Location Sakha Republic, Russia Type of dam Embankment Height 75 m (246 ft) Construction began 1964 | Opening date 1967 Impounds Vilyuy River Length 600 m (2,000 ft) Impound Vilyuy River | |
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Similar Kolyma Hydroelectric Station, Bureya Dam, Zeya Dam, Ust‑Ilimsk Hydroelectric Power St, Boguchany Dam | ||
The Vilyuy Dam (Russian: Вилюйская ГЭС) is a large dam and hydroelectric power station on the Vilyuy River in Chernyshevsky, Sakha Republic, Russia. The dam was built between 1964 and 1967 to provide power for diamond mines in the area, and was the first such major structure in the world to be built on permafrost. Vilyuy is reported to have the coldest operating conditions of any hydroelectric plant in the world.
The dam is an embankment structure 75 metres (246 ft) high and 600 metres (2,000 ft) long, containing 5,000,000 m3 (6,500,000 cu yd) of fill. Its power station has four turbines with a combined capacity of 650 MW, generating 2,710 million KWh annually. Behind the dam, the Vilyuy Reservoir started filling in 1969 and topped out in 1973. It is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, with a length of 450 km (280 mi) and holding up to 35.9 km3 (29,100,000 acre·ft) of water.
The large artificial lake formed by the dam has led to a warming effect in the Vilyuy River basin of up to 5 to 6 °C (41 to 43 °F), and has greatly reduced flooding on the lower part of the river, leading to declines in bird and fish populations. The filling of the reservoir also displaced about 600 people.