Irtysh River Dam Project Delayed Amid Contractor Issues

On February 6, Omsk Oblast Governor Vitaly Khotsenko and the head of the Federal Agency for Water Resources, Dmitry Kirillov, held a working meeting to discuss the completion of the Krasnogorsk water-lifting dam. The strategic hydro-engineering facility is located on the transboundary Irtysh River.

The discussion focused on assessing the current status of the construction site, including the pace of work, design parameters, and contractor performance. Governor Khotsenko acknowledged that the project faces significant difficulties–citing issues with the construction timeline, the project design, and the contractor itself. An updated work schedule is pending an assessment from Glavgosexpertiza, Russia’s main state expert review body, which will determine the strategy for bringing the facility into operation.

Work on the first phase of the dam’s completion resumed in spring 2022. The original commissioning date of spring 2024 was subsequently moved to September 2025. The situation was exacerbated when the contractor, Mezhregionstroy LLC, was placed on the federal Register of Unscrupulous Suppliers in December 2023. Regional and federal authorities are currently coordinating measures to stabilize the project and ensure its completion.