Two-year project on power equipment renovation has been completed at Poduzhemskaya HPP of TGC-1

TGC-1 power specialists have completed the two-year project on replacement of excitation system of hydroelectric generating units at Poduzhemskaya HPP of the Kem HPPs Cascade. Earlier, in 2014–2015, similar work was performed at another plant of the Cascade – Putkinskaya HPP.

"Upgraded excitation systems provide reliable operation of generating units in all operation modes, as well as maintenance of voltage rated level," noted Sergey Chugrov, Director of the Kem HPPs Cascade of TGC-1.

Every year, a large volume of work is carried out at the Kem HPPs Cascade to upgrade power equipment, as well as renovate buildings and structures of hydro power plants. Under the renovation programme, the work was carried out to replace 220 kV current transformers at Putkinskaya and Poduzhemskaya HPPs. Modern switches were installed at 10 kV and 6 kV switchgears at Krivoporozhskaya and Yushkozerskaya HPPs, as well as at 220 kV outdoor switchgear at Putkinskaya HPP. The performed work is aimed at improving reliability and operational safety of power plants.

All hydro power plants of the Cascade – Poduzhemskaya, Krivoporozhskaya, Yushkozerskaya and Putkinskaya HPPs – are provided with autonomous backup power sources, as well as with video monitoring and hydro-measurement systems to monitor water level in the plant water-storage basins.

"The importance of this work can hardly be overestimated. For example, this autumn the Kem River faced with rainfall with an extremely high natural inflow, water flow through the lower HPPs of the Cascade was sometimes 850 cubic meters per second. That amount of water is comparable to spring flood. The flood situation is also complicated by the fact that the run-off along the Chirko-Kem River (the biggest tributary of the Kem River) is unregulated," Sergey Chugurov noted. "An increase or decrease of water flow through hydraulic structures is done on the basis of on-line monitoring data and with account of the forecast by the regional division of Roshydromet – Karelian Centre of Hydrometeorology and Monitoring of Environment."