The Vitebsk hydropower plant is now operating in test mode and has produced some electricity, BelTA learned from Yuri Mitskovets, Deputy Director General for Capital Construction at the Vitebsk Oblast electrical company Vitebskenergo, on 13 December.
According to the source, virtually all the work to build the hydroengineering complex has been completed. All the equipment has been installed and is being tuned now. As part of the pre-commissioning procedures the first hydraulic aggregate was turned on on 1 December and produced some electricity. The second one went online on 7 December. "We intend to turn on the third hydraulic aggregate on 14 December, which will be followed by the fourth one. In other words, the construction of the hydropower plant is nearing completion. The hydropower plant is now operating in test mode and feeds electricity to the national power grid," said the Deputy Director General for Capital Construction of the Vitebsk Oblast electrical company Vitebskenergo.
The contract on building a hydraulic aggregate of the Vitebsk hydropower plant was signed with China National Electric Equipment Corporation (CNEEC). The installed capacity of the Vitebsk hydropower plant is 40MW (four 10MW turbines). The Vitebsk Oblast electrical company Vitebskenergo will be able to save 42,600 tonnes of oil equivalent per annum or $11.56 million.