The contract stipulates the completion of the services in 2021 / Photo from uhp.kharkov.ua
State-run Ukrhydroenergo, the operator of hydropower plants (HPP) and pumped storage power plants (PSPP) in Ukraine, has signed a contract with Austria's Andritz Hydro for the reconstruction of Dnipro HPP's three hydroelectric units built in 1932, according to Ukrhydroenergo's press service.
"A contract worth EUR 53.6 million and UAH 151.4 million (or EUR 5.13 million), including VAT, to upgrade three units (including three Francis turbines and three generators) at Dnipro HPP-1 was signed with the winner of this lot, Andritz Hydro (Austria), on December 23, 2016," the press service said in a statement.
Under the contract, the Austrian-based company, which is a global supplier of electromechanical systems and services for hydropower plants, will renovate the units which were put into operation in 1932 and rebuilt in 1946 after World War II.
"The contract stipulates the completion of the services in 2021," Ukrhydroenergo's press service said.
Read alsoUkrhydroenergo paid about UAH 2 bln taxes in 2016The document was signed as part of a joint project with international banks for the rehabilitation of Ukrainian HPPs and PSPPs.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers on July 13, 2016, approved a program for the development of the hydropower sector until 2026. The program foresees that the share of hydropower plants should double in the country's energy balance to 15.5%, while their generation capacity should grow by 3.5 GW. The hydropower plants currently generate approximately 5 GW.
To achieve the goals, the company plans to invest about UAH 90 billion in the construction of new facilities and reconstruction of existing HPPs and PSPPs. Ukrhydroenergo also raises loans from international banks, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank, and the World Bank.
UNIAN memo. Ukrhydroenergo operates nine hydroelectric power plants on the Dniester and Dnipro Rivers: Kyiv HPP, Kaniv HPP, Kremenchuk HPP, Dniprodzerzhynsk HPP, Dnipro HPP, Kakhovka HPP, Kyiv PSPP, Dniester HPP, and Dniester PSPP, with a total capacity of 5.008 GW. Dniester PSPP is under construction now. The HPPs and PSPPs provide coverage of peak loads, frequency and power control in Ukraine's power grids.