The operating modes of the Volga and Kama reservoirs have been adjusted until mid-spring.
At a meeting of the Interdepartmental Working Group, held via video conference, the operating modes of the Volga-Kama cascade hydroelectric power plants for the period from March 11 to April 10 were agreed. The Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan, Azat Ziganshin, participated in the discussion from the Republic of Tatarstan.
From February 11 to March 5, the level of the Kuibyshev reservoir remained stable, fluctuating between 51.06-51.16 m according to the Baltic Sea System (BS). According to the latest data from the Upper Uslon hydropost, the current level is 50.95 m BS.
In the upper reaches of the Zhiguli hydroelectric complex (Kuibyshev reservoir), the level reaches 51.09 m BS, which is 71 cm higher than in the same period of 2025 (50.38 m BS).
According to forecasts, spring filling of the Kuibyshev reservoir in 2026 will begin in the first decade of April, about two weeks later than last year.
Roshydromet reports that as of February 28, the water reserves in the snow cover of the Volga-Kama Cascade basin are 138% of the norm.
For the period under review, Rosvodresursy proposed the following modes of operation of waterworks:
Kuibyshev: with an average discharge rate of 6300-6500 cubic meters per second;
Nizhnekamsk: with the maintenance of the water level in the upper reaches of the hydroelectric dam at 62.7-63.75 m BS.
The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan supported the proposed modes of operation of waterworks.
Official instructions on setting operating modes are published on the Rosvodresursy website. The next meeting is scheduled for the first decade of April.