Reconstruction of the Chirkey HPP
Capacity: 1100 MW
Timeline: 2027
Project initiator: RusHydro
As part of the modernisation, it is planned to replace most of the power plant equipment and reconstruct the hydraulic structures, as a result of which the capacity of the plant will increase by 100 MW. The renovation of the Chirkey HPP will be carried out as part of RusHydro’s Comprehensive Modernisation Programme.
Reconstruction of the Irganai HPP
Capacity: 400 MW
Project initiator: RusHydro
The plant is one of the stages of the Cascade of HPPs on the Sulak River and its tributaries. The project of reconstruction of the 1st stage of the Irganai HPP with a capacity of 400 MW has received a positive conclusion of the Main Directorate of State Expertise of Russia. The modernisation project was developed by the Lenhydroproject company (part of RusHydro). The customer for the development of the project is the Dagestan branch of RusHydro.
Nikhaloyskaya HPP
Capacity: 23 MW
Timeline: 2027
Project initiator: RusHydro
The Nikhaloyskaya HPP will become the second project of RusHydro in the Chechen Republic. The plant will be built in the high-mountain Itum-Kalinsky district on the Argun River, downstream of the Bashennaya HPP, which is planned to be commissioned in 2024. The design of the plant is currently underway.
Construction of the Motyginsk HPP
Capacity: 1.1 GW
Project initiator: En+ Group
The new Motyginsk HPP will be the fifth stage of the Angara Cascade, three HPPs of which have been built and are operating, and the Boguchany HPP is under construction.
The most likely location for the construction of the HPP is the Polikarpov Island area, 151 kilometers from the mouth of the Angara River. The probable NWL (normal water level) is 127 meters. Capacity – 1082 MW. The plant should operate on 10 units with a capacity of 110 MW each. The dimensions of the station: width: 24.5 m, height: 22.2 m, length: 238.6 m.
Modernisation of the Irkutsk HPP
Capacity: 761.2 MW
Project initiator: EuroSibEnergo-Hydrogeneration (En+ Group)
During the work, the main equipment on hydroelectric units No. 1, 2, 7, 8 was replaced. At the same time, the modernisation of the last, eighth hydroelectric unit, was carried out in record time – it was completed in 335 days. Thanks to the modernisation, the capacity of four hydroelectric units increased from 82.8 MW to 107.5 MW each, and the efficiency of the equipment was improved. Besides, since October 2023, En+ together with the general designer and manufacturers of hydraulic turbine equipment have been preparing for the second phase of modernisation of the Irkutsk HPP and the replacement of hydroelectric units No. 3, 4, 5, 6.
Construction of the Lower Zeya HPP
Capacity: 400 MW
Timeline: The Lower Zeya hydropower plant is included in the General Scheme for the Placement of Electric Power Facilities until 2035. In 2023, the Lenhydroproject institute, which is part of the RusHydro Group, began the design work. Construction may start in 2024, and commissioning is expected in 2029–2030.
Project initiator: RusHydro, Government of the Amur Region
The Lower Zeya HPP will be located on the Zeya River downstream of the Zeya HPP – the second largest hydropower plant in the Far East. The government of the Amur Region plans to assist in the implementation of investment projects, in particular, the coordination of planning documentation for the construction of hydropower plants after their inclusion in the spatial planning scheme of the Russian Federation. In addition, the government plans to provide assistance in holding public discussions on the materials of the environmental impact assessment of the construction of hydropower plants, organize work on the construction of reservoirs and the acceptance of the reservoir beds prepared for filling.
The key task of the new hydropower plants will be to combat destructive floods in the Amur basin by delaying flood runoff in the reservoirs.
