One family – one energy. The history of the labor dynasty at the hydroelectric power station cascade

The success of any enterprise largely depends on labor dynasties. The explanation is simple: employees connected by family ties protect the brand of their family name – they treat their duties conscientiously and diligently. There is a family at Cascade Hydroelectric Power Plant whose total work experience in the company is more than two centuries. How did this happen? The history of the dynasty was told by the great-granddaughter of its founder, Svetlana Vladimirovna Vasilyeva, leading engineer of the technical maintenance department of the Cascade HPP of AlPP JSC.

Mikhail Ivanovich Skomaroschenko is rightfully considered the founder of the dynasty. In 1943, he, his wife and three minor daughters (one of them – the future successor of the professional dynasty) were expelled from Belarus to Kazakhstan. They decided to put down new roots in Almaty, but unemployment forced them to move to the working village of Energetik on the outskirts of the apple city, where the Cascade of hydroelectric power stations was growing at a steady pace.

Local residents greeted them warmly and helped them with food whenever possible. At first, the family lived in a dugout. Over time, the Skomaroschenkos settled down: they planted a vegetable garden and got birds. And then, when Mikhail Ivanovich got a job at the station and received a plot of land, they built a spacious house. But first things first…

The head of the Skomaroschenko family became part of the Cascade HPP team in 1945. He worked as a lineman for hydraulic structures and participated in the construction of houses for workers. In 1946, Mikhail Ivanovich received the medal “For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War.” In 1964 he was awarded the Veteran of Labor medal, and in 1966 the medal For Labor Distinction. In total, he worked at the company for 24 years.

His daughter, Nina Mikhailovna, has been devoted to energy for the same number of years. At different times, she worked as a chlorinator at GES-2 and as a car refueler in the motor transport department. Her husband, Boris Ivanovich Volokhov, returned from the war, got a job at HPP-1 as an engineer, then was an on-duty mechanic at the main unit of the BAO. His work experience at the station is 32 years.

Mikhail Ivanovich’s granddaughter, Elena Borisovna, dedicated 39 years of her life to the Cascade of Hydroelectric Power Plants. First she worked as a kindergarten teacher at the station, then became a video surveillance operator. In 2012, she retired. The title of the undisputed leader in the number of years worked at the Cascade hydroelectric power station is held by Vladimir Viktorovich, Elena Borisovna’s husband. His experience is 41 years. The man worked as a driver of an on-duty car. His interest in automotive technology was instilled in him by his father, Viktor Andreevich Vasiliev, who for 31 years was also a driver at the Cascade hydroelectric station.

Svetlana Vladimirovna, the great-granddaughter of the head of the dynasty, got a job at the Cascade hydroelectric station in 1997.

“After graduating from school, I was faced with the question: who should I be, what profession should I choose? My grandmother (the second daughter of the head of the dynasty), who worked her entire working life at a long-distance telephone exchange in Almaty, helped me navigate the diversity presented. She said: “Connection will always be in demand,” our heroine recalls.

Armed with advice, Svetlana entered the Almaty College of Communications. After graduating from the educational institution, she got a job at JSC “NC “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy”. A month later, she was invited to the Cascade hydroelectric station, and she agreed without hesitation.

“I did not set myself the goal of continuing the labor dynasty, that’s how fate turned out. All my relatives lived and worked here. I was born in this place, grew up, I know the names of almost all the residents, and they also treat me like a daughter, granddaughter of the Vasilyevs and Volokhovs,” noted Svetlana Vladimirovna.

Our interlocutor began her activities at the Cascade HPP as an electrician of an automatic telephone exchange (ATS). A few years later, she went on maternity leave. In 2006, Svetlana Vladimirovna returned, but to the position of ATS technician, since the previous vacancy was abolished.

In 2007, our heroine was offered to try her hand as a regime engineer.

“At first I was confused. But Mukaev Bolat Ualihanovich, our director, expressed confidence that I would successfully master a new profession, since the work of both signalmen and power engineers is connected with electrical circuits and parameters. That same year I entered the Almaty University of Energy and Communications named after Gumarbek Daukeev,” said Svetlana Vladimirovna.

The work of our interlocutor is to plan energy operating modes from GES-1 (the highest pressure station in the CIS) to GES-11, taking into account the capabilities of surface water sources, including Big Almaty Lake.

“Due to my duties, I actively interact with all workshops and departments of our department, representatives of government organizations, and secondary water consumers,” the interlocutor explained.

In 2016, our heroine headed the trade union committee “Energy” of the HPP Cascade. During her work at the enterprise, Svetlana Vladimirovna was twice included on the honor board, first as a PD, then at AlES JSC.

Svetlana Vladimirovna’s children – daughter and son – decided not to join the family labor dynasty. But my husband shared with our heroine not only all the “sorrows and joys,” but also his love for energy. In 2016, Alexey Evgenievich got a job as a driver at the Cascade HPP.

“In my opinion, the best example of stability, corporate spirit and high social responsibility of enterprises is the preservation of working dynasties and the emergence of new ones. Since 1945, three generations of our family have worked at the Cascade hydroelectric station – the Skomaroschenkos, the Vasilievs and the Volokhovs. Our total experience is 213 years. We all represented different professions, but each of us approached our work responsibly and did everything possible to ensure that the country’s energy industry developed decisively,” our interlocutor concluded.

Evgeniya Semashkina