The Paatsjoki River hydroelectric power plants are a series of hydroelectric installations on the Paatsjoki River.
The Paatsjoki River flows from Lake Inari in Finland and for most of its duration, it marks the border between Russia and Norway. On the river there are several Norwegian and Russian hydroelectric stations. The operations of the stations is governed by several international agreements (Agreement between the Soviet Union and Norway on 18 December 1957 about the usage of hydroelectric installations on the Paatsjoki River, Agreement from 29.04.59 about regulating the control of Lake Inari concerning hydroelectric installations and the Kaitakoski Dam between the Soviet Union, Finland, and Norway.) About 85% of the electricity produced by the series of Russian hydroelectric stations is exported abroad. The hydroelectric system operates automatically.
The Russian hydroelectric installations belong to Territorial Generating Company № 1, based in Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Hydroelectric stations Kaitakoski (Russia), Jäniskoski (Russia), Rajakoski (Russia), Hevoskoski (Russia), Skogfoss (Norway), Melkefoss (Norway), Borisoglebskaya (Russia) form the series of hydroelectric installations on the river.
In total, all the hydroelectric stations have a power of 275.9 Megawatts, and produce 1475 GWh per year [ citation needed ].
The list is in downstream order, from Lake Inari to the Barents Sea.
The Kaitakoski hydroelectric station (Russian : Кайтакоски ГЭС (ГЭС-4)) in Russia on the Paatsjoki River ( 68°56′19″N28°36′02″E / 68.93861°N 28.60056°E ) began operation in 1959. The power station is owned and operated by TGC-1 power company. At the uppermost three stations, the river is entirely in Russia.
The Jäniskoski hydroelectric station (Russian : Янискоски ГЭС (ГЭС-5)) ( 68°58′18″N28°46′49″E / 68.97167°N 28.78028°E ) was constructed from 1938 to 1942, at that time on Finnish territory. Because Finland ceded territory to the USSR after the Continuation War, the power station is now on Russian territory. The power station was created to provide electrical energy for nickel mining in Petsamo. The power station was destroyed during World War II in 1944. After the war, the power station was rebuilt by Finnish firm Imatran Voima (today Fortum) on a contract with the USSR, and reentered operation in 1950. The power station is owned and operated by TGC-1 power company.
Beginning operation on 25 May 1956, the Rajakoski hydroelectric station (Russian : Раякоски ГЭС (ГЭС-6)) is a Russian hydroelectric station on the Paatsjoki River ( 69°01′22″N29°00′20″E / 69.02278°N 29.00556°E ). The station was built by Finnish firm Imatran Voima on a contract with the USSR. The power station is owned and operated by TGC-1 power company. It is located around 500 metres (1,600 ft) from the border to Norway and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south-east from the border tripoint at Muotkavaara.
The Hevoskoski hydroelectric station (Russian : Хевоскоски ГЭС (ГЭС-7), Norwegian : Hestefoss kraftverk) on the Paatsjoki River ( 69°07′03″N29°14′31″E / 69.11750°N 29.24194°E ), was built between 1956 and 1970. The border goes in the river here, but the hydroelectric station is located on Russian territory. The power station is owned and operated by TGC-1 power company.
The Skogfoss hydroelectric station on the Paatsjoki River is a Norwegian hydroelectric station built in 1964. The border is in the river, but the station is on the Norwegian side ( 69°22′22″N29°41′38″E / 69.37278°N 29.69389°E ).
The Melkefoss hydroelectric station, built in 1978, is a Norwegian hydroelectric station on the Paatsjoki River. The border is in the river, but the station is on the Norwegian side ( 69°23′57″N29°47′13″E / 69.39917°N 29.78694°E ).
Built between 1960 and 1964, the Borisoglebsky hydroelectric station (Russian : Борисоглебская ГЭС (ГЭС-8)) on the Paatsjoki River is a Russian hydroelectric station ( 69°38′37″N30°8′15″E / 69.64361°N 30.13750°E ) built under a water derivation system. The power station is owned and operated by TGC-1 power company. The border is in the river, but the station is on the Russian side. Named after the locality Borisoglebsky, Murmansk Oblast.
Lake Inari is the largest lake in Sápmi and the third-largest lake in Finland. It is located in the northern part of Lapland, north of the Arctic Circle. The lake is 117–119 metres (384–390 ft) above sea level, and is regulated at the Kaitakoski power plant in Russia. The freezing period normally extends from November to early June.
The Paatsjoki River is a river that flows through Finland, Norway, and Russia. Since 1826, the river has marked parts of the Norway–Russia border, except from 1920 to 1944 when it was along the Finland–Norway border.
The Vätsäri Wilderness Area is located along the northeastern shore of Lake Inari in Inari, northern Finland, stretching all the way to the Finland–Norway border. The landscape is dominated by taiga forests of Scots pine, bog and bodies of water. The northeastern part rises as a treeless fell ridge. Vätsäri is one of twelve wilderness areas in Lapland and covers an area of 1,550 square kilometers (600 sq mi). The wilderness has one marked trail and a few cabins. The reserve is under the management of Metsähallitus and was established with the other wilderness reserves in 1991. It is part of Pasvik–Inari Trilateral Park along with Øvre Pasvik National Park and Øvre Pasvik Landscape Protection Area in Norway, and the joint Norwegian–Russian Pasvik Nature Reserve.
The Skolt Sámi or Skolts are a Sami ethnic group. They currently live in and around the villages of Sevettijärvi, Keväjärvi, Nellim in the municipality of Inari, at several places in the Murmansk Oblast and in the village of Neiden in the municipality of Sør-Varanger. The Skolts are considered to be the indigenous people of the borderland area between present-day Finland, Russia and Norway, i.e. on the Kola Peninsula and the adjacent Fenno-Scandinavian mainland. They belong to the eastern group of Sámi on account of their language and traditions, and are traditionally Orthodox rather than Lutheran Christians like most Sami and Finns.
Volkhov hydroelectric plant, named after V.I. Lenin, is a hydroelectric station on the Volkhov River located in the town of Volkhov, Leningrad Oblast, in northwestern Russia. It is the oldest and longest serving hydroelectric plant in Soviet Union and Russia. It is a part of the Ladoga cascade.
The Nizhny Novgorod Hydroelectric Station or Nizhny Novgorod GES is a hydroelectric station on the Volga river. Located near Zavolzhye, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, it belongs to the Volga-Kama Cascade of dams.
Skogfoss power station is a hydro electric dam in Finnmark, Norway.
Melkefoss power station is a hydro electric dam on the Paatsjoki river in the Sør-Varanger municipality in Finnmark, Norway.
The Narva Hydroelectric Station is a hydroelectric power station in Ivangorod, Russia. It is fed by the Narva Reservoir on the Narva River and is located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) downstream of the Narva Dam on the east bank of the river. It was designed by a Leningrad design bureau Lenhydroproject and constructed during 1950–1955.
Vaskojoki is a river of Finland. It is located in Lemmenjoki National Park in Finnish Lapland. Its length is 110 kilometres (68 mi) and it flows into Lake Paatari, which in turn flows through the river Juutuanjoki into Lake Inari, part of the Paatsjoki River basin that flows into the Barents Sea.
The border between Norway and Russia consists of a 195.7-kilometer (121.6 mi) land border between Sør-Varanger Municipality, Norway, and Pechengsky District, Russia, and a 23.2-kilometer (14.4 mi) marine border in the Varangerfjord. It further consists of a border between the two countries' exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean. Between 1944 and 1991 the border was between Norway and the Soviet Union. There is a single border crossing, on E105, located at Storskog in Norway and Borisoglebsky in Russia. The Norwegian side is patrolled by the Garrison of Sør-Varanger and is under the jurisdiction of the Norwegian Border Commissioner, while the Russian side is patrolled by the Border Guard Service of Russia. Two-thirds of the border follows two rivers, the Pasvikelva and Jakobselva.
Borisoglebsky is a rural locality in Pechengsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. The village is located beyond the Arctic circle, at a height of 95 meters above sea level on the Paatsjoki River.
Muotkavaara is a hill in Lapland at the boundary between Finland, Norway and Russia. It is the second northernmost international tripoint in the world; the tripoint of Finland, Norway and Sweden is 900 metres closer to the North. The Finnish side belongs to the Inari municipality, the Norwegian side belongs to Sør-Varanger and the Russian side belongs to Nikel. The peak is in Norway.
Skafferhullet is a historical border crossing point along the Norway–Russia border. The border crossing site was located on the old road between Elvenes in Sør-Varanger Municipality, Finnmark county, Norway and Borisoglebsky in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. The station lies on the western shore of the Pasvikelva river.
Pasvik Nature Reserve is a bilateral nature reserve located in the valley of Pasvikdalen in Norway and Russia. The nature reserve was established in 1992 (Russia) and 1993 (Norway), and covers an area of 166.4 square kilometers (64.2 sq mi). The Norwegian part, in the municipality of Sør-Varanger, covers 19.1 square kilometers (7.4 sq mi), while the Russian part, in Pechengsky District, Murmansk Oblast, covers 147.3 square kilometers (56.9 sq mi). The nature reserve includes unexploited parts of Pasvikelva and has a rich birdlife.
Upper Svir Hydroelectric Station is a hydroelectric station on the Svir River located in the town of Podporozhye, Leningrad Oblast, in northwestern Russia. It was open on February 13, 1952 and has the total power of 160 MW. It is operated by the TGC-1 power company.
Lower Svir Hydroelectric Station is a hydroelectric station on the Svir River located in the urban-type settlement of Svirstroy, Leningrad Oblast, in northwestern Russia. It was open on December 19, 1933 and has the total power of 99 MW. It is operated by the TGC-1 power company.
The Krasnoyarsk ship lift is the only ship lift in Russia. Construction began in 1976 at the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station on the Yenisei River. Operation began in 1982. The boat lift consists of the outer harbor, the bottom of the approach channel, the actual lift and turntable. The platform of the lift moves along the rack railway, with the track gauge of 9 m. The movement is carried out by means of electric drive.
The Jäniskoski-Niskakoski area is a 176-square-kilometre (68 sq mi) area in Russian Lapland, east of Lake Inari, along the Paatsjoki River. The Jäniskoski-Niskakoski territory is currently incorporated into the Nikel township of the Pechengsky District, Murmansk Oblast.
