The large hydropower plant Sayano-Shushenskaya fell apart on August 17, 2009, when one of its hydro turbines broke apart, flooding one of the rooms, and causing the ceiling of the turbine room to collapse
Russian hydroelectric company RusHydro reports the results of the four-year reconstruction efforts on a large hydropower plant which was destroyed in 2009.
The large hydropower plant Sayano-Shushenskaya fell apart on August 17, 2009, when one of its hydro turbines broke apart, flooding one of the rooms, and causing the ceiling of the turbine room to collapse. As a result, ten hydropower units of the plant were destroyed, and 75 people were killed.
After the incident, the first stage of reconstruction started in 2010, when four hydropower units were restored and went back into operation. In 2011, a newly manufactured hydropower unit was launched and construction was completed on a shore spillway that releases water during peak floods. In 2012, three more hydropower units were launched.
March of this year, another new hydropower unit was commissioned, with another one slated to be commissioned at the end of 2013. At present, the reconstruction of the hydropower plant has reached its final stage, during which, all previously restored hydropower units will be replaced with new ones.
It is expected that by 2014, the plant will be fully equipped with up-to-date equipment with enhanced performance characteristics that meet all safety and reliability requirements.
RusHydro reports that as of today, the hydropower plant has five new hydropower units in operation with total working capacity of 3,480 megawatts, or around 60 percent of the plant’s installed capacity. – Ecoseed Staff
