The first hydro-electric set of the Dniestr Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant was launch. The pilot launch took place at 7:25.

The launch process was guided by Semen POTASHNIK, the Hero of Ukraine, academician, Chairman of Ukrgidroenergo OJSC. The launching facility was attended by Nikolay Vladimirovich KRAVCHENKO, the honorable power engineer of Ukraine and director of SVS-Dnepr CJSC.

The launch of the first hydro-electric set of the most powerful Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant in Europe was dedicated to the Power Engineer Day. This unique hydro-electric set was given the name of Slava.

According to Serguey LISNICHENKO, the General Director of Energoatom LLC, the first hydro-electric set of the Dniestr Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant, whose rotor weighs 780 tons, and whose stator weighs 540 tons, was activated by one of the turbines of the Dniestr Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant-1 located almost 20 km away.

The huge mass of the hydro-electric set with a huge rotary moment was slowly activated with increasingly accelerating current from Dniestr Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant-1 whose frequency gradually increased from 0 up to 50 Hz. “This mode of frequency launch became a unique experiment in the development of Ukraine’s energy industry. The experimental launch was successful and the hydro-electric set was switched to the synchronous compensator mode. The Slava hydro-electric set has become one of the world’s most powerful reverse sets,” added S. LISNICHENKO.

He also informed that in May 2009 the hydro-electric set will work in the pumping mode, and in September – in the generator mode. The capacity of the Slava hydro-electric set is 430-480MW.

The customer of the Dniestr Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant is Ukrgidroenergo OJSC, the chief contractor is Energoatom LLC. In general, 50 subcontractors are engaged in construction of this project and up to 3 thousand people work here daily. All the equipment, most of which is unique and has no counterparts around the world, was made by national engineering companies, in particular by plants such as Turboatom, Elektrotiazhmash, Enpaselektro. This year, construction of the Dniestr Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant used over UAH 700 million.

Note. Construction of the Dniestr Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant started 25 years ago near Novodnestrovsk in Chernivtsi region on the Dniestr. The Dniestr Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant will have a total capacity of 2.3 thousand MW. 7 hydro-electric sets will operate here. This is the largest Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant in Europe and the sixth largest project in the world’s hydro-energy industry according to its scale.

Compliance with the schedule of construction and installation works in this launch project was personally controlled by President of Ukraine Victor YUSHCHENKO and Premier Yulia TYMOSHENKO who participated in the process of filling the station’s lower basin with water on December 4. The course of works in this project is controlled by Ukraine’s Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy PRODAN.

The Dniestr Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant will make it possible to strengthen Ukraine’s energy competitiveness, regulate the load schedule in its energy system in accordance with the world’s standards of relationship of the base and peak capacity, and also become a kind of an emergency electrical energy reserve.

Y. TYMOSHENKO called the Dniestr Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant environmental project No. 1 in Ukraine and said that this Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant will make it possible for the nation to gain certain energy independence which has been so much discussed for the last few years.

Besides, the Premier emphasizes that the Dniestr Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant is a renewable source of energy thanks to which the nation will be able to save significant amounts of natural gas. This is why, emphasizes Y. TYMOSHENKO, the Dniestr Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant must be an example of how to complete works in many similar projects.