NOVOBUREISKY, Russia, May 22 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has given the command to start hydraulic unit number four at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power plant during a videoconference.
The president listened to a report by Valery Kyari, the director of the facility, on the status of the facility. Recovery efforts following a 2009 accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya power station, a subsidiary of RusHydro, have been completed, and the station is now entering scheduled maintenance, Putin noted after hearing the report.
The recovery efforts have reached a final stage and all work is being carried out in according to schedule. Seven new hydraulic units are operating at the plant, with a total generating capacity of 4.5 gigawatts. Hydraulic unit number four has passed all necessary tests, which confirmed that it is fully operable and ready to be installed.
Putin gave the command to start the launch of the hydraulic unit, which replaced an older one repaired after the accident. The president then congratulated the staff of the station on the launch.
The Russian president has also visited the construction site of the Nizhne-Bureiskaya hydroelectric power station, where he was informed of the progress over the last four years, including a number of innovative technologies.
About 1,500 people are working at the construction site. The power station will have four hydraulic units with a total generating capacity of 320 megawatts. The president has also been informed about flood protection measures for the facility, which prevented extensive flooding in the Far East from influencing the construction of the station. The management has assured President Putin that the planned deadlines will be met and that construction will be completed by 2016.
