PRESS: Gazprom Energoholding may use Chinese turbines in plant

MOSCOW, Apr 26 (PRIME) -- Gazprom Energoholding, a company that unites power assets of Russian gas giant Gazprom, wants to build a 330-megawatt (MW) steam thermal power plant in the republic of Yakutia using two Chinese gas turbines, Kommersant business daily reported on Wednesday quoting four industry sources.

The company plans to launch the first stage of the plant in the autumn of 2026, and to install a steam turbine in the autumn of 2027. In order to meet the deadline, Gazprom Energoholding wants to build the plant using the AGT-110 turbines made by Chinese firm AECC Gas Turbine, sources told Kommersant.

Sources told the business daily that Gazprom Energoholding had already chosen a site for the thermal power plant near the Chulman Village, where it wants to build an 8-kilometer branch from the Sila Sibiri (Power of Siberia) pipeline. A source said that the government would have to amend conditions of the federal program for upgrade of the Far Eastern thermal power plants to allow the company to use non-localized turbines, or it would have to make an exemption for Gazprom Energoholding.

The power market regulators think that the Chulman power plant is necessary to cover deficit of power capacities in the Far East and to supply power to the Eastern Railway Polygon, to export power to China, and to cover internal demand. It is also necessary due to a high amount of breakdowns and malfunctions of old plants in the region, Kommersant reported.

An Energy Ministry representative told the business daily that the ministry supported Gazprom Energoholding’s idea. The government’s commission for development of the power sector should consider the project at a meeting on Thursday.

Sources also told Kommersant that the government had no plans to cancel hydropower giant RusHydro’s plan to build two power units of the Neryungri coal power plant with a combined capacity of 450 MW even though the company delayed the launch of the two units by 2 years to 2028.

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