Construction work started in 1918. On September 16, 1921, it was included into a GOELRO plan. Genrikh Graftio, one of the founders of the plan, was in charge of the construction of the station. The plant was completed in 1927 with a capacity of 6,000 kilowatts.
The station on a 1930 Soviet postage stamp
In 1993—1996 3 hydroturbines were replaced by a new 12 MW units, other units are planned to be replaced in 2007–2010. After these replacements, the plant is estimated to achieve total power of 98 MW.