20 August 2009

Russian power plant shut after blast

An oil-filled transformer exploded during repair work leaving 17 dead and 58 others unaccounted for at Russia’s largest hydroelectric power plant, the Sayano-Shushenskaya power station on the Yenisei River in southern Siberia.

The blast destroyed the walls and ceiling of the turbine room, causing it to flood. Ten other workers were reported injured, but reports claim the dam itself was not damaged.

Three turbines were completely destroyed, while three others were damaged. Plant owner RusHydro (Moscow, Russia) said a water surge, leading to an unexpected change in pressure, was the most likely cause for triggering the explosion. There is little hope the missing workers will be found alive, officials said.

“Finding anyone alive in the flood zone is unlikely, but the search continues,” said a spokesperson for RusHydro.

With a power generation capacity of 6,400 megawatts (MW), the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydropower station is the fourth largest in the world, housing 10 hydro turbines, each with a capacity of 640 MW. The facility’s average annual production is 23,500 gigawatt-hours, and much of the power the facility produces goes toward several major aluminum plants, including the Khakassia and Sayanogorsk aluminum plants, owned by United Company Rusal (Moscow).

“I believe that it will take years, not months, to repair three of the 10 units,” said Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu. “There is no threat to villages downstream from the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station. There is no threat of damage to the dam.”

The Sayano-Shushenskaya plant represents 25% of RusHydro’s total generation capacity of 25.3 gigawatts, and according to Vasily Zubakin, acting chief executive of RusHydro, the downtime and repair costs will cost the company “billions of rubles.” Even a partial restart will take months, company officials said.

Rusal reported the Sayanogorsk smelters are running as normal, following a switch to power supplies from neighboring regions. The company has also held emergency talks following the accident and said cuts in aluminum production may occur in order to allow the cities to store more electricity for the cooler autumn and winter seasons.

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