russian cities, the Russian Armed Forces launched missile attacks on Ukrainian energy system facilities. As Igor Sirota, director of Ukrhydroenergo, said on the air of the Ukrainian telethon, the largest DneproHPP, located in Zaporozhye, stopped working due to damage and fire. Vladimir Tetelmin, a hydraulic engineer, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor of the RUDN University, told MK about the role that the hydroelectric power station played in the energy system of Ukraine.

The Dnieper hydroelectric power station is the most powerful of the six hydroelectric power stations built on the Dnieper.

“The Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station provided about 10% of the daily distribution of electricity in Ukraine,” says Vladimir Tetelmin. — It has been working for a long time, the first hydraulic units were launched back in 1932 according to the GOELRO plan. The whole country built the hydroelectric power station. Much of the equipment had to be purchased abroad. They say we paid in gold. To build the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station, it was necessary to sell paintings from the museum. The hydroelectric power station has become our pride.

As the expert says, until the mid-50s of the last century, the Dnieper hydroelectric power station was the largest in Europe. Its capacity is 1569 MW.

— The generated electricity went mainly to industrial enterprises in Zaporozhye, Krivoy Rog, Dnepropetrovsk, many of which worked for the defense industry.

Dneproges has two stations: GES-1 and GES-2

“They have the same pressure, one concrete dam 64 meters high. Initially, HPP-1 was launched on the right bank of the Dnieper. And then an additional hydroelectric power station-2 was built on the left bank, because there was enough water. There is a building with a machine room already of the dam type. The first six hydraulic units were put into operation in 1974 and 1975, the last two in 1980. HPP-2 began to generate additional electricity.

The expert draws attention to the fact that the DneproGES served as a “peak regulator.”

— In the morning and evening, when consumers turn on all energy-consuming appliances, there is an increased consumption of electricity, a peak load. Power is needed to maneuver energy. Nuclear power plants, which now provide the majority of generation, cannot quickly ramp up and ramp down electricity production. Only hydroelectric power plants can do this. I turned on the turbine – it began to spin and generate electricity. The hydrogenerator also started working. The peak demand has ended – the turbine has been turned off, it is standing again, waiting for demand. In this regard, hydroelectric power stations are indispensable. They have very high maneuverability.

The head of Ukrhydroenergo, Sirota, said that on March 22, the installations of HPP-1 and HPP-2 at the Dnieper HPP were directly hit by missiles and a fire started. According to him, HPP-2 was seriously damaged, its support was destroyed and crane beams were broken.

“Most likely, the turbine room, hydraulic units, as well as transformer substations and power lines that supplied electricity essentially throughout Ukraine were destroyed. The cranes used to maneuver the water seals also apparently suffered damage. They walk around, when it is necessary to release the water, they raise the shutter. When it is necessary to shut off the water, the shutter is lowered. The hydraulic seal weighs tens of tons, so special gantry cranes are used.

The dam itself is intact.

“Our goal was not to destroy her.” It was Ukraine that purposefully hit the dam and gates of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station to cause a devastating flood. Apparently, the work of the DneproGES has been stopped for a long time.

At the hydroelectric station, the gates are now being raised and water is being passed downstream of the Dnieper.

— Water is now discharged there through spillways. There are dozens of them there – that’s why the dam is so beautiful. There are many “bulls”, and there are gates between them. They will lift some of the gates, and the water will be idly discharged into the lower pool, past the hydraulic turbines.

— How long might it take to restore the machine room and electrical equipment?

— It will be necessary to place orders separately at serious hydropower plants. This is a long story; under optimal conditions, everything can take six months. There were eight units, I think that not all of them were destroyed. Some may have remained.

As a result of missile attacks on Ukrainian energy system facilities, not only hydroelectric power stations, but also thermal power plants were destroyed.

— Purposeful work is underway to cut off power, so that traffic on the railways stops, so that military cargo does not travel along them, so that defense enterprises stop, so that tanks are not produced and repaired in Kharkov…

There are three nuclear power plants in Ukraine, which provide the main electricity generation – almost 65% of the total production in the country.