Dniprohes

Dniprohes (dunyiprō'hās) [key][Ukr. abbr.,=Dnieper hydroelectric station], Rus. Dneproges, a hydroelectric station, central Ukraine, on the Dnieper River near Zaporizhzhya. The hydroelectric station supplies power for the industrial centers of Dnipropetrovsk, Kryvyy Rih, and Zaporizhzhya. More than 1/2 mi (.8 km) long and 200 ft (61 m) high, the dam raised the level of the Dnieper 123 ft (37 m). With the completion of the dam and the flooding of the rapids above it, the entire Dnieper became navigable. The dam, at first called Dniprostroy (Rus. Dneprostoi), was built between 1927 and 1932 and was considered the magnificent achievement of the Stalin era. The dam and plant were partially destroyed by retreating Soviet troops during the German invasion of 1941 and then completely destroyed by the Germans as they withdrew in 1943. They were rebuilt between 1944 and 1949.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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