One of the oldest production facilities in the Murgab Valley, Hindigush hydroelectric power station, is preparing to celebrate its 110th anniversary.
On September 3rd this year, Chairman of Halk Maslakhaty of Milli Gengesh, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, speaking at the State Institute of Energy, called Hindigush hydroelectric power station "a monument of technical thought." The construction of this facility, standing at the origins of the formation of the country's energy industry, began in 1909 and ended in 1913.
Hindigush hydroelectric power station was built to provide electricity to the royal estate located in Bayramali, as well as a cotton gin and an oil and fat plant.
Next year this object turns 110 years old. At the time it was the most powerful power plant in the Russian Empire. The station has three hydraulic turbines of the Hungarian company “Ganz”, each with a capacity of 0.4 MWt. Except for a light repair in 1980, these units have been operating normally since commissioning. The turbine hall of the station, as well as Hindigush dam itself, have retained their original state to this day.
Hero-Arkadag in his speech called this hydraulic structure “a kind of museum”. Units that have been in operation for more than a century, wooden cabinets, tables, metal chairs and other furniture, shining tiled flooring amaze with their perfect condition. Various inventory and technical literature, which were brought along with the units, are protected as museum exhibits.
Atajan Shanov, who connected his career with this building, is known not only as a master of Hindigush station, but also as an experienced gardener. Rare species of trees and flowers grown by him have turned the adjacent territory of the station into a natural museum.
It is a real pleasure for guests and foreign tourists who come to rest in the Murgab Valley to observe this timeless building, a monument of engineering.
