The Ministry of Transport plans to create a cascade of small hydroelectric power plants on the Dnieper-Bug Canal by 2013

May 14, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA /. The Ministry of Transport plans to create a cascade of small hydroelectric power plants on the Dnieper-Bug Canal by 2013. This was announced by Fyodor Pekar, Head of the Innovation, Scientific and Technical Activities and Engineering Support Department of the Ministry of Transport, at a republican seminar on energy saving in the transport industry, which is being held in Vitebsk today, according to a BELTA correspondent. A total of 6 hydroelectric power plants are planned to be built. In 2008, a mini-hydroelectric power plant with an installed capacity of 330 kW was commissioned at the Duboy navigation lock. At the end of last year, a mini-hydroelectric power plant was launched in Kobrin. In general, the implementation of the project will allow for the generation of about 8 million kWh of electricity. The use of non-traditional and renewable energy sources is one of the main directions of the energy saving policy in the Ministry of Transport system for the future, Fyodor Pekar noted. In addition to the construction of mini-hydroelectric power plants, the use of wind power for electricity generation in the industry deserves attention. Thus, work is currently underway in cooperation with the German company Enertrag to create the country's first wind farm in the Minsk region. In the first stage, costing about 104 million euros, the implementation of which is planned to be completed in the second half of 2011, the construction of wind turbines with an energy capacity of up to 80 MW is envisaged. In the second stage, the capacity of the wind farm will increase to 160 MW. It is also planned to continue the implementation of solar collectors at the enterprises of the Ministry of Transport, which convert solar energy into thermal energy. In 2009, more than 20 solar collectors were installed in the industry. According to Fyodor Pekar, attention should also be paid to the possibilities of using geothermal energy with the help of heat pumps, which convert the thermal energy of soil and groundwater into energy of a higher potential, suitable for practical use. A promising direction for energy saving is the introduction of energy-saving equipment and technologies, including mini-CHP plants, energy-efficient lamps, and LED light sources. -0-