Power Machines and RusHydro have signed a contract to upgrade four hydraulic units at Volzhskaya HPP under turnkey terms

Power Machines will also supervise installation activities and manage start-up operations for hydraulic turbine No. 12 and carry out the full scope of works for turbines Nos. 8, 5 and 20, including dismantlement, installation supervision, commissioning, testing, and putting into operation. Upon completion of works to upgrade Volzhskaya HPP’s turbines, rated capacity of each turbine will increase from 118 MW to 129 MW, while at the maximum water pressure turbine’s capacity will be up to 145 MW.
The contract’s timeframe is 2011 through 2013. Commissioning of the first three turbines is slated for the first, second and fourth quarters of 2012.  The fourth turbine is scheduled to be put into service in the second quarter of 2013.  All of the turbines will be environmentally friendly and will have oil-free impeller bushes.
The long term programme for upgrading and retooling of hydraulic equipment and facilities has been implemented at Volzhskaya HPP in 2005. It is aimed to fully replace worn out equipment for the new generation units that embody advanced engineering solutions and technology.  The programme is expected to be completed by 2020. Under the upgrade and retooling programme, eight out of the twenty-two hydraulic turbines of Volzhskaya HPP have already been replaced.  Three of these are new high capacity turbines with advanced performance features.
Upgrade and modernisation activities will enable to significantly improve performance and enhance reliability of the equipment, while also providing for an increase in Volzhskaya HPP’s rated capacity by 203.5 MW of design value.  The amount of investment required for the project up to 2020 amounts to approximately 10 bln. rubles.
Volzhskaya HPP operated by RusHydro JSC is the largest hydroelectric power plant of the Volga-Kama Cascade and the largest one in Europe.  Its rated capacity is 2.57 GW (2,572 MW). Annually it works out on average 11.1 bln. kW-hours of energy. The power produced by the plant is used to cover peak load in the Unified Energy System of Russia.  If necessary, the hydroelectric power plant is capable of substantially expanding its power output and thus it ensures reliable operation of the unified power system of power grids in Russia.
Generating facilities of Volzhskaya HPP comprise the total of twenty-three hydraulic units produced by Power Machines’ subsidiaries – Leningradsky Metallichesky Zavod and Elektrosila.  Eighteen of these units produce 115 MW, two – 120 MW, another two – 125.5 MW, and one – 11 MW.
Construction of the hydroelectric facility dates back to 1950s.  The first power unit was put into operation on 22 December 1958. On 10 September 1961, the Governmental Commission declared the plant to be ready for routine operation. Since then, the plant has generated over 573 bln. kW-hours of electrical energy.