OREANDA-NEWS. July 25, 2011. Two impellers for pump turbines for Zagorskaya PSPP-2 hydro units arrived at the station, which is under construction. This is the second shipment designed for hydro units No. 3 and No. 4 of the future PSPP. Impellers for the first two hydro units were loaded and shipped to Zagorskaya PSPP-2 in June 2010.

 The impellers are 6.3 metres in diameter and weigh 102 tonnes each. They were manufactured by the Petersburg power plant company Power Machines. Special vehicles were used to transport the equipment from Saint Petersburg to the Zagorskaya PSPP-2 site in the Sergiyevo-Posadsky District, Moscow Oblast along the Moscow – Saint Petersburg federal highway. The operation for transporting the large heavy equipment lasted three days.

 Hydro unit impellers for the pumped storage power plant (PSPP), unlike HPP hydraulic power equipment, can rotate in both directions. Due to this unique feature, the PSPP accumulates electricity, returning it to the power system as necessary. During the hours when  a drop in power consumption (predominantly at night) is observed in the power system , the PSPP hydro units work as pumps and, using cheap energy, pump water from the lower reservoir to the upper retaining reservoir to a height of several tens or hundreds of metres. During periods of high energy demand (predominantly during the morning and evening hours) the PSPP transfers to generator mode, turning the energy from falling water into electricity.  

A powerful 250 ton capacity crane was used to unload the impellers on the building site.A specia l 7 metre shelter to store the equipment safely and protect it of from precipitation, was made.

 "We have received the second and final impeller. Therefore, we now have all four impellers necessary for installing hydro units at the platform. This is one of the most important events in the life of the construction and one which we are all very happy about", announced the General Director of Zagorskaya PSPP-2 Vladimir Magruk. "With the commissioning of the second stage, Zagorskaya PSPP-2 will be the largest power plant in Moscow region."

 The contract to supply pump turbines to Zagorskaya PSPP-2 was signed between OJSC Power Machines and OJSC Zagorskaya PSPP-2 in October 2007. In accordance with contract obligations, the power plant company designed, manufactured, tested and supplied four 214 MW pump turbines for four hydro unit stations. In accordance with the conditions of the agreement, Power Machines is currently working on installation supervision of the supplied hydraulic equipment.

 Construction of Zagorskaya PSPP-2 is being performed close to the active Zagorskaya PSPP by the branch OJSC RusHydro. According to the system operator’s estimation, the deficit in flexible regulation power in the Central district of Russia is 2.5–3.0 million KW, including almost 1.5 million KW in Moscow Oblast. The second stage of the Zagorskaya pumped storage power plant is being built to partially solve this problem, and also to prevent emergency situations in Moscow and Moscow Oblast. After completion of  the construction and attaining rated capacity the highly flexible facilities of Zagorskaya PSPP-2 will enable levelling of peak demand and filling night time dips in the daily energy consumption schedule in UPS of the Centre, which increases reliability and enhances the quality of electricity supply to the region.

 The first two Zagorskaya PSPP-2 420 MW hydro units are planned to be brought into operation in December 2012. The station is to reach its full capacity (840 MW in HPP mode, 1000 MW in pump mode) in 2014. The station construction includes an upper and lower reservoir, an intake chamber, power conduits and station unit, power distribution scheme facilities and also infrastructure facilities which support construction. The construction of Zagorskaya PSPP-2 is being erected on over more than 700 hectares. There are more than 500 pieces of equipment and 1500 people at the construction site. Work is being performed 24 hours a day.