Austrian company Andritz Hydro has secured a contract of nearly €60m from Ukrhydroenergo for the modernization of the 1.6GW Dnipro 1 hydropower station in Ukraine.
Ukrhydroenergo is the Ukraine’s state-owned utility while Andritz Hydro is a subsidiary of plant engineering giant, Group Andritz.
Located on the Dnieper River, the hydropower project is being funded by the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) under a rehabilitation program.
The first hydropower plant to come up on the Dnieper River, Dnipro 1 was constructed between 1927 and 1932. Its rehabilitation work is expected to be completed by end 2021.
Andritz Hydro will handle the complete rehabilitation of three 75MW Francis turbines and generators. The Austrian company will also dismantle, supply new equipment and provide installation and testing needed for the modernization of the plant.
All important components in the hydropower station will make way for new equipment barring the embedded parts. The modernization work is likely to boost the output to 75MW from 64MW besides significantly improving its reliability and safety.
Following its completion, the rehabilitation program would help Ukrhydroenergo in contributing more than 15% of Ukraine’s electricity supply.
According to Andritz Hydro, a hydraulic model test will enable optimum operation of the new turbines to be benchmarked and demonstrated within the geometric conditions of the present power facility.
The Ukranian state utility owns and operates nine hydropower stations that sum up to 102 turbine generator sets and a combined capacity of 5.7GW on the Dniester and Dnieper rivers.
In February, Andritz secured an order to supply electro-mechanical equipment for Energie Steiermark’s new hydropower plant to be constructed in Graz, Austria. Commissioning of the Austrian hydropower plant is slated in 2019.