Eindrücke aus dem Jenissei-Einzugsgebiet in Russland

The Yenisei is an impressive river system. It drains into the Kara Sea with an average annual discharge of 673 km³ and thus represents the largest Arctic river. The three hydropower plants on the Yenisei have an installed capacity of 12 721 MW and along the major tributary Angara, the four HPPs of the Angara cascade 11 999 MW. Thus, in the Yenisei catchment 24 720 MW are installed, which corresponds to an average production of 110.89 TWh/a (maximum 141.93 TWh/a). We present the setting of Sayano-Shushenskaya (6 400 MW), the largest hydropower plant in Russia, which was extensively revitalized after the accident in 2009. These large HPPs are technical masterpieces but have changed the river systems significantly. In addition to a change in the temperature regime (no ice formation over long stretches), especially the interruption of the continuum represents a problem from an ecological point of view. Below the Krasnoyarsk dam, there is a free-flowing stretch of 2 380 km. This is - despite various anthropogenic influences - an important corridor for fish as well as for ships. With a special technical solution - the Krasnoyarsk ship lift - the Krasnoyarsk dam has been made passable to ships, which can navigate the Yenisei further upstream to the port of Abakan. International exchange within the framework of technical (e.g. International Commission on Large Dams) and ecological issues (e.g. Lower Yenisei Observation Network) takes place at different levels. Our study trip enabled us to establish new contacts in the Yenisei catchment and this may form the basis for future cooperation in order to implement and operate sustainable measures.