Toktogul Dam Explained

Toktogul Dam
Coordinates:41.6571°N 72.6361°W
Country:Kyrgyzstan
Location:Toktogul
Construction Began:1960
Opening:1976
Dam Type:Gravity dam
Dam Height:215m (705feet)
Dam Length:292.5m (959.6feet)
Dam Crosses:Naryn River
Spillway Capacity:245m3/s
Res Name:Toktogul Reservoir
Res Capacity Total:19.5km3
Res Capacity Active:14km3
Res Surface:284.3km2
Res Max Depth:120m (390feet)
Res Max Length:65km (40miles)
Plant Commission:1978
Plant Turbines:4 X 360 MW
Plant Capacity:1,440 MW
Plant Annual Gen:4,400 GWh
Website:http://www.energo-es.kg/ru/o-kompanii/filialy/kaskad-toktogulskikh-ges/

Toktogul Dam is a hydroelectric and irrigation dam on the Naryn River in the Jalal-Abad Province of Kyrgyzstan. It is a concrete gravity dam with height of and length of .[1] It is a part of the Naryn-Syr Darya cascade. It is named after Toktogul Satilganov.

The Toktogul Hydroelectric Station has an installed capacity of 1,260 MW, which makes it the largest power plant in the country. It has four turbines.

Toktogul Reservoir (Kirghiz; Kyrgyz: Токтогул суу сактагычы, in Kirghiz; Kyrgyz pronounced as /toqtoʁul suː sɑqtɑʁɯtʃɯ/; Russian: Токтогульское водохранилище) is the largest of the reservoirs on the path of the Naryn River, a northern tributary of the Syr Darya.[2] The reservoir has total capacity of 19.5km3, of which 14km3 is active capacity. Its length is and its surface area is . The maximal depth of the reservoir is .

The city of Kara-Köl, south of the reservoir (downstream from its dam) housed the dam construction workers, and currently is home to the hydro power plant staff. The city of Toktogul is located north of the reservoir.

Environmental and Social Impact

The reservoir was created in 1976 after construction works on the dam were completed and the Ketmen-Tobo Valley was flooded. The reservoir flooded more than 26 thousand hectares of land, of which 21.2 thousand hectares of agricultural land, 26 communities including large settlement Toktogul were displaced and the main road through the region was re-routed.[3] Archaeologists excavated barrows from Saka times before the sites were lost.[4]

2009 crisis

Toktogul Reservoir had a critically low water level in 2009. A cold dry winter, combined with water sales to foreign countries as well as increased domestic demand left the reservoir at a fraction of its capacity. Electrical rationing had to be employed throughout the entire country with outages lasting up to 11 hours every day.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: List of major hydroelectric facilities Kyrgyzskoy Republic. CA Water. 24 February 2012. ru.
  2. Book: Irrigation in the countries of the former Soviet Union in figures . . 128 . 1997 . 978-92-5-104071-3.
  3. Book: Shiriyazdanov, Sh. . ru:Токтогульский гигант строиться: очерк истории строительства ГЭС . Toktogul giant is being constructed: historical sketch of power plant construction . Ilim . ru . Frunze. 1971. 445.
  4. Web site: Toktogul travel guide. Caravanistan. en-US. 2020-05-11.