TGC-1 power engineers completed repairs at the Hyamekoski HPP, the oldest HPP in Russia

On 16 December 2014, TGC-1’s specialists commissioned the hydro generating unit No.3 at the Hyameskoski HPP, the oldest HPP in Russia, equipped with original systems dating back to 1903. The vibration tests of the equipment have shown high quality of the overall repair which was completed on 12 December 2014.

— The Hyamekoski HPP located in Sortavala region, is one of the landmarks of Karelia. It is the oldest HPP in Russia with the equipment dating back to 1903. Earlier, we have already increased the capacity of the Hyamekoski HPP by almost 1MW – from 2.6MW to 3.6MW. In 2007-2010, we rebuilt the overflow and heading dam, says Andrey Peltikhin, the Head of the small HPPs group of the Suna HPPs Cascade. In process of renovation and modernisation we are trying to keep the architecture of small power plants. The hydro generating unit No.3 was repaired by the service group of the small HPPs group of the Suna HPPs Cascade. The bearing babbit lining was renewed, and the impellers were renovated at the factory. The employees of the small HPPs group replaced the generator stator winding and installed the vibration and temperature controls.

The Hyamekoski HPP is special from the engineering point of view, because water is supplied from the dam to the HPP via the long water duct, which is located at a high level compared to the natural riverbed. When the dam is without water, you may see its design: its body is harmonically built in the granite relief – the rock is followed and mixed with concrete.

— The Hyamekoski HPP and five more HPPs belonging to the small HPPs group of the Suna HPPs Cascade, were erected at the territory of Priladozhye area before the Great Patriotic War, when this region still belonged to Finland. With no technical documentation available, Soviet power engineers were learning how to control the power plants in real time, says Raphail Khazin, Master of TGC-1’s small HPPs group. The unique Pitkyakoski HPPS is now operating in automatic mode and is inspected and repeatedly maintained by Sortavala specialists. In post-war time, the power plant building and hydro generating facilities have undergone several renovations and repairs. During the last repair, the tiled roof got its historical view.