By Darya Inina
June 23rd has entered the annals as a unique day for Belarusian engineers. They have dammed a 40m width of the River Nieman, redirecting water through the hydro-power station, using over 3,000 cubic metres of gravel and stone to stem the strong current. The water now turns turbines and passes through chamber gates, with the help of the latest equipment, meticulously inspected for strength and water-tightness.
“Currently, the hydro-power plant is flooded, with generators under water, as is normal,” explains the Deputy Chief Engineer of Grodnopromstroy OJSC, Yury Soloviev. “The next stage of construction will be to create an earth mound near the plant and to gradually fill a 40km long reservoir (up to 2km in width). This will take just over a month.”
