Image: DzoraHPP
The Dzora HPP uses the water currents of the Dzoraget River but is located where 'the mad Debed is raging.' Floods are common here, but this year's disaster was unique in its scale and devastating consequences. Even elderly locals find it difficult to remember when the river overflowed its banks.
The staff of the 90-year-old hydroelectric power plant, based on their own experience, formed a strategy for managing the risks of such disasters. The mechanism of regulated work during floods has been developed and tested over decades, reducing the need to resort to documented standards. Everyone knows what to do during a flood.
Drenched in torrential rain that fell on the night of May 26, the Debed River swept away everything in its path. Various sections of the M6 highway were destroyed and became impassable. At the plant, water flooded buildings and infrastructure, as well as the surrounding area. The main production equipment was half-submerged. The water also washed away the pedestrian bridge, cutting off the plant's rotation staff from land.
Through the efforts of senior apprentice Artak Petrosyan, uninterrupted operation of the units was established, protecting the turbine equipment room from flooding. Thanks to the round-the-clock work of senior electrical equipment foreman Rafael Shahverdyan and auxiliary worker Arman Sargsyan, the consequences of the disaster were eliminated in a short time, and the operation of the hydroelectric power plant returned to normal.
As the river calmed and water levels began to drop, crews started assessing the damage caused by the disaster. They studied the foundations of power equipment, industrial buildings, and infrastructure, conducted research and repeated testing of distribution equipment units, examined the water intake entrance and riverbed dams, and recorded any possible injuries.
A month and a half after the disaster, during a corporate event, specialists from the HPP team discussed the specifics and technical aspects of the work carried out post-disaster, potential environmental risks, legal issues related to their management, as well as compensation for damages and possible settlement options.
Source: ECTI
Image: DzoraHPP