The 6 highest dams in the world

Man always tried to protect himself from the elements, and with the flowering of civilization, mankind decided to subordinate the power of nature and use it for their own purposes. Today we will talk about the most grandiose hydroelectric power stations, the importance 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 of the largest dams on Earth.

I place - Jinping-1 HPP in China

Today it is the highest dam in the world, created by human hands. 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 fell into the Guinness Book of Records, thanks to its impressive dimensions. The construction of the dam began in 2005, and in 7 years the first hydraulic engine at the station was launched. By 2015, the last, sixth unit was commissioned. What distinguishes the hydraulic motors on the Chinese HPP from the other powerful stations in the world is the capacity of the units. If the current power units operate at a capacity of 300 thousand kW, then it is about 600 thousand kW. It is also one of the most powerful dams in the world. The dam is located in Sichuan near the mouth of the Yalong River.

II place - Nurek hydropower station in Tajikistan

The design of the dam was started in 1950, and only after 11 years its construction was launched. It was completed only in 1972, and then it was gradually put into operation: the first unit of the unit was launched in the same year, and the last one - 7 years later. Thus, by 1979, HPP was operating at full capacity, providing 75% of electricity costs. In a year, electricity is generated from this hydroelectric power station of the order of 11 billion kW / h. Water at the HPP is not only used to generate electricity, but also is sent through paved tunnels to irrigate farmland.

Until 2013 it was the highest dam in the world, in height it reaches 300 m, in length - 70 km. It holds a water volume of 10 km ³ , an area of 98 km ² , has 9 powerful generators. There is a dam on the Vakhsh River near the town of Nurek.

III place - Xiaowang HPP in China

This is the highest arched dam in the world, reaching a height of 292 m. It is located on the Mekong River. In China, 7 hydroelectric power stations under construction, but this is the largest among them. By construction measures, the dam was built very quickly: the erection of the building began in 2002, and in 7 years the first engine was put into operation, in March 2010 the construction was completely completed. In 2013, the last engine was commissioned. The dam is equipped with 6 powerful hydraulic units. The average annual value of electricity generation is 19 billion kW / h.

Arched dam was constructed taking into account resistance to seismic fluctuations up to 8 points on the Richter scale, it has a "thick" layer of profile, from which it was built. The underground building under the hydropower plant has impressive dimensions - about 300 m in length.

IV place - Grand Dixens in Switzerland

This is the highest hydroelectric power station in Europe and the third largest in the world. There is a dam on the Dixens River, in honor of which it received 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 water volume of 0.4 km ³ , and a tunnel communicating with the lake reaches 100 km.

The construction of this dam took place between 1951 and 1965. Grand Dixens takes meltwater from more than 30 valesian glaciers - this is a truly powerful structure. On the dam there are excursion programs for tourists, from which pedestrian and mountain routes are taken.

V place - Inguri hydropower station in Georgia

The Inguri hydroelectric power station is a Caucasian dam located at the source of the Inguri River and Erisskali, near the town of Jvari. This is one of the highest dams of hydroelectric power stations in the world, reaching a height of 272 m and a length of 278 m. There are 7 borehole holes with a diameter of 6 m for unloading water. In the building of the hydroelectric power station, 5 hydraulic motors have been installed, generating 4.4 billion kW / h of electricity per year.

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

VI place - Wyjont dam in Italy

This is one of the world's tallest dams, erected in the northern part of Italy, on the River Vayont. The height of the structure is 261.6 m and its length is 190 m. This dam has a unique structure that differs from the others: a conical shape narrowed downward and widening upwards. At the base the width reaches only 23 m, and the width along the ridge is even less - only 4 m. It is also the most "elegant" dam in the world.

09.10.1963 on the Italian dam there was a terrible catastrophe, which claimed lives, according to some information, from 2 000 to 3 000 people. Due to the constant torrential rains that day, a landslide occurred on the bank of the Vayont River, 2 km ^{2 in area} , and the rocks literally overflowed the bowl of the reservoir. A water cascade of 90 m in height attacked all foothill areas at a speed of 8-12 m / s. The elements took only 7 minutes to kill thousands of lives and destroy dozens of buildings.

Today, as on the opening day in 1959, the Italian Vayont dam looks equally flawless, with no traces of a terrible event half a century old.

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