Gazprom put into operation modernized hydropower unit No. 2 of the Verkhne-Tulomskaya HPP in the Murmansk Region. Thus, the ambitious upgrade of generation equipment at the most high-performance hydro power plant in the northwestern part of Russia was completed.
Taking part in the event were Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region, and Denis Fyodorov, Director General of Gazprom Energoholding.
The Verkhne-Tulomskaya HPP plays a key role in the Kola energy system: it provides the cities and large industrial enterprises of the Murmansk Region with electricity, secures the required level of electric power transmission to Karelia and performs the function of a reserve source of electric power that can be rapidly put into use.
The work to upgrade the HPP commenced in 2018 and was performed in a stepwise manner. Under the project, hydropower generation and electric equipment was completely replaced at all four hydropower units. In addition, the most cutting-edge automated control systems were introduced at the plant. All new equipment and control systems are of Russian make.
As a result of the works performed, the installed electric capacity of the HPP rose by 32 MW and reached 300 MW.
Special attention was paid to reducing environmental impacts. For instance, seals made of modern polymer materials were used in oil pressure units to achieve a more eco-friendly functioning of the plant's hydropower units. This solution made it possible to completely exclude the possibility of oil getting into the flow part of a hydropower unit and then into the river.
The upgrade project was implemented without suspending the HPP's operations: throughout the entire period of the upgrade works, the plant kept supplying consumers with electric power and regulating the current transmission frequency in the Kola energy system.
“We have increased the capacity of the Verkhne-Tulomskaya HPP, which means that the capacity of the whole Kola energy system is now increased, and we enhanced the reliability and eco-friendliness of the equipment. This makes it possible to provide even more efficient energy supplies to consumers, while the margin of capacity opens additional avenues for developing the northwest of Russia,” said Alexey Miller.
