The agreement follows a Strategic Cooperation Agreement signed between alstom and RusHydro in December 2010. Alstom will carry out the rehabilitation of electro and hydro mechanical equipment as well as install a new instrumentation and control system at the complex. Its partner OEK will be responsible for all civil works. A feasibility study will define the necessary work to be performed.
The rehabilitation project could take between six to ten years to complete. Part of the equipment to modernise the plants could be provided by the joint hydropower manufacturing facility to be built by RusHydro and Alstom in Ufa City, in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia. The factory will be oriented to production of hydrogenerating equipment for small hydropower plants, as well equipment for Distributed Control Systems (DCS), Condition monitoring systems, Excitation Systems for hydro generators and integrated site security systems. In perspective, the enterprise will be producing also equipment for medium HPP, and pumped storage power plants.
The Kubansky Cascade hydropower plant complex, RusHydro’s subsidiary situated at the Kuban River and extending for 235km, includes eight hydro power plants and one pumped storage power plant, with a total original capacity of over 460MW. The modernization by Alstom could ensure a capacity increase from 10% to 20% (up to 550MW).
