Soviet-German cooperation in the field of hydro-turbine engineering in the 1920s

In December 1920, the GOELRO plan was adopted: a long-term plan for the electrification of the country, which was supposed to form the necessary prerequisites for the industrial development of the young Soviet state. The development of hydropower played an important role in this, however, without the necessary technologies and experience in building large hydro turbines, the Soviet state would have been forced to acquire them abroad, and thus inevitably fell into dependence on the advanced Western countries. In this regard, it was decided to develop Soviet own hydro-turbine-building enterprises (one of the key ones among which was the Leningrad Metal Plant), attracting foreign assistance whenever it was possible. Cooperation was started with the German company «Fritz Neumeyer», which was ready not only to supply finished products, but also to carry out technical cooperation. This article contains an attempt to consider the prerequisites for cooperation of the Leningrad Metal Plant with the company «Fritz Neumeyer», to determine the key areas of the transfer of technologies of hydro-turbine engineering between Leningrad Metal Plant and the «Fritz Neumeyer» at various stages, and to assess the impact of this cooperation on the establishment and development of national hydro-turbine development.