A 54MW floating solar power plant on the reservoir of Nizhne-Bureyskaya hydropower plant has been brought online and is being tested, RusHydro has announced.
Currently operating under test mode, experts are investigating its autonomous operation as well as joint operation with the hydropower plant. Upon completion of testing, the floating plant will take place at the headrace of the hydropower plant as its auxiliary to increase electricity production and contribute to operational efficiency.
The facility features a pontoon block with 140 solar cells manufactured by Hevel.
To date this is the second hybrid generation project implemented at Nizhne-Bureyskaya. In December 2019, solar panels with combined capacity of 1275kW were commissioned, reducing the cost of electricity for the facility’s own needs.
Nizhne-Bureyskaya is the second stage of Bureyskiy hydropower complex, the largest generating facility in the Far Eastern Federal District. The facility is a counter-regulator to Bureyskaya, one of Russia’s largest hydroelectric plants. It has been operational since September 2019 with installed capacity of 320MW and annual average electricity output of 1.67 TWh.
