OREANDA-NEWS. July 28, 2008. Dagestan means “The Mountain Land”. The highest peak Bazarduzu is 4466m high. Here, among the glaciers resting on the tops of the mountains, fresh and rushing rivers take their start forming broad ramified network of more than 6000 rivers.

Though Dagestan possessed great hydropower resources, industrial utilization of these natural riches began only after its annexation to Russia with the construction of Gergebil hydropower station.
 
The Firstborn
June 13, 1925. In spite of depressed state of Russian economy “Glavenergo” in Moscow took into account the plead from Dagestan government to include the newly annexed Republic into the All-Russia electrification plan for national economic recovery and development, and carried the following resolution: “Taking into consideration that Dagestan Republic is one of the poorest and undeveloped states of the Soviet Union, we made a decision to direct one million rubles for construction of five hydropower stations in Dagestan”.

Committee of Economics of Dagestan Republic concluded that it would be more effective to build one powerful plant instead of five mini-hydropower stations. It was decided to erect Gergebil HPP on the Karakoisu River. The erection was not easy; the construction site was located in one of the most difficult of access canyons of Dagestan, far away from the main roads. All transportation was majorly done by carts.

Mountain tracks were packed with continuous lines of bullock-carts carrying barrels with cement and other construction materials. For the needs of the construction, in the mountains there was built a town for the builders, stone-crushing and concrete-mixing plants, special workshops and warehouses. The constructors did their work with shovels, picks, crow-bars, hand- and wheelbarrows. Maximal number of workers laboring at the construction reached 1500.

On March 19, 1937 erection of the highest arch-gravity dam in USSR and the second in Europe was completed.

On July 19, 1938 the first hydroelectric generator was put into operation.

On May 16, 1940 Gergebil HPP was put into service with the total capacity of three hydroelectric generators 4.2 MW.

During the following years capacity of the plant was built up by additional hydroelectric generators:

1956-1960; during the first modernization the power house was enlarged and two hydroelectric generators of 1660kW installed capacity each were added, the height of the dam was raised to 70m.

1989-1993; during the second modernization three old depreciated generators were removed, new power house with three 5MW generators each was put into service. Total installed capacity of the plant reached 17.8 MW. Detailed inspection of the dam showed that the 50-year-old dam was in a very good condition.

In our days average annual generation of the plant equals 61.5 million kW/h; by its 70th anniversary Gergebil HPP generated more than 2 milliard 10 million kW/h of electric power.
 
Last centaury hydropower plant keeps up with the present day
Electro-technical and hydro-mechanical equipment of Gergebil HPP is regularly renewed; latest information technologies are introduced to provide high reliability and safety of the station, including the following implementations: in 2001 - new computer equipment; in 2007 - automated system of commercial electricity control in 2008 –automated telemechanics and communication system with fiber-optics communication lines for information transmission with the aids of satellite network.

Gergebil hydropower station is an exclusive object of the hydropower industry history. It unites the last century and modern days; in the old power house the unique historical exhibits of hydropower engineering are kept well preserved. A museum project is at the development stage, based on the material gathered and conserved at the station.

Solemn celebration dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Gergebil hydropower station named after Magome Gadzhiev, World War II Hero of the USSA, is scheduled on 31 July 2008 in Kurmi town, Gergebil Region of the Republic of Dagestan.