The Russian electric power industry is the leader in thermal power plants. Thermal energy in Russia

When scientists invented the light bulb and the dynamo automobile in the nineteenth century, the need for electricity increased. In the twentieth century, the need was compensated by burning coal for power stations, and when it increased even more, we had to look for new sources. Thanks to innovative research, current is obtained from environmentally friendly sources. There are 5 largest hydroelectric power plants, thermal power plants and nuclear power plants in Russia.

HES - hydroelectric power station. In each of them, energy is produced from an induction current. It appears when a conductor in a magnet rotates, while mechanical work water does. Hydroelectric power stations are dams that block rivers, controlling the flow, from which energy is drawn.

5 largest hydroelectric power plants in Russia:

Sayano-Shushenskaya named after. P.S. Neporozhniy on the river. Yenisei in Khakassia: 6,400 MW. It has been operating since December 1985 under the leadership of JSC RusHydro.
Krasnoyarsk, 40 km from Krasnoyarsk: 6,000 MW. It has been operating since 1972 under the leadership of OJSC Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Station, owned by Oleg Deripaska.
Bratskaya on the river Hangar in Irkutsk region: 4,500 MW. It has been operating since 1967 under the leadership of OJSC Irkutskenergo Oleg Deripaska.
Ust-Ilimskaya on the river. Angara: 3,840 MW. It has been operating since March 1979 under the leadership of OJSC Irkutskenergo Oleg Deripaska.
Volzhskaya on the river Volga: 2,592.5 MW. It has been operating since September 1961 under the leadership of JSC RusHydro.

TPP - thermal power plant. Electrical energy produced by burning fossil fuels. Thermal power plants generate more than 40% of the world's electricity. Coal, gas or oil are used as fuel in Russia.

5 largest thermal power plants in Russia:

Surgutskaya GRES-2 in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug: 5,597 MW. It has been operating since 1985 under the leadership of Unipro PJSC.
Reftinskaya GRES in the village of Reftinsky (Sverdlovsk region): 3,800 MW. It has been operating since 1963 under the leadership of Enel Russia.
Kostroma State District Power Plant c. Volgorechensk: 3,600 MW. It has been operating since 1969 under the leadership of Inter RAO.
Surgutskaya GRES-1 in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug: 3,268 MW. It has been operating since 1972 under the leadership of OGK-2.
Ryazan State District Power Plant in Novomichurinsk: 3,070 MW. It has been operating since 1973 under the leadership of OGK-2.

NPP - nuclear power plant. Although it is dangerous, it is clean, unlike hydroelectric and thermal power plants. Electricity comes from the consumption of a small amount of fuel - Uranium, Plutonium. Nuclear power plants are concrete chambers where heat appears due to the decay of radioactive elements. High temperatures lead to the evaporation of water, and the steam begins to rotate turbines, like at a hydroelectric power station.

5 largest nuclear power plants in Russia:

Balakovskaya in Balakovo ( Saratov region): 4,000 MW. It has been operating since December 28, 1985 under the leadership of Rosenergoatom.
Kalininskaya in Udomlya (Tver region): 4,000 MW. It has been operating since May 9, 1984 under the leadership of Rosenergoatom. The director is Ignatov Viktor Igorevich.
Kurskaya at the Seimas in Kursk: 4,000 MW. It has been operating since December 19, 1976 under the leadership of Rosenergoatom.
Leningradskaya in Sosnovy Bor(Leningrad region): 4,000 MW. It has been operating since December 23, 1973 under the leadership of Rosenergoatom.
Novovoronezhskaya: 2,597 MW, planned - 3,796 MW. It has been operating since September 1964 under the leadership of Rosenergoatom.

Thermal power plants are the most popular way to generate electricity. More than seventy-five percent of the electricity in Russian Federation is generated precisely on turbines. There are several reasons for choosing thermal power plants in the energy sector - low cost of construction relative to other types of generation, low cost of energy production due to the use of coal, fuel oil and natural gas, production of by-products ( hot water and steam), construction is possible in any area, even with difficult terrain and harsh climate.

Cons - environmental degradation due to large quantity carbon dioxide and soot emissions into the atmosphere, low coefficient useful action, ash.

The method of generating electricity is quite simple - due to the released energy, the generator shaft rotates, the blades begin to rotate and current is generated.

The largest thermal power plants in Russia are Surgutskaya-2, Reftinskaya, Kostromskaya, Surgutskaya-1, Ryazanskaya GRES. Stands for

Surgutskaya GRES-2

The list of “5 large thermal power plants in Russia” opens with Surgutskaya GRES-2. The largest electricity producer in the state. Located in the city of Surgut, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug.

Commissioned in 1985. Maximum power - 6400 MW. Working fuel is oil and natural gas.

The need for construction arose in the second half of the seventies. In less than ten years, Surgut has become a center of oil production. In the shortest possible time, the small workers' village grew to the size of an entire city. Power outages became constant.

Reftinskaya GRES

In the list of “The Largest Thermal Power Plants in Russia,” Reftinskaya State District Power Plant takes second place. The station is located one hundred kilometers from Yekaterinburg. This is the largest thermal power plant that runs on Ekibastuz coal. For kindling, fuel oil is used. The total capacity is 3800 MW, the number of energy units is 10.

Construction of the second number of the list “Largest Thermal Power Plants in Russia” began in 1963. the first power unit occurred in 1970. The quality of work was carefully monitored by the local party leadership. Reftinskaya GRES is truly the construction project of the century. Currently, the station generates almost half of the electricity consumed by the Sverdlovsk region.

Kostromskaya GRES

An honorable third place in the list of “Largest Thermal Power Plants in Russia” is occupied by Kostroma State District Power Plant. It is located in the very center of the European part of Russia, in the city of Volgorechensk, on the banks of the Volga River.

The station was put into operation in 1969. The main fuel used is natural gas. If necessary, it is possible to switch to fuel oil. Total quantity power units - nine. The total capacity is 3600 MW.

The length of one of the station's chimneys is 320 meters - one of the highest objects in the country.

In the 1960s, the region began to actively develop. This was facilitated by the influx of workers and tourists, which was associated with the development of water transport. An acute power shortage forced the authorities to accelerated mode develop and implement a project that is included in the list of “Largest Thermal Power Plants in Russia”.

The station is unique for its time - the most advanced developments of scientists were introduced in it. Energy is supplied to more than forty regions of the Russian Federation, and is also exported to neighboring countries.

Surgutskaya GRES-1

In the list of “Largest Thermal Power Plants in Russia,” the list would be incomplete without Surgutskaya GRES-1, which is comfortably located in fourth place. Located in the city of Surgut, commissioning was carried out in 1972. The maximum power of the station is 3268 MW. The thermal power plant is certified according to international standards ISO:9001.

Ryazanskaya GRES

In honorable fifth place is the Ryazan State District Power Plant (another name is Novomichurinskaya). Construction began in 1968. Commissioning took place in 1973 in Novomichurinsk.

Six power units produce 3070 MW of electricity. Brown coal is used as fuel. Reserve - gas and fuel oil.

The decoration of the station are two chimneys three hundred and twenty meters high. And two more metal ones - one hundred and eighty meters. Equipped modern system vibration damping.

Conclusion

TPPs have remained reliable assistants for many years. Unpretentiousness of use guarantees a long service life. Having such large and powerful stations in reserve, you can be confident in an energy-independent tomorrow.

On September 4, 1882, 400 houses caught fire in 82 New York City buildings. light bulbs. The current for them was provided by the world's first thermal power plant - a thermal power plant. It was called simply - “Pearl Street Station” (“Pearl Street Station”, English “Station on Pearl Street”). It was invented and built by the legendary Thomas Alva Edison.

Edison's power plant operated approximately according to the same scheme as many thermal power plants operate today. Coal burned in the furnaces of the boilers heated the water, turning it into superheated steam. This steam rotated the shaft of the dynamos of the machines, and they, in turn, generated current.

Within two years, Pearl Street Station was able to not only recoup its work, but also justify the cost of laying cables. Back then they put them underground, so they had to dig up a fair amount of Manhattan. And despite all the costs - the wiring in the premises was also installed by the Edison company, for such short term The thermal power plant was able to reach zero profitability and began to make a profit.

Edison gradually increased the power of the Pearl Street Station until a fire destroyed the power plant in 1890. Everything burned down except one dynamo, which is now a valuable exhibit in a museum in the United States.

Despite the short period of operation, Pearl Street Station showed the effectiveness of such a scheme. Moreover, Edison already realized then that the heat produced at the output of the dynamo could also be put to use - several neighboring houses were heated with steam from the power plant.

Edison's thermal power plant was located in the basement of an ordinary residential building. Modern thermal power plants are real giants. Above energy halls with an area of tens of thousands square meters Huge chimneys rise. The height of some of them exceeds the height of the Eiffel Tower. The construction of a thermal power plant requires huge costs and takes several years.

In the modern electric power industry, thermal power plants account for about two-thirds of all generated energy. The most commonly used fuel is coal, the second most popular energy source is natural gas, followed by oil, whose share in recent years is rapidly shrinking.

Thermal power plants are usually divided into two main types - those that also operate for heating (CHP), and “purely electric” ones, they are called IES or GRES. The world's largest thermal power plants operate according to the GRES scheme, that is, only the electricity generated by them is used.

The most powerful power plant in the world is the Tuoketuo power plant, located in the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia.

For a long time, this station was the third in power, behind the Chinese Taichung Thermal Power Plant and the Russian Surgut State District Power Plant-2. However, after two more units with a capacity of 660 MW each were put into operation at Tuoketuo in 2017, the total capacity of the station’s 12 power units reached 6,720 MW, making it the most powerful in the world. Surgutskaya-2 moved down from third place, but remained the most powerful in Russia.

10. Surgutskaya GRES-2 (5,600 MW)

Surgutskaya GRES-2 is located in Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug on the banks of the Ob River at approximately the same distance between Nefteyugansk and Khanty-Mansiysk. Construction of the station began in 1979, the first power unit was launched six years later. During 1985 - 1988, all six power units with a capacity of 800 MW each were put into operation. They all work for associated gas, that is, they use a resource that would also need to be utilized during gas production.

It was planned to build two more similar power units, but already in the 21st century it was decided to build two power units with a capacity of 400 MW, operating on purified natural gas. After the commissioning of these two units, the total capacity of Surgutskaya GRES-2 was 5,600 MW.

9. Reftinskaya GRES (3,800 MW)

Reftinskaya GRES is the largest thermal power plant in the country, using as fuel coal. It is located approximately 100 km from Yekaterinburg.

The construction of the power plant lasted 17 years - from the driving of the first peg in 1963 to the commissioning of the last power unit in 1980. Four pipes with a height of 180 to 320 meters rise above the station.

10 power units of Reftinskaya GRES have a total capacity of 3,800 MW. This energy is enough to provide half of the energy consumption of the Sverdlovsk region with its powerful industry.

8. Kostroma State District Power Plant (3,600 MW)

This power plant is located in the European part of Russia, in the Kostroma region on the banks of the Volga. To generate electricity at the Kostroma State District Power Plant, natural gas is used as reserve fuel fuel oil can be used.

Nine power units of the station were put into operation from 1969 to 1980. After the launch of the 9th power unit with a capacity of 1,200 MW, the total capacity of the Kostroma State District Power Plant reached 3,600 MW.

7. Surgutskaya GRES-1 (3,268 MW)

The first Surgutskaya GRES is almost a decade and a half older than its more powerful namesake - its first power unit was launched in 1972. Then every year the operation of another power unit began. As a result, 16 of them were built. Their total capacity is 3,268 MW.

40% of the electricity generated at the station is produced using associated gas, the rest using natural gas.

6. Permskaya GRES (3,260 MW)

5. Ryazan State District Power Plant (3,130 MW)

Despite the name, the Ryazan State District Power Plant is located quite far (80 km) from Ryazan in the city of Novomichurinsk. Construction of the state district power station began in 1971 and was completed 10 years later.

Initially, the station ran on hard coal. However, after modernization in the mid-1980s, two power units were switched to natural gas. In total, 6 power units of the Ryazan State District Power Plant can generate 3,130 MW of electricity. The power plant's chimneys are 180 and 320 meters high.

4. Kirishi State District Power Plant (2,600 MW)

The station is located in Leningrad region, in the city of Kirishi (about 150 km from St. Petersburg). The Kirishi State District Power Plant project was approved by the USSR government in 1961, and construction began at the same time. The station, which ran on fuel oil, produced its first power in October 1965.

Kirishi State District Power Plant is unique in that since the beginning of its operation it has been almost continuously being completed or modernized. The process was interrupted only from 1983 to 1999. The rest of the time, new fuel oil power units were put into operation, old ones were converted to natural gas, combined cycle gas units were built, etc. As a result, the Kirishi State District Power Plant reached a capacity of 2,600 MW.

3. Konakovskaya GRES (2,520 MW)

From 1965 to 1982, the Konakovskaya State District Power Plant operated on imported fuel oil, burning up to 10,000 tons of fuel per day. Then it was switched to natural gas. The power plant located in the Tver region had a design capacity of 2,400 MW, but after modernization its capacity increased to 2,520 MW.

2. Iriklinskaya GRES (2,430 MW)

Iriklinskaya GRES was built on the shore of a reservoir formed by the hydroelectric power station of the same name in Orenburg region. Seven years after construction began in 1963, the natural gas station produced its first power. Iriklinskaya GRES reached its maximum capacity of 2,430 MW in 1979. Interestingly, the station's chimneys are simultaneously used as power line supports.

1. Stavropol State District Power Plant (2,419 MW)

The southernmost large thermal power plant in Russia is located in the village of Solnechnodolsk Stavropol Territory. Like many other state district power plants, Stavropolskaya initially (since 1974) operated on fuel oil, and in the 1980s it was switched to gas. The station's 8 power units generate 2,419 MW of electricity. In the 2010s, it was planned to build another power unit, but then this decision was canceled.

Fragments of the article

Where is the most fuel burned?

In total, thermal power plants in Russia used 330.2 million toe* in 1998 (73% of the 1990 level).
Let's highlight the regions - "thermal energy giants", burning more than 7 million here annually. Among them, first of all, are the “supergiants”: Moscow (more than 20 million tons of tons), Khanty-Mansiysk a. O. and Sverdlovsk region (more than 15 million here), Krasnoyarsk region, Bashkiria, Kemerovo region and Tataria (over 10 million tons). They are followed by Samara, Perm, Moscow and Chelyabinsk regions. In most of these regions there are 3-5 large state district power plants and about ten thermal power plants. The exceptions are Moscow, which does not have a state district power plant, but has the largest number of thermal power plants - 14, as well as the Samara region and Bashkiria, where there is only one state district power plant each, but 7 and 10 thermal power plants, respectively.
All these regions are industrialized. In the 90s, a relatively small reduction in fuel consumption was noted here compared to 1990, and 2 regions (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and Krasnoyarsk Territory) even increased fuel consumption - by 5 and 2 million tons, respectively.
A third of the country's largest state district power plants and thermal power plants are concentrated in the group of regions - “energy giants”.
The 10 regions leading in Russia in terms of fuel consumption in the electric power industry account for half of the fuel consumed and 46% of the gross regional product.
The top ten stand out:

a) the largest coal regions (Krasnoyarsk Territory, Kemerovo Region);
b) regions in which powerful urban agglomerations with millionaires are growing with 100% district heating based on the combustion of natural gas (Moscow, Moscow, Samara, Perm regions);
c) the region in which 96% of Russian gas is produced (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Oblast);
d) highly developed industrial regions with a diversified fuel balance, where, along with gas, local or nearby fuel is used - coal in the Sverdlovsk region. and fuel oil in Bashkiria and Tataria.

During the 1990s, there were no major changes in the composition of the top ten fuel consumers. Only Moscow and Khanty-Mansiysk a. O. overtook the Sverdlovsk region. This is understandable: the Moscow electric power industry is mainly thermal power plants (and they primarily supply residential and business areas with heat, and their energy production has not fallen simultaneously with the decline in industrial production), Surgutskaya GRES-2, focusing on local fuel, is increasing its power is still there, and the industrial Sverdlovsk region. in conditions of the economic crisis, it reduced electricity consumption and, accordingly, its production. The change in the position of the Krasnoyarsk Territory in the table is due to the fact that for 1990 the data was incomplete - data on the three Norilsk thermal power plants were not included in the overall total for the region.

Regions with high fuel consumption, burning from 2 to 7 million here annually. These are primarily the Orenburg region, Stavropol region, Ryazan, Kostroma, Novosibirsk, Rostov regions, Khabarovsk region, Nizhny Novgorod, Tver, Saratov, Volgograd, Leningrad regions, Primorsky region and Yakutia *. In most of these regions there are 1-2 state district power plants and on average 5 thermal power plants (in some, the absence of state district power plants is compensated by a large number of thermal power plants: for example, in the Irkutsk region.
14 thermal power plants, in St. Petersburg - 8, in the Omsk region. and the Komi Republic - 5 each, in the Tyumen, Volgograd, Kirov regions, as well as in the Altai and Krasnodar region- 3-4 each.
Since the beginning of the 90s, fuel consumption in this group of regions has decreased by an average of 20%, with the smallest reduction noted in the Krasnodar Territory (by only 2%), and the largest in the Irkutsk region. (from 10.5 million here to 6 million here).

Regions with average fuel consumption - annually 1-2 million here: Yaroslavl, Arkhangelsk, Ulyanovsk, Lipetsk, Chita, Astrakhan, Vologda, Sakhalin, Smolensk and Tomsk regions, Chuvashia and Buryatia.
In each of these regions there are 2-4 thermal power plants, in some there is one state district power station. In most regions of this group, during the 90s there was a reduction in fuel consumption by 20-30%. Exceptions: slight increase (by 1%) in the Chita region. and a very significant increase (by 53%) in the Astrakhan region.

Regions with low fuel consumption- annually up to 1 million here.
At the top of this group are the depressed Ivanovo, Voronezh, Vladimir, Kurgan, Penza and Murmansk regions, which in 1990 consumed more than 1 million tons of fuel annually, but have now reduced fuel consumption to the level of 700-900 thousand tons.
This also includes Oryol, Belgorod, Pskov regions**, Yamalo-Nenets a. o., Khakassia, Mari El, Dagestan.

* According to estimates, the Tula region should also fall into this group. - a region with 3 state district power plants and 3 large thermal power plants. In 1998, only at the Cherepetskaya State District Power Plant, owned by RAO UES of Russia, 1.2 million tons of fuel were burned here. Considering that the power of the remaining stations in the region, taken together, is approximately equal to the capacity of the Cherepetskaya GRES (and even a little more), we can estimate the total fuel consumption in the Tula energy sector at 2.4 million tce (in 1990 - 8.2 million tce). The sharp decline in the region's energy sector is primarily due to the decline of the military-industrial complex. - Approx. ed.

** In the Pskov region. There has been an increase in fuel consumption due to the launch in 1998 of the 2nd power unit at the Pskov State District Power Plant in Dedovichi.

Table 1

Ten largest regions by amount of fuel burned at thermal power plants in 1990

Table 2

The ten largest regions by the amount of fuel burned at thermal power plants in 1998

The largest thermal power plants in Russia

The list of the 20 largest thermal power plants in Russia includes stations located in the “energy giant” regions (Moscow, Tatarstan, Sverdlovsk, Kemerovo thermal power plants), and there are also large state district power plants located in economically low-power regions and generating electricity mainly for supply to general energy systems , mainly to power more “gluttonous” neighbors (such as state district power plants in the Kostroma, Tver, Ryazan regions, Stavropol Territory). In total, the list includes 5 coal and 13 gas power plants, as well as Karmanovskaya and Ryazan State District Power Plants, operating on different types of fuel (it is impossible to single out a predominant type).
A comparison of tables 3 and 4 shows that although all stations have reduced their fuel consumption, the list of leaders has changed little. All the largest thermal power plants, which in addition to electricity also generate heat (and, therefore, hardly responded to the industrial decline in the country), remained in their places on the list. In 1998, the cohort of leaders of the state district power plants of the large industrial regions of Troitskaya, Zainskaya, Kirishskaya and Permskaya left. In the context of a decline in industrial production in these regions, some redistribution of energy consumption occurred - from electricity to heat; Accordingly, output at state district power plants fell, but the operation of local thermal power plants remained almost at the same level. In particular, in the Perm region. with a reduction in electricity production at the Dobryanskaya GRES, production and, consequently, fuel consumption at city CHPPs and CHPPs of the Permnefteorgsintez Production Association increased*. In accordance with this trend, the place of several state district power plants that dropped out of the list of leaders in 1998 was replaced by two Moscow thermal power plants, the VAZ CHPP**. It is also symptomatic that the Belovskaya and Nazarovo State District Power Plants, which operate on coal, appear on the list of leaders.

Table 3

Twenty largest thermal power plants by amount of fuel burned in 1990

Predominant fuel type in thermal power plants in 1998
(by federal subjects)

* This means that the fuel balance is divided approximately equally between two or three fuels
Note. Data for the Tula region. incomplete (in reality the role of gas
in the area above).

You can always watch the flow of water and someone else’s work, and when the water flows and works at the same time, the watchability doubles. The best place to while away two eternities observing is large hydroelectric power stations. Six-sevenths of them make up the top 7 largest power plants in the world, which we made for you, because you are very interested.

In 2015, humans produced 24097.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. This figure summarizes the results of approximately power plants that produce energy for industry, your devices and household appliances from wherever possible: from atom, fossil fuel, water, wind, sun. Their total installed capacity is six thousand gigawatts. Greatest potential- at least for now - water has. But so far in terms of production structure it is only . Most of the world's largest power plants are hydroelectric power plants, and only one nuclear power plant was included in the list, but first things first. For intrigue, let's start from the bottom.

7. "Grand Coulee", USA

This largest American hydroelectric power station is located on the Columbia River in Washington state. In addition, it supplies electricity to the states of Oregon, Idaho, Montana, California, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. Canada also gets some electricity. Once upon a time there was a station world's largest in terms of power - and even twice. The first - from 1949 to 1960. Then, one after another, several Soviet hydroelectric power stations overtook it, but in 1983, Grand Coulee took the lead due to expansion and increase in capacity. Three years later, it was replaced from first place by the Venezuelan hydroelectric power station Guri. The final cost with all the additions was 730 million dollars - about three billion by modern standards.

This structure is twice as high as Niagara Falls, and its base area would fit all the pyramids of Giza. And American country and folk music star Woody Guthrie dedicated two compositions to the hydroelectric station: And .

The average annual electricity generation at the Grand Coulee is 20.24 billion kWh. That would be enough to cover . From one "Grand Coulee" our fuel and mechanical engineering industries, chemical and petrochemical industries, food and processing industries could operate building materials and others.

The installed capacity of this hydroelectric power station after completion is 6809 MW. For comparison: the largest of the Ukrainian plants, Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, has a capacity of 6000 MW.

6. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, Japan

The world's largest nuclear power plant, it is the only nuclear power plant that still competes with hydroelectric power plants in terms of installed capacity. Japan certainly doesn't best place for such structures. Happened in 2007 strong earthquake with the epicenter a couple of tens of kilometers from the station. Of the seven power units, four were operating at that moment; all were shut down. The soil under the reactors themselves moved, the nuclear power plant was damaged, and it ended up in the sea. radioactive water, and radioactive dust into the atmosphere. The station was closed for restoration and strengthening work; by 2011, four power units were relaunched. But after the accident at Fukushima, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa was temporarily among the completely closed plants - not a single reactor was operating. Now the station has been restored - .

The installed capacity of nuclear power plants is almost 8000 MW, and annual energy production in 1999 reached 60.3 billion kWh. This would be enough to provide electricity to all Ukrainians and all our non-industrial consumers. And there would still be a little left - for example, for the food industry.

5. Tucurui, Brazil

That's it, no more nuclear power plants and the apocalypses inherent in them - only hydroelectric power plants will be in the top. The top five opens with a hydroelectric power station located in the Brazilian state of Tocantis on the river of the same name. Launched in 1984, Tucurui was the first large-scale project of its kind in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. The adventure film “Emerald Forest” was filmed in the same forests in 1985, and in this film you can see a hydroelectric power station.

The Tucurui Dam stretches for 11 kilometers and reaches 78 meters in height. The station is capable of discharging 120 thousand cubic meters of water - the largest in the world throughput. The volume of hydroelectric power reservoirs is 45 trillion liters, and this is the second largest on the planet.

25 turbines are installed at Tucurui, the station's capacity is 8370 MW. It produces 21.4 billion kWh annually - most of this energy is consumed by aluminum industry enterprises. The hydroelectric station could more than provide electricity to all Ukrainian household consumers. Construction of the station cost $5.5 billion (7.5 billion including accrued interest).

4. "Guri", Venezuela

Until 2000, this hydroelectric power station was named after Raul Leon, the President of Venezuela, under whom construction began in 1963. Now it is officially named after Simon Bolivar, national hero country and a prominent figure in the war of independence of the Spanish colonies. In many ways, Venezuela owes it to him for the declaration of independence, and today the country is heavily dependent on the hydroelectric power station named after him. In 2013, several states were left without electricity due to a fire that broke out in the vicinity of Guri. It covers two-thirds of Venezuela's electricity needs and sells part of the generated current to Brazil and Colombia.

In terms of annual production, this is a different league. The structure produces an average of 47 billion kWh per year - the entire Ukrainian industry produced a little more last year.

During the day, the station generates an amount of energy equivalent to 300 thousand barrels of oil. The installed capacity of Guri is 10,235 MW, and in terms of reservoir volume it is several times larger than any hydroelectric power station in the world - 136.2 trillion liters. It is the largest freshwater body of water in Venezuela and the 11th largest man-made lake, and the station itself was the largest in the world from 1986 to 1989.

The cost of this station is separate question. It is difficult to calculate it accurately, because construction took a long time, and during this time Venezuela experienced economic crisis. The exchange rate between the dollar and the bolivar changed frequently and greatly, and in the last years of construction the local currency became cheaper every day. EDELCA, one of the largest Venezuelan electricity companies at the time, in 1994 estimated the cost of the initial phase at $417 million, and the final phase of construction at 21.1 billion bolivars that are no longer convertible.

3. Silodu, China

This station is located on the Yangtze River, in its upper reaches. The name of the structure was given by the nearby city. In addition to its main purpose, “Silodu” helps control the flow of river water in this place, and cleans the water itself from silt. Construction began in 2005, but was interrupted due to the fact that they were not really clear environmental consequences launch of hydroelectric power station. Apparently, they were still considered favorable or at least not unfavorable. In 2013, the first turbine was put into operation, and the station was fully operational a year later. The work cost $6.2 billion.

"Silodu" is equipped with 18 turbines of 770 MW each - the total installed capacity is 13,860 of these same MW. Annual production reaches 55.2 billion kWh - more than the entire industry of Ukraine used in 2016. The Silodu Dam rises to 285.5 meters - the fourth highest in the world.

2. Itaipu, Brazil and Paraguay

If this list had been compiled from 1989 to 2007, Itaipu would have been last, that is, number one - at that time it was the largest in terms of installed capacity. At the same time, the station still retains its leadership in annual output, being twice as large as the previous hydroelectric power station, Siloda. The hydroelectric power station is located on the Parana River, along which part of the Brazilian-Paraguayan border passes. The facility is operated by a company owned by both countries, and both countries receive energy from it. Itaipu supplies 71.4% of Paraguay's electricity, while for Brazil the figure is 16.4%. Some generators operate on the frequency of the Paraguayan network, others on the Brazilian one. At the same time, the Brazilians import that part of the energy that the Paraguayans do not use - for this, converters are installed from one frequency to another.

Construction cost $19.6 billion. The station operates 20 turbines of 700 MW each, the total installed is 14,000 MW - approximately the same as two and a half Zaporozhye nuclear power plants.

Itaipu is more than three times larger than Zaporizhia NPP in terms of annual output: in 2016, the Brazilian-Paraguayan hydroelectric power station produced 103 billion kWh of energy. This figure is close to all-Ukrainian net consumption (excluding technological losses).

In 1994, the American Society of Civil Engineers included Itaipu on its list of Seven Wonders. modern world- top construction achievements of the twentieth century. Along with hydroelectric power stations, this list, for example, included the Channel Tunnel, the Empire State Building and the Panama Canal. And in 1989, a modern composer classical music Philip Glass dedicated the eponymous part of his symphonic trilogy to Itaipa. the work is majestic and even somehow terrifying - more frightening than the eerie beginning of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Well, you know, this: “ta-da-da-dam, ta-da-da-dam.”

1. Three Gorges, China

Where else could they build a structure, the construction of which required the resettlement of 1.3 million people - almost two Lvovs? This was the largest-scale resettlement in connection with construction; the station itself is one of the largest structures for any purpose in the world, its dam is also one of the largest. It all cost 27.6 billion dollars. Construction on the Yangtze River began in 1992, and then, from 2003 to 2012, hydroelectric power station units were put into operation.

The Three Gorges has 34 turbines with a total capacity of 22,500 MW - more than one and a half times more powerful than its closest pursuer, Itaipu. In terms of annual output for 2016, the Chinese station, however, was slightly inferior to the Brazilian-Paraguayan one - 93.5 billion kWh. The point here is not in the design or anything else: Parana is simply cooler and more efficient than the Yangtze. It was assumed that the structure would cover 20% of China's electricity needs, but consumption grew too quickly. As a result, Three Gorges does not provide even two percent, but it completely covers the annual growth in consumption. In addition, the emergence of a hydroelectric power station with all its infrastructure improved navigation conditions in this part of the river - cargo turnover increased tenfold.

Finally, the work of the Chinese hydroelectric power station has increased the length of the earth's day. By raising 39 billion kilograms to a height of 175 meters above sea level and thus removing all this mass of water from the center of the Earth, the Chinese increased the moment of inertia of the planet. The rotation slowed down, the days became longer by 0.06 microseconds, and the Earth itself slightly flattened at the poles and rounded in the middle. - and not British, but NASA.

What's being built now

In the next few years, this list will change by about half - three large hydroelectric power stations will be completed, which will be included in the top 7.

In second place will be the Chinese Baihetan station, which is expected to be completed in 2021. Its installed capacity will be 16,000 MW.

The top five will include the Brazilian hydroelectric power station Belo Monti, which was partially commissioned in May 2016. All units will start operating only in 2019 - then the installed capacity will be 11,233 MW.

A year later, the Chinese will complete and fully launch another of their structures - the Udongde hydroelectric power station. Its design capacity is 10,200 MW. We hope everything will be okay with the Earth.