Published
09/10/2025, 15:23The Ministry of Energy has published official information on the seismic safety of the Kambarata HPP-1 project. The ministry emphasised that the issue of the facility's reliability is under special control and is being monitored by leading international experts.
The project consultant, AFRY Switzerland Ltd, has engaged world-class specialists, including Dr Martin Wieland, Chairman of the ICOLD Committee on Seismic Aspects of Dam Design, and a group of seismology experts. The analysis was based on data from international and regional earthquake catalogues, as well as satellite observations and tectonic studies.
Based on the results of the studies and discussions with international experts, an assessment of the seismic safety of the Kambarata HPP-1 construction site was made. The specialists recommended taking into account geological risks, including possible shifts in active and secondary faults that may occur during earthquakes. As a result, the experts proposed a curved gravity dam design. In their opinion, such a design will make the hydroelectric complex more stable and efficient, including through the optimal direction of water flows.
As a result, the consultant EYFR Switzerland Ltd. concluded that the concrete gravity dam of the Kambarata HPP-1 will withstand the design loads and will be safe to operate.
The Ministry of Energy specified that additional measures will be implemented during further design and construction. These include the creation of a seismic microzonation map of the territory and the installation of a network of 3-5 seismic stations for continuous monitoring of activity in the area of the hydroelectric complex.
The ministry stated that the doubts about the feasibility of the construction, spread by seismologists unfamiliar with the current technical and economic justification for the Kambarata HPP-1, ‘are regrettable and undermine the state's efforts to introduce new generating capacities and ensure the country's energy security.’
