Construction of the Rogun HPP

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:54

The Rogun HPP project in Tajikistan began to be implemented in 1976, when the Soviet Gosstroy approved the relevant documents. The Tashkent Hydroproject was responsible for developing the plan. From the very beginning, it became clear that the construction of this hydroelectric power plant would be extremely difficult. The station was to be built in the difficult natural conditions of Central Asia.

Project problems

Rogun HPP was threatened and threatened by several factors. First, it is the high seismicity of the region. Small earthquakes happen here regularly. They are not terrible for hydroelectric power plants, but if an unexpected cataclysm turns out to be too strong (as it was back in 1911), then the most important element of the dam, its target, will be under the threat of destruction.

Secondly, the builders had to punch building tunnels in fragile and loose rocks. Thirdly, under the bottom of the Vakhsh River there is a fault, which contains rock s alt. The appearance of a dam can lead to water seepage and erosion of the reservoirs. The designers of the Rogun HPP had to take into account all these factors. The Soviet leaders did not want to abandon the construction of the station, since it was supposed to play an important economic role in the life of Central Asia.

Sovietlong-term construction

Although the construction of the Rogun hydropower plant was notable for many difficulties, hydrobuilders managed to find solutions that helped to soften all the sharp corners. Water was deemed necessary to be supplied at high pressure around the rock s alt bed, while a saturated solution would be fed into the bed itself. This decision was the most acceptable in the current situation. Thanks to him, it was supposed to avoid the dissolution of s alt.

Earthquakes are terrible disasters. Every person in Tajikistan knows this firsthand. The Rogun HPP was designed to withstand any earthquake. To do this, the body of the dam was made loose and complexly structured. Loam and pebbles were used for the core. This was done so that soft rocks filled the voids and cracks that occur during an earthquake.

Getting Started

The first builders arrived in Rogun in autumn 1976. The platforms for their work were built at a height of more than 1,000 meters. The place chosen for the Rogun HPP was quite deaf at that time. The distance between the construction site and the nearest railway station was 80 kilometers. The equipment needed for the new infrastructure was supplied from all over the country. Hydro turbines and transformers were made in Ukraine, while hydro generators were made in distant Sverdlovsk. More than 300 Soviet enterprises were responsible for the composition of the structures of the Rogun HPP.

The city of Rogun, in which the builders of the station settled, was built from scratch. Multi-storey buildings, a kindergarten, a school - all this was not here beforebefore embarking on an ambitious energy project. The buildings were heated by electric boilers.

Builders began the construction of the hydroelectric power station by punching tunnels in loose, fragile rocks, where there was a lot of pressure. After cutting and roughing, these tunnels were carefully concreted. In total, it was planned to break through 63 kilometers. The builders walked towards each other from two sides. Cutting was carried out in the middle. Additional mines were used for this.

Tunnels and dam

For ten years, the Rogun hydroelectric power station, which was in its infancy, photos from the construction of which began to fall into Soviet newspapers, practically did not change, since tunnels were being punched all this time. To speed up work and save money, it was decided to use not classic mining trucks, but huge conveyors. According to experts, in this way the treasury managed to save about 75-85 million rubles.

The construction of the dam began in 1987. On December 27, the Vakhsh River was blocked. In 1993, the height of the lintel was already 40 meters, and the length of the tunnels reached 21 kilometers. The transformer and machine rooms were almost completely ready. However, the work was never completed. Due to the collapse of the USSR, the emergence of economic problems and other factors, the construction site was mothballed.

1993 accident

In 1993, the Rogun HPP suffered a serious accident. A few years after the blocking of the Vakhsh riverbed, the construction site was washed out.jumpers. The reason for this was the most powerful floods. As a result, unfinished drainage tunnels and the engine room were flooded.

Of course, any hydroelectric power plant must cope with loads, even if they are caused by unprecedented floods. During the proceedings, it turned out that the disaster would not have happened if it were not for the organizational miscalculations of the management responsible for the construction. Today, the Rogun HPP (August 2016 was another month of active preparatory work for it) has other owners, but in 1987, Tajikglavenergo was the formal customer. There was a conflict between this structure and the construction management. As a result, his USSR Ministry of Energy removed from work people who were previously responsible for meeting deadlines. Confusion and confusion led to the fact that the closure of the river came too soon. The organizers were in a hurry, fearing that the deadlines would be missed, but time showed that such a rush turned out to be a mistake.

Similar incidents

The Rogun HPP is most often compared to another HPP in Tajikistan, the Nurek HPP. This hydroelectric power plant was launched in 1979. During operation, several minor accidents occurred on it.

Much more painful than the comparison of the Rogun HPP with the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP. The accident that occurred at the last one was of a pronounced man-made nature. Then 75 people died. The builders and contractors of the Rogun hydropower plant assure that they have taken into account the experience of these disasters, and the hydroelectric power plant will no longer face emergency situations like thishappened in 1993.

Modern stage

Due to the difficult situation in Tajikistan, the Rogun HPP has been in a frozen state for ten years. Only in 2004 did the country's authorities conclude an agreement with the Russian "Rusal" on the continuation of work on the construction of the station. The company financed the draining of the flooded halls. However, further cooperation between the parties ran into serious problems. The company and the government could not agree on the technical aspects of the project, including the height of the dam and its design type. In 2007, the contract with Rusal was terminated.

After that, the authorities of Tajikistan decided to complete the construction of the hydroelectric power station, turning to the World Bank for help. In 2010, an agreement was signed on the international expertise of the project. Its contractor was a Swiss company. An open joint-stock company Rogun HPP was established. Today, it is it that continues the construction of the hydroelectric power station.

Uzbekistan's discontent

The nearly completed 3,600 megawatt Rogun HPP is a dam-type hydroelectric power plant. The building has six hydraulic units. When completed, the dam forms a new reservoir. The height of the hydroelectric power station is 335 meters (if the project is nevertheless implemented, the hydroelectric power station will become the highest in the world). According to experts, the cost of construction is more than 2 billion dollars.

The state of the Rogun HPP today is criticized withthe most varied sides. The main complaints come down to the choice of the dam site, that is, the risks that were known back in Soviet times. However, responsible persons are convinced that mudflows and landslides, seismic activity and other natural factors will not damage the hydroelectric power plants in any way.

Most criticism is heard from the authorities of Uzbekistan (the Vakhsh River is a tributary of the Amu Darya, which flows through the territory of Uzbekistan). This means that the violation of one flow can affect the ecological situation in the neighboring republic. The government of Uzbekistan several times expressed its disagreement with international commissions, which stated that the hydroelectric power station could still be completed.

Environmental factor

Possible disruption to the operation or construction of the Rogun hydropower plant could cause environmental and social risks. In Uzbekistan, where the Amu Darya flows, the situation is exacerbated by the drying up of the Aral Sea, caused by the mismanagement of natural resources during the Soviet era.

The construction of dams always contributes to the acceleration of soil erosion. Flooding of lands located on the territory of the proposed reservoir will create even more problems. A change in the flow regime of the river will affect not only the flow, but also the temperature regime. Reservoirs are silted up, which leads to the appearance of organic and mineral sediments. They enrich the soil, but worsen fertility in the lower reaches of the river (that is, in Uzbekistan).

Atom and consortium

Disputes breed proposalsabout alternative solutions to the energy and environmental problems of the region. Thus, Uzbekistan even tried to attract Russia and the European Union to participate in a new project to build a common nuclear power plant, which could cover the needs of several countries of Central Asia at once (including even Pakistan, Afghanistan and India). So far, this initiative has come to nothing.

It goes without saying that officials make decisions in such a global issue. However, real experts, primarily environmentalists, believe that the conflict around the station is too politicized. The problem lies in the fact that each country treats its own river as property, while all the water resources of Central Asia are interconnected within a single river system leading to the Aral Sea. That is why environmentalists propose to create an energy consortium, which, in addition to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, should include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. However, no real steps have been taken in this direction so far.

Rogun and Sarez

Some opponents of the construction of the Rogun power plant propose to direct resources to another project related to Lake Sarez. It arose in 1911 after a catastrophic earthquake and a collapse of rocks, as a result of which a natural dam was formed that blocked the channel of the Bartang River. The lake also belongs to the Amudarya basin. If for some reason (for example, due to a repeated earthquake) the natural dam collapses, a colossal wave will reach the Aral Sea,causing irreparable damage to many cities of three countries at once (Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan).

Many environmentalists propose to use the resources of Lake Sarez for energy purposes, thus saving the republic from the deficit and ending the conflict with neighbors. Rogun, hydroelectric power station (2016 became its anniversary), Sarez - all these objects continue to cause controversy and heated discussions. Supporters of the Sarez project argue that over a hundred years there has already been an ecological balance, which means that its water resources can be used without harming nature. In the case of Rogun, the “stress” for the environment is yet to be experienced, even if the launch goes according to the rules.

Importance of hydropower

For many years Tajikistan has been experiencing serious problems with hydrocarbon energy resources. In particular, numerous conflicts with Uzbekistan and "gas wars" of neighbors are connected with this problem.

That is why the Rogun hydroelectric power plant is so important for the republic, which is experiencing a constant energy shortage. Tajikistan itself defends the project with similar arguments. The Rogun HPP (2016 - already 40 years of construction with interruptions) remains a fixed idea for a poor country, pouring all its resources into it.