Installed capacity
The station’s present rated capacity.
Source ↗Records & specifications.
The station’s scale in understandable numbers, with historical records distinguished from contemporary specifications.
Generating units
The last of the eighteen entered service in 1966.
Source ↗Dam height
The height reported by the station’s operator.
Source ↗River-channel section
Length of the concrete river-channel section, rather than the combined length of the complex’s structures.
Source ↗Full concrete dam length
Crest length along the pressure front, as reported by A. N. Semenov. This differs from the length of the river-channel section alone.
Source ↗First unit in 1961
Capacity at first commissioning, distinct from the whole station’s capacity today.
Source ↗Main construction period
First power came in 1961; acceptance of the whole complex followed in 1967.
Source ↗Dam structure
A massive concrete dam resists the force of water through its own weight.
Source ↗Capacity and energy measure different things
Megawatts (MW) measure power: how much the station can supply at a moment. Kilowatt-hours (kWh) measure energy generated over time. So 4,500 MW and a trillion kWh describe different achievements.
Three measures of scale
The world’s largest hydroelectric station
Following the eighteenth unit’s start on 14 December 1966, Bratsk became the world’s largest hydroelectric station by installed capacity. It retained that position until Krasnoyarsk overtook it in 1971. This is a historical record, not today’s global ranking.
Системный оператор ЕЭС · пуск и мощность / First power and capacity ↗One trillion kilowatt-hours
On 13 January 2010, cumulative generation reached one trillion kWh. Irkutskenergo’s announcement described this as a first for Russia and Eurasia. It measures energy produced over decades, not annual output or generating capacity.
Финам · сообщение Иркутскэнерго, 13.01.2010 / Irkutskenergo announcement ↗Russia’s third-largest by capacity
The Hydropower of Russia Association lists Bratsk as Russia’s third-largest hydroelectric station by installed capacity. This contemporary fact sits outside the historical timeline ending in 1991. Station profile checked on 18 October 2026.
Ассоциация «Гидроэнергетика России» · паспорт и история / Station profile and history ↗Sources for this section
- Системный оператор ЕЭС · пуск и мощность / First power and capacity ↗
- En+ · Братская ГЭС / Bratsk HPP ↗
- А. Н. Семёнов · «Энергия Ангары» / Energy of the Angara ↗
- Библиотека Некрасова и En+ · летопись 1954–1967 / Construction chronicle ↗
- Финам · сообщение Иркутскэнерго, 13.01.2010 / Irkutskenergo announcement ↗
- Ассоциация «Гидроэнергетика России» · паспорт и история / Station profile and history ↗
Information checked on 18 October 2026. Photograph dates appear in captions.