The contract is worth over 100 million euros and includes the refurbishment of the turbines, the generators a new control system and auxiliary equipment. The renovation is scheduled for completion in 2022 and will allow the annual production at the Riga plant to grow by at least 20 GWh.
The Riga plant is located on the 1,020 km long Daugauva River and is one of the three main hydropower plants in Latvia. Collectively, these plants generate more than 50 percent of the electricity in the country with Riga producing more than 679 GWh of clean energy in 2013. The rehabilitation of the plant will extend its lifetime by at least 40 years and increase its efficiency. The project is part of Latvenergo’s 200 million investment programme on the Daugava River.
“Alstom has a long standing experience in hydropower” said Eric Staurset, Alstom’s Nordic & Baltic countries Director. “Our dedicated team is committed to refurbish the Riga hydropower plant in a manner that improves reliability, lowers long term operating costs and benefits the environment. This contract shows our commitment to the Latvian hydro market.’’
Māris Kuņickis, AS Latvenergo Production Director, added that the plant is strategically important for energy supply in Latvia and that the refurbishment will improve its efficiency and enhance its operational safety for decades to come. The company chose Alstom for the contract on the basis of specific solutions offered by them which will reduce outage duration of each unit.
Alstom currently has an installation portfolio accounting for a quarter of the world’s hydro facilities along with extensive experience in assessing, servicing, retrofitting and modernising operational power plants. The company’s comprehensive asset management programme is aimed at reducing total cost of ownership.
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