Alstom contracted to refurbish units at Latvia's 402 MW Riga hydropower plant

RIGA, Latvia State utility Latvenergo AS has awarded a contract worth more than US$107.2 million to Alstom to refurbish six Kaplan units at the 402-MW Riga hydroelectric project in Latvia. Alstom (LSE: ALO) said the work includes overhauls of each of the 69 MW generating units, a new control system and auxiliary equipment, increasing Riga's annual production by at least 20 GWh when the work is complete in 2022.

"The Riga hydropower plant is strategically important for energy supply in Latvia, and we will be able to raise the efficiency of the hydropower plant and enhance its operation safety for the coming decades," Latvenergo production director Maris Kunickis said. "We have chosen Alstom because they will implement specific solutions reducing the outage duration of each unit."

Riga is one of Latvia's three major hydropower projects which, combined with the 868.5-MW Plavinas and 257-MW Kegums, account to generate about half of the country's supply of electricity. Riga is located on the Daugava River and was completed in 1975. The Alstom refurbishment is part of Latvenergo's $214.5 million hydroelectric upgrade program. HydroWorld.com reported earlier this year that Alstom's Renewable Sweden AB branch had been selected by Vattenfall Vattenkraft AB to upgrade one of three turbine units at the 327-MW Ligga hydropower plant in Sweden.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2015/04/alstom-contracted-to-refurbish-units-at-latvias-402-mw-riga-hydropower-plant