Sayano–Shushenskaya Dam, Arch-gravity hydroelectric dam in Khakassia, Russia.
The Sayano–Shushenskaya Dam is an arch-gravity structure and hydroelectric power station on the Yenisei River in Khakassia and Krasnoyarsk Krai. The concrete wall rises 242 meters above the riverbed and spans 1074 meters between canyon rock faces.
Construction began in 1963 as part of Soviet infrastructure projects to develop Siberia. The first turbine started operation in 1978, with full completion reached in 1985.
The station is named after the Sayan Mountains and the village of Shushenskoye near the site, known across the former USSR as Lenin's place of exile. Its full legal name honours Pyotr Neporozhny, Soviet Minister of Energy and Electrification.
Visitor access is limited because the facility continues to operate as an active power station. Travelers should check ahead for guided tour availability and expect long drives through sparsely populated territory.
The 2009 accident was not a turbine failure alone: the plant's head, Valery Kyari, was in charge when the disaster struck, and all ten RO-230/833-0-677 turbines from the Leningradsky Metallichesky Zavod were later replaced one by one, the last starting on 12 November 2014. The dam itself holds about 11,000 sensors in ten longitudinal galleries.
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