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Angara-Yenisei cascade of dams

Data provided by the following organizations: Federal Agency for Water Resources, Yenisei Basin Department, Territorial Directorate for Irkutsk Oblast; OJSC “IrkutskEnergo”

Angara-Yenisei Cascade of hydroelectric power plants includes:

Irkutsk, Bratsk, Ust-Ilimsk and Boguchany HPP (in commercial operation since December 1, 2012) on the Angara river

Krasnoyarsk (Divnogorsk), Maina (Maina township) and Sayano-Shushenskaya (Sayanogorsk) HPP on the Yenisei

Angara and Yenisei hydroelectric power plants operate within the Unified Siberian Electric Energy System in a mutually dependent load-balancing mode.

At different periods in history, the usage of these hydroelectric power plants was determined by the Regulations for usage of water resources of these reservoirs. Experience of operation, particularly in unusually low-water period of 1981–1982 and the last lack of water in 1996–2003, has revealed the need for integrated management of all units of water usage system in Angara-Yenisei basin.

Timeline of development of water resource usage regulation for the Angara and Yenisei is presented in the Report issues of 2003 and 2004.

The cascade of reservoirs at the Angara corresponds to the total generating capacity of 9,002 MW, with over 49 billion kWh of energy produced annually. 

Specifications of Angara Cascade reservoirs and respective HPP capacity

The operation of hydroelectric power plants at Angara cascade is dependent on the outflow of Lake Baikal as the largest long-term storage body of water, as well as by useful and lateral inflow to the cascade reservoirs.

The stream pattern of the Angara river from Irkutsk to the transient region of Bratsk reservoir depends mainly on the operating mode of Irkutsk hydroelectric complex, with lateral inflow in this area not exceeding 10-15% of the hydroelectric flow.

Inflow to Ust-Ilimsk reservoir is 90-94% outflow of Bratsk dam and minor lateral inflow.

Boguchany HPP forms the fourth, and the lowest, step in the Angara Cascade. Reservoir at the Boguchany hydroelectric complex, at the vertical mark of 208.0 m, spans two federal subjects of the Russian Federation – Krasnoyarsk Krai and Irkutsk Oblast. Reservoir filling began in summer 2012. The filling is expected to be completed in two steps – in 2012 it was filled to an intermediate level of 185.0 meters, within the Krasnoyarsk Krai territory. In 2013-2014 the reservoir will be filled to the design level of 208.0 m.

The operation of hydroelectric power plants on the Angara river in 2012 was guided by the Basic Rules for Using Water Resources of Angara HPP Reservoirs (1988), Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No.234 of 26.03.2001 “On the Threshold Water Level Limits in the Baikal Lake for Performing Economic and Other Activities”, resolutions of the Interdepartmental Group for Regulating Angara-Yenisei Cascade and Northern Reservoirs and Baikal Water Levels and instructions of the Federal Agency for Water Resources. 

Fig. Useful inflow to the Baikal in 2012, compared to 2011, maximum (1973), minimum (1979) and long-term average values of the inflow

Useful inflow to the Baikal in 2012, on average, was below the long-term average value Total inflow to the Baikal and Irkutsk reservoir in 2012 was 53.1 km³ (up from 46.8 km³ in 2011), Bratsk reservoir – 84.9 km³ (up from 78.3 km³ in 2011), and to Ust-Ilimsk reservoir – 92.6 km³ (down from 96.3 km³ in 2011).

Conclusions

1. Water resources accumulated by 2012 in Angara Cascade reservoirs and the current weather situation allowed supporting the 2012 navigation, meeting the demand of all water users and coping with the winter peak of energy consumption given lower useful inflow to the Baikal Lake.

2. Regulated water resource usage in the Baikal in 2012 did not result in any violations of the lake levels (456.0–457.0 m) stipulated by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 234 of 26.03.2001 “On the Threshold Water Level Limits in the Baikal Lake for Performing Economic and Other Activities”.

Source: the Government report on the status of Lake Baikal and the measures for its protection in 2012 published by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation.