IRKUTSK, Russia 9/22/11 (PennWell) -- Russian utility OAO Irkutskenergo and Voith Hydro GmbH & Co. KG of Austria have signed a contract for supply of six replacement turbine rotors at the 4,500-MW Bratsk hydroelectric project in the Angara-Yenisei cascade in Siberia.
Within the framework of the Baikal Economic Forum at Irkutsk, Voith signed the agreement September 13 to deliver the first turbine rotor by September 2013 and the sixth by March 2016.
Irkutskenergo completed installation of six previous replacement rotors at the end of 2010. That equipment was supplied by Russia's Power Machines, with installation beginning in 2006. Replacement of the rotors increases turbine efficiency to 95.3 percent, the utility said.
General Manager Yevgeny Fyodorov of Irkutskenergo and OAO EuroSibEnergo said it was decided to replace the additional six rotors to raise the economic efficiency of the units and to improve reliability and security of the Bratsk project.
EuroSibEnergo is a private Russian energy company owned by En+Group that controls 18 power plants totaling 19,500 MW. Most of that capacity is in the major hydro projects of the Angara-Yenisei cascade in Russia's Far East.
Fyodorov said 10 of 12 generators of the 6,000-MW Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric project have been fully upgraded. Additionally, the 3,840-MW Ust-Ilimskaya and the 662.4-MW Irkutsk hydro projects are undergoing scheduled upgrading of equipment, he said.
