DUSHANBE, March 4, 2011, Asia-Plus — Ukrainian joint-stock company (OJSK) Turboatom has shipped spare parts to Tajikistan for repairing hydraulic turbine equipment at the Norak hydroelectric power plant (HPP), the Turboatom press service reports.
An agreement on delivery of spare parts and seven rotors for Norak HPP was signed between Turboatom and Barqi Tojik power holding (the state-owned utility responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Tajikistan) in October 2009.
In February this year, the sides reached an agreement on delivery of devices and instruments to the Norak HPP as well as production of plug for rotary hydraulic valve in 2011, the Turboatom press service said, adding that a contract on providing chief assembly services is expected to be signed in December 2011.
Turboatom also reports that work on production of rotor for Unit 1 is nearing completion and it is expected to be shipped to Tajikistan in April 2011.
To-date, the Ukrainian company Turboatom has produced rotors for Units 3 and 8, the source at Barqi Tojik said.
Turboatom specializes in the production of turbines for thermoelectric and nuclear power stations, hydraulic turbines for hydroelectric power stations and hydro-accumulator stations, gas turbines for thermoelectric power stations, and steam-and-gas equipment as well as other energy equipment. A 75.22% stake in the enterprise belongs to the state and is managed by the State Property Fund.
The Norak Dam is an earth fill embankment dam on the Vakhsh River. At 300 meters it is currently the tallest dam in the world. Construction of the dam began in 1961 and was completed in 1979, when Tajikistan was still a republic within the Soviet Union. The Norak Dam is uniquely constructed, with a central core of cement forming an impermeable barrier within a 300 meter-high rock and earth fill construction. The volume of the mound is 54 million m³. The dam includes nine hydroelectric generating units, the first commissioned in 1972 and the last in 1979.
A total of nine hydroelectric turbines are installed in the Norak Dam. Originally having a generating capacity of 300 megawatts each (2,700 megawatts total), they have since been redesigned and retrofitted such that they now combine to produce 3,000 megawatts. Units 1,2,3,4,6,7,8, and 9 now have capacity of 335 megawatts each and Unit 5 now has capacity of 320 megawatts.
