Translated from Gicrotekhnicheskoe Stroitel 'stvo, No. 12, December 2010, pp. 2 -11. Alternate plans and characteristics of design solutions for water-development works under construction at the No. 2 Zagorskaya pumped-storage power plant (PSPP) are described.
Keywords:No. 2 Zagorskaya hydroelectric power plant; storage basin; reverse intake; steel-reinforced-concrete penstocks; machine room; safety.Construction of the No. 2 Zagorskaya pumped-storage power plant on the Kun'ya River was begun in 2007, and start-up of the first two generating sets at the plant is scheduled for 2012. The rated capacity of the pumped-storage power plant (PSPP) is 840 MW in the generator mode under a head of 110 m, and has a useable volume of 11.9 million m3. JSC "Institut Gidroproekt" is the general designer for the project, and the developer of investment solicitation (IS), and a feasibility study (plan) [3]. Its specialists are continuing to develop effective documentation, perform author inspection during construction, and supervise geotechnical monitoring.The following are component parts of the basic water-development works at the No. 2 Zagorskaya PSPP: upper storage basin, reverse intake, four penstocks, powerhouse, station unit, lower storage basin, power-distribution structures, and maintenance-production building.The No. 2 Zagorskaya PSPP is located on the left bank of the river, and the axis of its penstocks is situated 900 m to the south of the operable No. 1 Zagorskaya PSPP. The lower pool is common to both plants, and the upper basin of the No. 2 PSPP borders an opposing dike of the existing upper basin (Fig. 1).In terms of geologic-engineering structure, the area where the No. 2 PSPP is being constructed is characterized by the development of a thick "cover" of loose sandy and clayey deposits, while rocks (limestones) reside at a depth of from 150 to 300 m. It is a part of the Moscow syneclise, which includes the Russian platform as a component part. The seismic-risk level is assumed to be 5.5 points on the MSK-64 scale. The risk of potential sliding is relegated to dangerous geologic processes, whereupon the construction site is characterized by complex hydrogeologic conditions. The site for the No. 2 Zagoirsk PSPP was selected as a result of complex analysis of work-ups involving placement of PSPP in the Moscow Oblast with consideration of jurisdictional, economic, social, and ecological factors. The placement and configuration of basic structures at the No. 2 PSPP were selected from results of comparison of various alternate plans.The upper storage basin is situated on land bordering the upper basin of the in-service No. 1 Zagorskaya PSPP. The basin is impounded by a protective earthen dike at the junction to the existing dike of the No. 1 PSPP. The dike varies in height from 14 to 40 m, and the width along the base from 100 to 500 m.Three alternate plans were considered for construction of the dike for the upper basin (in the IS stage):alternate plan 1 -from morainic clayey loams with concrete slope stabilization...