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Nornickel finalizes upgrade of hydroelectric power plant in north of Krasnoyarsk Region

After the upgrade, the power plant’s capacity will be up to 511MWe instead of earlier 441MWe

NORILSK, October 18. /TASS/. The Norilsk Nickel Company (Nornickel) finalized the upgrade of the Ust-Khantaiskaya hydroelectric power plant in the Norilsk Industrial District (the Krasnoyarsk Region’s north), TASS reported on Monday from the ceremony to put operational the power plant at full capacity.

The upgrade began in 2014. During the works all the seven units, which had been working for more than 50 years, were replaced with up-to-date equipment. The project’s investments made 7.5 billion rubles ($105 million). After the upgrade, the power plant’s capacity will be up to 511MWe instead of earlier 441MWe. The maximum annual generating capacity will be 2.4 billion KWH. The power plant will have lower operation costs and ecology risks, as it has stopped using oil hydraulic pumps.

"The energy system upgrade is a priority for Nornickel," the company’s Vice President on Energy Evgeny Fedorov said. "The company relies in long term on renewable energy sources in compliance with the general trend for maximum ecology-focused projects."

"The new units at the Ust-Khantaiskaya hydroelectric power plant have made a major input in the process of reliable and ecology-clean energy supplies to settlements in the Krasnoyarsk region’s north and to the company’s big industrial enterprises," he added.

According to Director General of the Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company (NTEC, a part of Nornickel) Sergei Lipin, the project has been implemented within the planned time. The hydroelectric power plant’s increased capacity will answer the region’s growing demand for electricity. The Krasnoyarsk Region’s Governor Alexander Uss noted that the power plant’s launch after the upgrade is "quite a historic event." The upgraded power plant will favor the energy system stability in the Norilsk Industrial District.

The Ust-Khantaiskaya hydroelectric power plant was built in 1963-1975. It was the first hydroelectric power plant in the Arctic. It is a part of the Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company. The power plant supplies electricity to the Norilsk Industrial District’s enterprises and to residential houses in Norilsk, Igarka and Dudinka.

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