| Vilyuy Dam | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location of Vilyuy Dam in Russia | |
| Location | Sakha Republic, Russia |
| Coordinates | 63°01′55″N 112°28′19″E / 63.03194°N 112.47194°E |
| Construction began | 1964 |
| Opening date | 1967 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment |
| Impounds | Vilyuy River |
| Height | 75 m (246 ft)[1] |
| Length | 600 m (2,000 ft) |
| Spillway capacity | 5,970 m3/s (211,000 cu ft/s)[1] |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 35.9 km3 (29,100,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Surface area | 2,501 km2 (966 sq mi) |
| Power Station | |
| Installed capacity | 650 MW[1] |
| Annual generation | 2,710 GWh |
The Vilyuy Dam (Russian: Вилюйская ГЭС; Yakut: Бүлүүтээҕи ГЭС) is a large dam and hydroelectric power station on the Vilyuy River in Chernyshevsky, Mirninsky District, Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Russia. The dam was built between 1964 and 1967 to provide power for diamond mines in the area. It is located in the southern part of the Vilyuy Plateau and was one of the first of such major structures in the world to be built on permafrost.[1] Vilyuy is reported to have the coldest operating conditions of any hydroelectric plant in the world.[2]
The dam is an embankment structure 75 metres (246 ft) high and 600 metres (2,000 ft) long, containing 5,000,000 m3 (6,500,000 cu yd) of fill. Its power station has four turbines with a combined capacity of 650 MW,[3] generating 2,710 million KWh annually.[1]
- ^ a b c d e Biyanov, G. F. (1978). "Experience in Constructing Dams on Permafrost in Yakutia". Permafrost: Second International Conference (USSR Contribution). National Academies. pp. 594–598.
- ^ Yanity, Brian B. (2007). Cold Climate Problems of a Micro-hydroelectric Development on Crow Creek, Alaska. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-0-54945-634-6.
- ^ Smith, Daniel W.; Low, Nola (1996). Cold Regions Utilities Monograph. American Society of Civil Engineers. p. 82. ISBN 0-78440-192-6.