Latvian power company Latvenergo has awarded Alstom a contract valued at over €100 million to refurbish 6 x 69MW Kaplan units for the Riga hydropower plant on the Daugauva river.
Under the terms of the deal, Alstom will refurbish the turbines and generators, and install a new control system and auxiliary equipment. Alstom intends to use local companies in the execution of the contract.
One unit per year will be refurbished for the next eight years and the renovation is expected to be completed in 2022. As a result of the reconstruction, the annual production at the Riga hydropower plant will grow by at least 20GWh.
The Riga hydropower plant is one of the three main hydropower plants in Latvia, which together produce more than 50% of the country’s electricity. The rehabilitation will extend its lifetime for at least 40 years and increase its efficiency, Alstom said.
"The Riga hydropower plant is strategically important for energy supply in Latvia, and we will be able to raise the efficiency of the hydropower plant and enhance its operation safety for the coming decades," commented Māris Kuņickis, AS Latvenergo Production Director. "We have chosen Alstom because they will implement specific solutions reducing the outage duration of each unit to the benefit of Latvenergo.”
Image: Riga hydroelectric plant, courtesy of Latvenergo
