6 tallest dams in the world

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:48

Man has always tried to protect himself from the elements, and with the flourishing of civilization, mankind decided to subjugate the power of nature and use it for their own purposes. Today we will talk about the most grandiose hydroelectric power plants, the value of which is comparable to the state significance. We will find out which is the highest dam in the world. Below is the top 6 largest dams on Earth.

I place - Jinping-1 HPP in China

Today it is the highest man-made dam in the world. Its height reaches a value of 305 m, and its length is 568 m. The Jinping-1 HPP was put into operation in 2014 and immediately got into the Guinness Book of Records due to its impressive size. The construction of the dam began in 2005, and after 7 years the first hydraulic engine was launched at the station. By 2015, the last, sixth unit was introduced. What distinguishes the hydraulic motors at the Chinese hydroelectric power station from other powerful stations in the world is the power of the units. If the current power units operate at a capacity of 300 thousand kW, then here we are talking about 600 thousand kW. It is also one of the most powerful dams in the world. The dam is located in Sichuan province near the mouth ofYalong River.

II place - Nurek HPP in Tajikistan

The design of the dam was started in 1950, and only 11 years later its construction was launched. It was completed only in 1972, at the same time its gradual commissioning was carried out: the first block of the unit was launched in the same year, and the last - 7 years later. Thus, by 1979, the HPP was operating at full capacity, providing 75% of electricity costs. About 11 billion kWh of electricity is generated annually from this hydroelectric power station. Water at the hydroelectric power station is not only used to generate electricity, but is also directed through tunnels to irrigate agricultural land.

Until 2013, it was the highest dam in the world, reaching a height of 300 m and a length of 70 km. It holds a volume of water of 10 km³, an area of 98 km^{2, has 9 powerful generators. A dam is located on the Vakhsh River near the city of Nurek.}

III place - Xiaowan HPP in China

This is the highest arch dam in the world, reaching a height of 292 m. It is located on the Mekong River. There are 7 HPPs under construction in China, but this is the largest among them. By construction standards, the dam was built very quickly: the construction of the building began in 2002, and after 7 years the first engine was put into operation, in March 2010 the construction was fully completed. In 2013, the last engine was put into operation. The dam is equipped with 6 powerful hydraulic units. Average annual valueelectricity generation is 19 billion kWh.

The arch dam was built to withstand seismic vibrations up to 8 points on the Richter scale, it has a "thick" profile layer from which it is built. The underground building under the hydroelectric power station has impressive dimensions - about 300 m in length.

IV place - Grand Dixens in Switzerland

This is the highest hydroelectric power plant in Europe and the 3rd largest in the world. The dam is located on the Dixens River, after which it got its name. The concrete structure reaches a height of 285 m, a length of 695 m and a width of 200 m. The reservoir holds a volume of water of 0.4 km3, and the tunnel that connects to the lake reaches 100 km.

The construction of this dam took place between 1951 and 1965. Grand Dixens receives melt water from more than 30 Valesian glaciers - this is a truly powerful structure. Excursion programs for tourists have been created at the dam, from where hiking and mountain routes are conducted.

V place - Enguri HPP in Georgia

Inguri hydroelectric power station is a Caucasian dam located at the source of the Inguri and Eristskali rivers, near the city of Jvari. This is one of the highest hydroelectric dams in the world, reaching a height of 272 m and a length of 278 m. It has 7 spillways with a diameter of 6 m for idle water discharge. The HPP building has 5 hydraulic motors that generate about 4.4 billion kWh of electricity per year.

Due to the fact that the Inguri hydroelectric power station incorporates a transitional hydroelectric power station leading to the Eristskali River, which belonged to Abkhazia, cooperation between the two countries is necessary here. Thus, the Enguri hydropower complex consists of the construction of the Georgian hydroelectric power station (dam, reservoir and part of the tunnel) and the Abkhazian part of the tunnel and the construction of the hydroelectric power station. For this reason, in 1992, an agreement was reached between these countries on the distribution of electrical energy to both states (60% for Georgia and 40% for Abkhazia).

VI place - Vaiont Dam in Italy

This is another of the highest dams in the world, built in northern Italy, on the Vaiont River. The height of the structure is 261.6 m, and the length is 190 m. This dam has a unique structure that differs from the others: a conical shape, narrowed downwards and expanding upwards. At the base, the width reaches only 23 m, and the width along the crest is even less - only 4 m. It is also the most "elegant" dam in the world.

1963-09-10, a terrible catastrophe occurred on the Italian dam, claiming the lives of, according to some sources, from 2,000 to 3,000 people. Due to incessant heavy rains that day, a landslide occurred on the banks of the Vayont River with an area of 2 km2, and the rocks literally overflowed the basin of the reservoir. A water cascade 90 m high hit all foothill areas at a speed of 8-12 m/s. It took the elements only 7 minutes to claim the lives of thousands of people and destroy several dozen structures.

Today, as it did on its opening day in 1959, Italy's Vaiont Dam looks as immaculate, with no trace of the horrific event half a century ago.

In 2001, a film of the same name about this incident was released, and many fans of the film visit this place as a tribute to those who died on that terrible day.