OREANDA-NEWS. June 27, 2011. JSC RusHydro (ticker symbol: RTS, MICEX, LSE: HYDR; OTCQX: RSHYY) announces that the Volzhskaya hydropower plant (HPP) put into operation hydropower unit with an installed capacity of 115 MW at plant number 19 following an upgrade.

Upgrade of the hydropower unit was started October 2010. The turbine was shut down in accordance with the plant technical re-tooling and upgrade program. During this period, engineers upgraded the turbine runner - replacing its bushings with new coal glass-epoxy ones. This is a multi-layer structure that includes anti-friction coating and a bearing base. In addition, the old generator's circuit breaker was replaced with a gas-insulated one and the hydro-power unit's automatic control system was reconstructed.

The cost of the hydro-power unit upgrade was RUR 68.9 mln.  

In 2011, RusHydro plans to allocate RUR 2,328 mln (compared with RUR 555.8 mln in the previous year) for technical re-tooling and equipment reconstruction at the Volzhskaya HPP.

The program includes: replacing two hydro-power turbines (plants number 12 and 8) with new, higher capacity ones. The program will also include replacing pump-house equipment for drying up the HPP building gallery for pipes and mains and central oil system facilities. RusHydro plans to reconstruct nine power transformers and arrange explosion and fire protection systems. In addition, existing automatic control equipment will be replaced with micro-processor based control and vibration diagnostics equipment for three hydro-power units (plant numbers 19, 7, 15). Additional reconstruction of hydro-power engineering structures will be carried out, including: changing level zones, reinforcing concrete slopes and installing splined. A feasibility study will be launched for reconstructing the 500 kV open switchgear.