Uch-Kurgan Hydropower Plant Upgrade Reaches 25 Percent

Work on the simultaneous replacement of the first two hydroelectric units at the Uch-Kurgan Hydropower Plant in Kyrgyzstan is 25 percent complete. The modernization of the facility is commissioned by the Electric Stations company – the Chinese corporation CNEEC is acting as the general contractor. Currently, 110 engineers and workers are active on the site.

The old equipment on both machines has been completely dismantled and moved to warehouses, and the area is being prepared to receive new components. On the first hydroelectric unit, specialists are assembling and centering the impeller chamber, while also preparing the foundations for power transformers and auxiliary systems. On the second machine, laser cleaning of the metal surfaces of the turbine shaft, restoration of the spiral casing, and laying of new pipelines are underway. The generator rotor is undergoing preparation for the installation of poles.

In parallel, builders are reconstructing the hydraulic structures. Cementation and the drilling of angled wells are taking place within the body of the Uch-Kurgan Hydropower Plant dam. On the upstream side at an elevation of 542 meters, workers are removing concrete from the emergency repair gates of the second unit. In the downstream section, the installation of hydraulic drives for the intake gates is underway – following this, the repair of the control system will begin.

The equipment upgrade will stabilize the operation of the national energy system and increase electricity generation. Prior to the large-scale reconstruction, the capacity of the hydropower plant was 180 MW. Following the commissioning of the third and fourth hydroelectric units, this figure reached 198 MW. The completion of the current work on the first two machines will bring the Uch-Kurgan Hydropower Plant to a final capacity of 216 MW.