WWII and Post-war Reconstruction
During World War II, the strategically important dam and plant was dynamited by retreating Red Army troops in 1941, and then again by the retreating German troops in 1943. In the end the dam suffered extensive damage, and the powerhouse hall was nearly destroyed. Both were rebuilt between 1944 and 1949.
General Electric built the new generators for the Dam. Their weight was more than 2,250,000 pounds. The generators replaced those destroyed during the WWII. Each of the new units is rated 90,000 kilo-volt-amperes, as compared with the 77,500 kV-a of the old generators, built in 1931. A frame diameter of 42 feet, 5 inches, Units have been shipped in 1946.
Power generation was restarted in 1950. In 1969-80, the second powerhouse was built with a production capacity of 836 MW.
Currently, the dam is over 800 metres long and 61 metres high. The dam elevates the river water up to 37 m, which floods the rapids above and makes the entire Dnieper navigable. Over its long history, the dam was hailed as one of the greatest achievements of Soviet industrialization programs.
Read more about this topic: Dnieper Hydroelectric Station
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