Many countries around the world have embraced small hydropower as a stable component of their energy sector. Small HPPs in Russia generate approximately 2.2 billion kWh/year, and experts estimate their technical potential to be around 382 billion kWh/year. Small hydropower is an excellent alternative to centralized power supply for remote and hard-to-reach areas and areas with limited transmission capacity of power lines. The construction of small hydropower plants will also allow efficient use of river water resources for water supply, fishery, transportation, etc. This paper examines the construction of a small hydropower plant that will provide electricity to the communities near the hydropower plant. The purpose of the study is to investigate the option of applying the physical principle of fish protection using diverting re-forming fish protection structures to prevent fish from entering the system of structures of the Novokarachayevsk small hydroelectric power plant.