The Russian national large hydro company has signed a supply deal for the 3GW plant's output to 2028. Initial supplies will commence late this year with commissioning of the first of nine units at Boguchanskaya, and the second and third units are to be delivered to site by about the end of 2009.
Generation at the plant is to be ramped up with three units coming into service each year over 2010-2012, when the project is scheduled to be completed. Initially, it had proposed that the first unit would be commissioned this year.
The Boguchanskaya project - which includes an 87m high rockfill embankment dam with asphaltic core - is being built on the river Angara and the project is three-quarters completed.
Power Machines was awarded the design, manufacture and supply contract for the 333MW (nominal capacity) turbines in late 2006. Each turbine has a diameter of 7.86m and weighs 155.6 tonnes, and the first was despatched in Q3 last year.
The plant is expected to generate 17,600 GWh of electricity per year when fully operational.
Work first started during the Soviet era, in 1980. Power sector restructuring seven years ago brought the Russian federal hydro power and aluminium companies - RusHydro (previously called Hydro OGK, until restructuring over the last couple of years) and Rusal - to work in joint venture to complete the project.
