RUE "Vitebskenergo" announced a tender for the selection of a general contractor for the construction of a HPP

July 30, Minsk / Irina Aniskevich - BELTA /. RUP "Vitebskenergo" has announced a tender to select a general contractor for the construction of the Vitebsk Hydroelectric Power Station. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent at the enterprise. The review of submitted applications will begin on September 10-16. The process will take from 10 to 30 days. The contract with the general contractor is planned to be signed by the end of the year. It is planned to allocate Br435.2 billion for the construction of the Vitebsk HPP on the Western Dvina River. The corresponding decision is contained in Resolution No. 675 of the Council of Ministers. Financing of the construction is expected to be carried out through loans (including foreign ones) issued under government guarantees and own funds of RUP "Vitebskenergo". As reported to a BELTA correspondent at the Ministry of Energy of Belarus, the commissioning of the Vitebsk HPP with an installed capacity of 40 MW is planned for 2013. The HPP will generate an average of 138 million kWh of electricity per year. Thanks to the use of water energy instead of generating the same amount of electricity, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 71.2 tons per year, and toxic gases by 236 tons per year. The commissioning of the Vitebsk HPP will ensure the replacement of imported fuel in the energy system by 42.6 thousand tons of conventional fuel per year. The construction site for the Vitebsk HPP is located 8 km from Vitebsk upstream of the Western Dvina River. The location was chosen taking into account the creation of maximum head while minimizing damage from the demolition and relocation of existing structures during the construction of the hydro-node, convenience of communications, and favorable hydrological and geological conditions. The Ministry of Energy noted that the construction of hydroelectric power stations in Belarus is driven by the program to include up to 25% of local and renewable energy sources in the country's fuel balance. The advantages of hydropower include minimal operating costs and fuel savings. -0-