Construction of the unique Tereble-Rikska hydroelectric power station
During the construction of the dam in 1957, two villages were relocated from this area. The length of the Tereble-Ritsky Reservoir is almost ten kilometers, and the depth of the reservoir is ten meters.
A unique fact: the Tereble-Rikska hydroelectric power station itself is not located here, but in the village of Nyzhniy Bystryi.
On both sides of the track, a large dam made of heavy-duty concrete rises, more than 100 metres long. Its height is 47 metres. Only 20 metres are above water, the rest of the dam is submerged, and the lowest 10 metres are under silt. There is a museum on the territory of the hydroelectric power plant. In the museum, you can even see how the huge turbines work. Rumour has it that there is a road through the dam, through thick concrete walls, which can be easily driven by a car.
Construction of a hydroelectric power plant helped residents of Transcarpathia with electrification, but the timber rafters (bokorashi) were left out of work.
The design of the hydropower plant is unique. The water in the reservoir flows from the reservoir through a large pipe that runs inside the mountain to the turbines of the hydroelectric power plant, and then enters the Rika. Thanks to this clever design, a large height difference was obtained, which increases the speed of the turbine: 7,000 revolutions per 60 seconds – one of the highest in the world.