MOSCOW, Russia 2/23/12 (PennWell) -- JSC RusHydro has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Government of the Krasnoyarsk Region to develop the greenfield Nizhne-Kureyskaya hydropower plant.
Construction of the 150-MW hydroelectric facility is planned in the Turukhansky region on the Kureyka River. RusHydro says it expects the project to cost more than US$99.5 million to construct and that it is currently seeking project financing.
The memorandum establishes key parameters and details the terms of cooperation between the two entities. As per the memorandum, RusHydro's participation is conditioned on raising sufficient outside project financing and support from the local administration, while Krasnoyarsk will provide all necessary assistance for the project.
RusHydro contracted the project’s output to Turukhanskenergo in August 2011 with a preliminary power purchase agreement that provides a one-part selling price of about $0.53 per kWh through Dec. 31, 2042.
The project has already undergone a feasibility study and public hearings on its expected environmental impact. RusHydro says the first units could come online by 2018.
In other news, RusHydro launched operation of the fifth unit, and the first entirely new unit, at its Sayano-Shushenskaya plant in December 2011.
