Hrazdan. Energy Side.
We passed this facility about a dozen times, and each time taxi drivers gave us different versions of what it was: thermal station, nuclear station, hydro station - every option possible. At some point I decided to finally figure out what actually exists in Hrazdan and started digging through the map.
A very curious picture emerged. There is a hydroelectric station on a mountain. This broke my mental model: hydropower plants are supposed to stand on rivers. I have seen that in Irkutsk (Angara), in Volgograd. But here - on a mountain - a hydro station.
Then I looked deeper. Sevan is a giant freshwater mountain lake (only Baikal is larger). Angara flows out of Baikal. Hrazdan flows out of Sevan. But in this area it does not flow freely. On the map, only two river sections are visible; the rest is hidden under the mountain in a tunnel reportedly dug by German POWs. I marked the approximate tunnel route with a dashed line.
The second picture is AI-generated “slop” based on a photo of the station on the mountain - just in case, so it is clear this is not an exact photo of a sensitive site, only a stylized generation.
The fourth photo shows where the Hrazdan emerges from that tunnel for the last time before entering the canal from the third photo, then reaching a pool (not pictured), from which it goes down through pipes to spin turbines.
The third photo looks peaceful, but this is deceptive. The current is strong, the walls are steep, and if you end up in that canal, getting out is nearly impossible. Around ten accidents happen there per year.
A separate story is how we got there. I thought reaching the station on the mountain would take a minute, so I just added an intermediate stop in Yandex Taxi. In reality, the map marked an impassable road, and navigation led us exactly there. After 300 meters it became clear we might destroy the suspension. Finally, the driver understood where we wanted to go. We reversed those 300 meters, returned 400 meters along the main road, then climbed via an unmarked but manageable dirt road. The fifth photo is the view from the top. We did not regret it at all: amazing scenery, lots of flowers, and a striking mix of industrial infrastructure and wild nature.
We are very grateful to the driver - modest and kind. We regret not taking his contact.
Ah, and yes: ChatGPT says the facility from the beginning of the story is a gas-fired thermal power plant.
#placeArmenia #Armenia #Hrazdan