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Wednesday, 08 June 2022

One family is one energy. The history of the labor dynasty at the Cascade of hydroelectric power plants

The success of any enterprise depends largely on labor dynasties. The explanation is simple: employees connected by family ties cherish the brand of the surname – they are conscientious and diligent about their duties. There is a family at the Cascade of the hydroelectric power station whose total work experience in the company is more than two centuries. How did it happen? The history of the dynasty was told by the great–granddaughter of its founder – Vasilyeva Svetlana Vladimirovna, a leading engineer of the Cascade hydroelectric power plant of JSC "AlES".

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

The locals welcomed them warmly, helped them with food if possible. At first, the family lived in a dugout. Over time, Skomaroshchenko settled down: they broke up a vegetable garden, brought birds. And then, when Mikhail Ivanovich got a job at the station and received a plot of land, a spacious house was built. But about everything in order…

The head of the Skomaroshchenko family became part of the Cascade HPP collective in 1945. He worked as a crawler of hydraulic structures, 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 medal "Veteran of Labor", and in 1966 the medal "For Labor Distinction". In total, he worked at the company for 24 years.

His daughter Nina Mikhailovna was devoted to energy for the same number of years. At various times, she worked as a chlorinator at HPP-2 and a tanker of cars in a motor transport station. Her husband, Boris Ivanovich Volokhov, returned from the war, got a job at HPP-1 as an engineer, then he was a duty motorist at the main node of the BAO. His work experience at the station is 32 years.

The granddaughter of Mikhail Ivanovich – Elena Borisovna devoted 39 years of her life to the Cascade of hydroelectric power plants. At first, she worked as a kindergarten teacher at the station, then became a video surveillance operator. In 2012, she went on a well-deserved rest. The title of the undisputed leader in the number of years spent at the Cascade of hydroelectric power plants is held by Vladimir Viktorovich, the husband of Elena Borisovna. His experience is 41 years. The man worked as the driver of the duty car. His interest in automotive technology was instilled in him by his father – Vasiliev Viktor Andreevich, who for 31 years was also a driver at the Cascade of the hydroelectric power station.

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

"After graduation, I was faced with the question – who to be, what profession to choose? My grandmother (the second daughter of the head of the dynasty), who worked all her working life at a long-distance telephone exchange in Almaty, helped me to navigate the diversity presented. She said: "Communication will always be in demand," our heroine recalls.

Armed with advice, Svetlana entered the Almaty College of Communications. After graduation, she got a job at JSC NC "Kazakhstan Temir Zholy". A month later, she was invited to the Cascade of hydroelectric power plants, and she agreed without hesitation.

"I did not set a goal to continue 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 almost all the residents by name, and they know me as the daughter, granddaughter of the Vasilievs and Volokhovs," Svetlana Vladimirovna noted.

Our interlocutor started her activity at the Cascade of hydroelectric power plants from the position of an electrician of an automatic telephone exchange (PBX). A few years later, she went on maternity leave. In 2006, Svetlana Vladimirovna returned, but already to the position of a PBX 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 Ualikhanov, 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, parameters. In the same year, I entered the Gumarbek Daukeev Almaty University of Energy and Communications," Svetlana Vladimirovna said.

Our interlocutor's job is to plan energy modes of operation from HPP-1 (the highest-pressure station in the CIS) to HPP-11, taking into account the possibilities of surface water sources, including the Big Almaty Lake.

"On duty, I actively interact with all workshops and departments of our department, representatives of state organizations, secondary water consumers," – the interlocutor explained.

In 2016, our heroine headed the trade union committee "Energy" of the Cascade of hydroelectric power plants. During her work at the enterprise, Svetlana Vladimirovna was twice listed on the honor board, first by PD, then by JSC AlES.

Svetlana Vladimirovna's children – daughter and son – decided not to join the family labor dynasty. But the husband shared with our heroine not only all the "sorrows and joys", but also the love of energy. In 2016, Alexey Evgenievich got a job at the Cascade hydroelectric power station as a driver.

"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. Three generations of our family – Skomaroshchenko, Vasilyev and Volokhov – have been working at the Cascade of the hydroelectric power station since 1945. Our total experience is 213 years. We all represented different professions, but each of us took a responsible approach to our work, did everything possible to ensure that the country's energy industry developed decisively," our interlocutor concluded.

Evgenia Semashkina