The preparatory stage for the construction of the HPP has been completed in the Polotsk district

September 4, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. The preparatory stage for the construction of a hydroelectric power station has been completed in the Polotsk district, the Vitebsk republican unitary enterprise "Vitebskenergo" informed a BELTA correspondent. The preparatory stage for the construction of the Polotsk HPP was the construction of a diversion channel, carried out from March to August. On September 5, the damming of the Western Dvina riverbed will be completed at the site of the future facility (10 km from Polotsk near the village of Luchno), which will allow builders to proceed directly to the main work - the construction of the hydraulic structure of the Polotsk HPP. In addition, other work has been carried out. For example, a pit has been excavated to an elevation of 111 m on the right bank of the river at the site of the future HPP. 10 kV and 0.4 kV power supply lines for the construction site have been laid, the arrangement of the access road from the state road network is being completed, and the 4th line of dewatering wells for the pit is being constructed. The construction of the dam is planned to begin in the autumn. On the left bank of the river, excavation of the diversion channel is being carried out by excavators with transportation to the spoil tip. Simultaneously, the slopes of the channel are being planned, and the bottom and slopes of the channel are being reinforced with crushed stone. The construction of the Polotsk HPP in the floodplain of the Western Dvina is being carried out in accordance with the State Program for the Development of the Belarusian Energy System for the period up to 2016. A contract for the comprehensive construction of the hydraulic structure has been concluded with the Russian enterprise OJSC "VO "Technopromexport", which will carry out all turnkey works, including design, construction, supply and installation of equipment, commissioning and regime adjustment works, testing, and commissioning of the facility. "Currently, all technical and structural-layout solutions proposed by the Russian company for the main structures of the HPP, including the construction of the diversion channel, have been agreed upon. In accordance with the schedule, drawings and construction documentation are being developed. At the same time, despite the fact that Technopromexport is the general contractor, many enterprises of the Vitebsk region are involved in the implementation of the project," Vitebskenergo noted. The supplier of the main power equipment is the Czech company Mavel. The installed capacity of the HPP, which will be equipped with five hydrogenerators, will be 21.75 MW. The launch of the new station is scheduled for the first half of 2015. The annual electricity generation will be 110 million kWh, annual fuel savings - 35 thousand tons of conventional fuel, and the payback period - 29.4 years. One of the main tasks set for the project is to reduce the probability of adverse environmental impact of the HPP. Taking this into account, the project adopts technical solutions that exclude the possibility of lubricant and other substances leaking into the river, and uses energy-saving natural units with gearboxes that do not require oil changes. A special section of the project provides for measures to prevent emergencies and actions in case of their occurrence during the flood period without damaging the hydraulic structure. In accordance with the Concept of Energy Security of the Republic of Belarus until 2020, a cascade of four hydroelectric power stations is planned on the Western Dvina: Polotsk, Vitebsk, Beshenkovichi, and Verkhnedvinsk. Their total installed capacity will be 125-130 MW.-0-