Vladimir Vypyraylo: motto of "SVS-DNIPRO" – always be on step ahead of!

His conscious life in the whole is dedicated to the construction of power facilities. More then 20 years experience of construction and electrical mounting works on different projects - from the nuclear power plants up to low voltage systems of power supply are behind his shoulders. He has enough what to tell.

 To readers’ attention – the interview of the editor-in-chief of "Elektropanorama" with Mr. Vypyraylo Vladimir Vyacheslavovich the chairman of Supervisory Board of CJSC "SVS Dnipro".
 
Vladimir Vyacheslavovich, how did you accomplished this year?

V.V.CJSC "SVS-Dnipro" is in stable operation, and fulfill all contract obligations. The personnel are provided with a scope of works. I suppose that taking into account general economic situation of the present-day we can consider these results as satisfactory, and even good. I can't say that we do not have the problems, but we evaluate them adequately and make the decision by the joint efforts.

How did you become the Director of one of the largest electrical installation enterprise in Ukraine?  

V.V. According to my education - I am electrical-engineer. After service in army, in 1986 I graduated from the Kiev Polytechnic Institute (the faculty of electrical engineering, chair of "Power plants"). According to the distribution I was hired to the All-Union of Red Banner order "Gidroelektromontazh" trust. I had participated in the damages liquidations on CNPP (Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant), worked at the starting unit of Khmelnitsky NPP, on Kurskaya NPP, took part in reconstruction works after earthquake in Armenia (Leninakan city). Then I worked at NPP Huragua (Cuba). We had been mounting the reactor VVER 440. Unfortunately we didn’t finish the construction – the USSR has collapsed. At the beginning of 90-th years I have returned to Kiev. Entirely other times have come. "SVS-Dnipro" has been organized in 1993.

 How did you start with?
 
V.V. At first the team has consisted of 15 - 20 persons. We have started with small projects in Kiev. Afterwards we worked in Zakarpatie – we constructed SS "Hust-2". Gradually we increased the profile of our works, created the new subdivisions. Accordingly, the team sizewas alsoincreasing.
 
And what about today?

V.V. Today "SVS-Dnipro" is a multiple-profile construction-and-installation enterprise with the staff about 1000 persons. The specialists of the Company are professionally performing the following construction-and-installation operations:

● mounting of overhead and cable lines of  0,4 - 110 kV;

● construction of switchgears of 0,4 - 330 kV;

● laying of the engineering networks, including heat supply mains and cable-and- trumpet

   ductwork;

● construction of industrial and domestic installations.

 We are performing the works throughout the Ukraine.  In the East - we are laying the CL 110 KV in  Donetsk city, in the West - we are mounting the electric engineering part of PSP Novodnestrovskaya. In the south – we are constructing the big and complex substation in Sevastopol with the full set of

voltages 35-110-220-330 kV. In the centre – we are mounting closed SS 110/10 KV "Zdolbunov". Well, and of course the projects in Kiev.

 I would like to ask you as an experienced practitioner and to get the direct answer to the simple question – what is the matter with the power supply in the capital of the Ukraine?
 
V.V. The question is far from to be easy. I suppose it would be wrong to consider the problems of power supply in metropolis separately from general economic and even political situation that has been formed in the country. The point is that in Kiev with its scale and special position these problems seem brighter. From my point of view the main problem is absence of clear strategy and succession of management in the development of city’s energy department. Already worked out the perspective plan of the Kiev’s infrastructure development up to 2025 is now morally and technically outdated, does not correspond to the modern requirements and leading engineering decisions. In particular, it does not take into account the modern rate of electric and heat loads growth, especially in the densely populated central part of Kiev. There is no collective understanding of the general strategy of energy-supply system development in the capital of the Ukraine.
 
And what is the result?
 
V.V. Today, the city is developing in random way to the please of momentary desires of government authorities. The land for the construction of dwelling or industrial projects is admeasured haphazardly and in addition far from providing the possibility to arrange the necessary power and heat supply as it is usually performed. And as a result – the power engineering specialists are working “in pursuit of" on principle " what can I do for you?". But it should (and can!) be differently. And we have examples of such kind and they are not far. It is quite enough to familiarize attentively with the experience of city's energy department development in former Baltic Republics - Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. I can assure you that many of those problems that we are only dreaming to solve they have removed from the agenda long ago. And city’s energy department operates “like clock-work”. And they do not have debts. It is only necessary to put at the head of corner not only momentary political but also strategic economic interests and keep strongly under the control their solving without any exceptionsfor anybody.
 
What is the power supply system of Kiev at present?
 

V.V. At present, reliable power supply in the capital of the Ukraine is the enormous problem. At present, reliable power supply in the capital of the Ukraine is the enormous problem. It was not formed today and even not yesterday, and is the result of allreasons that are stated above. Today’s attempts of JSC "Kievenergo" to solve the strategic problems of the city’s power supply system development are connected with stupendous problems of administrative nature. In particular, the question of the sites allotment for the construction of electrical power projects is considered today

as an equal with construction, for instance, an ordinary shopping center that absolutely is not correct.And by the way, it is not a fact that vitally important for city the territory for construction of the new substation or laying of the cable line will be admeasured exactly for this, rather then for the new trade or office centre. Sometimes I am thinking – is it really has to occur (God forbid!) the serious accident with "blackout" the most of the city (as it was, for instance, in Moscow) that, at last, all officials of the city came to united understanding of vital necessity to make consolidated strategic decision.

 At present the preparation of Kiev to Evro-2012 is in progress. How is the progress in reconstruction of external power supply system?
 
V.V. Today in Kiev and, particularly, in its central part occurs the stupendous increase of the electric load. At the same time, Kiev is practically "locked up" on deep entry (limitation on connecting up the powered loads) due to the lack of transformer capacitiesat the operational substations. Intracity cable networks of 110 kV are also extremely overloaded. Urgent installation the additional power autotransformers of 330 kV on SS "Novokievskaya", "Severnaya" and "Brovary" is extremely necessary. SS "Octyaberskaya" of 330 kV actually has appeared in the centre of city and its reconstruction is unpromising. To certain degree, as a problem solution will be the construction of SS “Zapadnaya” of 330 kV from which several CL 110 kV shall as if “penetrate” the centre of city and provide it with a necessary amount of electrical power. The problem will not be solved without the construction of this substation. But again everything is set against land allotment.
 

Does the "SVS-Dnipro" as erection organization feel these problems?

 V.V.When we "come in" to the project site to perform electrical installation works, it means, as a rule, that the issues of land allotment are already settled. But, if we start to participate in works fulfillment from the stage of designing (i.e. with the most initial stage) - we are making everything in entirely other way. Sometimes the investors, trying to accelerate the completion of works, start the design process having not solved entirely the problems of land allotment. In this case we have to join to these problems solving as we cannot complete the co-ordination of design documentation.
 
Today we strive for the complex decision of problem, starting from the stage of the preparing the working design and up to the full commissioning the project. We are offering the task solution in the "turnkey" manner. Already on the stage of designing we determine the equipment and connect it with the project, perform integration etc. This is minimization of the external factors influence and longing to the maximum use of our own possibilities and resources. Therefore today we strive to offer to investors exactly such approach.
 

But if the project is constructed for budgetary funds?

V.V. In this case the order of action is clearly prescribed - first competitive bidding for the fulfillment of design work (at that, the procedure of the undertaking the competitive bidding on designing for budgetary and equated to them funds provides step-by-step designing). From the very beginning design institute shall define the main parameters of the project WITHOUT CONNECTION IT to the equipment or supplying factories. And herewith only good intentions are pursued in order to prevent lobby of anyone's interests. And thereafter - the following stage – the competitive bidding on buying the equipment is declared. And only on the third stage this equipment is adapted to already performed project. It looks like everything is logical. But in practice we have a terrible situation of maximum time delay for the designing and, as a result, lowering the  quality of project.

 How do you solve these complex problems?
 

V.V. We diversify our activity for optimization of the process controllability. We have created several affiliated enterprises, which are assigned to certain types of activity: installation of electrical equipment, cable facilities, systems of the automation, adjustment subdivisions, enterprise, that is specialized in execution of works with the use of machinery that is related to a significant transportation of soil including transportation in city condition.

In due time we created the separate construction section that was responsible for the fulfillment of construction works at the project - walls, roof covering etc. At the increase the scope of works this section turned into self-independent construction enterprise – finishing works, sanitary engineering section etc. In other words today we are able to perform the whole complex of civil and erection works - from foundation up to finishing works. And the completion stage - preparation the whole complex of specific regulation documents for the power installations. These are complex and labor-consuming, but absolutely necessary documents, without which it is impossible to put the power installation into operation.

 How do you provide the quality of construction and electrical installation works?
 

The System of quality assurance in accordance with requirements of the international standard ISO 9001:2000 was developed and introduced in CJSC "SVS-Dnipro" since 2002.In 2007 the system successfully passed through the certificate audit that was carried out by "TYUF-NORD Ukraine" the international agency on certification. The expansion of the enterprise activity sphere has caused the necessity of spreading the activity of system quality on all subsidiary production enterprises of the company.

The managers and specialists of the enterprise are constantly improving their professional skills, they are getting training by the programs of the International Institute on Projects Management (PMI). Moreover, the employees of CJSC "SVS-Dnipro" are constantly attending the profiled exhibitions, get acquainted with the new engineering decisions. This is much helping in their activity.

 
Will you give an example?
 

V.V.  With pleasure. Due to acute lack of free areas in the densely populated part of Kiev the specialists of CJSC "SVS-Dnipro" have successfully mastered innovation technology of designing and construction of underground and partially recessed substations and TSS. Our specialists more than once visited the Czech Republic, and adopted the leading experience. And now we can be proud of our experience of construction these complex engineering structures.

 What kind of the most significant projects were commissioned this year?
 

V.V. Usually we have in production up to fifty agreements simultaneously and, accordingly, the same number of projects. In other words, we are working in multi-project mode. I can tell you with confidence: in 2008, as by the way in earlier too, we do not have none of fouled-up project. And I am proud of this. All projects of this year are not simple, especially city’s projects. In particular, to the most significant we can refer the reconstruction of SS 110 kV "Solomenskaya" and "Vokzalinaya". These projects are rather complicated from the technological point of view. Specific character of activity on substations, which are practically in operation during the whole year in the mode of loading close to maximum parameters, requires extremely coordinated functioning with operating personnel of the "Cable networks" branch of JSC "Kievenergo", and occasionally - non-standard decisions. On reconstruction of SS "Vokzalinaya" the cable ring of 110 kV from SS "Bastionnaya" to SS "Octyaberskaya" through the SS "Centre", "Vokzalinaya", "ST1" and "Polytechnicheskaya" was closed. This has allowed improving in considerable extent the reliability of power supply to the right-bank part of Kiev city.

 We are also performing the works on reconstructions of electric part of the 2-nd unit of Kiev HPS (4 hydraulic units). By the end of 2008 the project is planned to be commissioned.
 

Your forecasts and wishes for 2009

 V.V. Beginning of year will very hard. Decrease of investment activity on construction market is very evident. It is felt the recession of electric power consumption in the most power-consuming field - metallurgy. As a result, decrease the amount of receipts for consumed electric power and, accordingly, decrease of construction works content at the account of tariff and updating of many investment programs. But, "in spite of all problems" the electric light must be on, and we have to do all necessary for ensuring no-break power.
 

In 2009 it would be desirable to have intelligible policy and integrated solutions on way out from crisis. Today the personnel of CJSC "SVS-Dnipro" are a united team of professionals, which are able to solve the utmost difficult problems. We have high-skilled nice young people and experienced specialists, who have been working in power field fore many years. Our main priority is expediency and common sense to the benefit of business. And always be on step ahead.

 Vladimir Vyacheslavovich, thank you for interview! The team of "Elektropanorama" wishes the "SVS-Dnipro" company successfully overcome these hard times. And let many more power projects constructed by your company will supply the heat and light to our homes.