Bilibino
Encyclopedia
Bilibino is a town and gold-mining center in Bilibinsky District
of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
, Russia
, located at the confluence
of the Karalve'em and the Bolshoy Keperve'em Rivers (Kolyma
's basin
) 653 kilometres (405.8 mi) north-west of Anadyr
. It is the second largest town in Chukotka (population ). Municipally, Bilibino is subordinated to Bilibinsky Municipal District and incorporated, together with the selo of Keperveyem as Bilibino Urban Settlement.
, in the Chuvan Mountains.
as well as at Lake Tytyl
and Lake Illirney
.
Interest in the area around the present day site of the town began in the 1920s when prospector
s including Soviet geologist
Yuri Bilibin discovered gold
in the region and began to make assessments regarding the commercial viability of its extraction. In 1955, the town was officially founded, though at this stage it was little more than a collection of geologists' and prospectors' tents, who had originally been based in Semchan
. Because of his discovery of the gold in the region, particularly within the vicinity of the Bolshoy Anyuy
and Maly Anyuy
rivers, the geologists decided to name the town after Yuri Bilibin.
The town began to develop in the early 1960s, when Bilibino was joined to the Pevek
power gird and in 1965, the Soviet government decided to build a nuclear power station, aided by several hundred volunteers from the Komsomol
and by 1976, the station was completed and generating power for the region.
Status as an urban-type settlement
was granted in 1958, town status in 1993.
Like a number of Russian outposts in the far east, the population has dropped significantly since the dissolution of the Soviet Union
.
opened in 1976. The Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant
is the only nuclear power plant in the Russian Far East
and has four reactors, each with an output of 12MWe and a programme of upgrades has been put in place to guarantee the running of the power station for the next 15 years.
The area has virtually no roads that are usable year-round; even a trip from the airport at Keperveem to Bilibino town requires a 40 km journey along an unpaved road.
Bilibino is on the winter-only ice road
between Pevek
and Zelyony Mys on the Kolyma River near Nizhnekolymsk in Yakutia.
Bilibinsky District
Bilibinsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is located in the western portion of the autonomous okrug and in terms of non-municipal divisions borders with Chaunsky District in the northeast, Anadyrsky District in the...
of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug , or Chukotka , is a federal subject of Russia located in the Russian Far East.Chukotka has a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census, and a surface area of . The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, located at the confluence
Confluence (geography)
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...
of the Karalve'em and the Bolshoy Keperve'em Rivers (Kolyma
Kolyma River
The Kolyma River is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia. Itrises in the mountains north of Okhotsk and Magadan, in the area of and...
's basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
) 653 kilometres (405.8 mi) north-west of Anadyr
Anadyr (town)
Anadyr is a port town and the administrative centre of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the extreme north-eastern region of Russia. It is at the mouth of the Anadyr River, on the tip of the southern promontory that sticks out into Anadyrskiy Liman...
. It is the second largest town in Chukotka (population ). Municipally, Bilibino is subordinated to Bilibinsky Municipal District and incorporated, together with the selo of Keperveyem as Bilibino Urban Settlement.
Geography
Bilibino is sited at the transition zone between the conifer forest and the tundraTundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
, in the Chuvan Mountains.
History
As with large portions of Chukotka, the earliest human remains found in the region around Bilibino have been dated to the Early Neolithic, with camp sites having been excavated at Orlovka 2, a site on the banks of the Orlovka RiverOrlovka River, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
The Orlovka is a river of Bilibinsky District, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia....
as well as at Lake Tytyl
Lake Tytyl
Lake Tytyl is a lake of Bilibinsky District, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia....
and Lake Illirney
Lake Illirney
Lake Ilirney is a lake of Bilibinsky District, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia....
.
Interest in the area around the present day site of the town began in the 1920s when prospector
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
s including Soviet geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
Yuri Bilibin discovered gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in the region and began to make assessments regarding the commercial viability of its extraction. In 1955, the town was officially founded, though at this stage it was little more than a collection of geologists' and prospectors' tents, who had originally been based in Semchan
Seymchan
Seymchan may refer to:*Seymchan , an urban-type settlement in Magadan Oblast, Russia*Seymchan Airport, an airport in Magadan Oblast*Seymchan , a meteorite found in 1967 in Russia...
. Because of his discovery of the gold in the region, particularly within the vicinity of the Bolshoy Anyuy
Bolshoy Anyuy River
The Bolshoy Anyuy River or Bolshoy Anyui River is a river in the Kolyma River basin in Far East Siberia. It flows roughly westwards and passes through the sparsely populated areas of Chukotka...
and Maly Anyuy
Maly Anyuy River
The Maly Anyuy River or Maly Anyui River is a right tributary of the Kolyma River in the Russian Far East. It flows roughly westwards, passing through western Chukotka Autonomous Okrug...
rivers, the geologists decided to name the town after Yuri Bilibin.
The town began to develop in the early 1960s, when Bilibino was joined to the Pevek
Pevek
Pevek is a town and Arctic port in Chaunsky District, part of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. After Anadyr and Bilibino it is the third largest town in Chukotka. Population: Municipally, the town is subordinated to Chaunsky Municipal district and together with Apapelgino and Yanranay, is...
power gird and in 1965, the Soviet government decided to build a nuclear power station, aided by several hundred volunteers from the Komsomol
Komsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
and by 1976, the station was completed and generating power for the region.
Status as an urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...
was granted in 1958, town status in 1993.
Like a number of Russian outposts in the far east, the population has dropped significantly since the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
.
Economy and infrastructure
The town is home to the world's northernmost nuclear power plantNuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
opened in 1976. The Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant
Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant
The Bilibino Nuclear power plant is a power plant in Bilibino, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. The plant is equipped with four EGP-6 reactors. The plant is the smallest and the northernmost operating nuclear power plant in the world.-External links:**...
is the only nuclear power plant in the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
and has four reactors, each with an output of 12MWe and a programme of upgrades has been put in place to guarantee the running of the power station for the next 15 years.
The area has virtually no roads that are usable year-round; even a trip from the airport at Keperveem to Bilibino town requires a 40 km journey along an unpaved road.
Bilibino is on the winter-only ice road
Ice road
Ice roads are frozen, human-made structures on the surface of bays, rivers, lakes, or seas in the far north. They link dry land, frozen waterways, portages and winter roads, and are usually remade each winter. Ice roads allow temporary transport to areas with no permanent road access...
between Pevek
Pevek
Pevek is a town and Arctic port in Chaunsky District, part of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. After Anadyr and Bilibino it is the third largest town in Chukotka. Population: Municipally, the town is subordinated to Chaunsky Municipal district and together with Apapelgino and Yanranay, is...
and Zelyony Mys on the Kolyma River near Nizhnekolymsk in Yakutia.