en.Wedoany.com Reported - RusHydro has completed the replacement of unit No. 4 at the Nizhny Novgorod Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP), increasing the station's installed capacity by 7.5 MW to 545.5 MW.

The replacement was completed in the first quarter of 2026, and comprehensive tests showed that the unit's capacity increased from 65 MW to 72.5 MW. Unit No. 4 is the third of the station's eight generating units to undergo an upgrade. Currently, the replacement of unit No. 7 has been initiated. RusHydro stated that through the phased replacement of all hydro-generating units, the station's total capacity could ultimately be increased to 580 MW.

Alongside upgrading the generating equipment, the company also modernized the station's power distribution system and several auxiliary systems, including replacing 6.3/0.4 kV auxiliary transformers, as well as equipment in the 6 kV, 110 kV, and 220 kV switchyards. It also updated the maintenance gates for the hydro-generating units and the spillway gates.

Additionally, RusHydro upgraded the compressed air system, drainage system, fire protection system, and lighting system, and reconstructed the drainage system of the riverbank dam. Reconstruction of the road crossing above the station's concrete structures is still ongoing.

The Nizhny Novgorod HPP is the fourth stage of the Volga-Kama Cascade of HPPs. In addition to supplying power to the Unified Energy System of Russia, the station supports navigation on the Volga River and helps manage peak electricity demand.

This upgrade is part of RusHydro's program to modernize its hydropower assets. The company plans to replace approximately half of the key equipment at its HPPs and pumped storage power plants, including turbines, generators, and transformers. The program adopts a plant-wide approach, combining the replacement or reconstruction of main equipment with upgrades to auxiliary equipment, plant-wide systems, and hydraulic structures.

Under this program, the installed capacity of RusHydro's HPPs has increased by a cumulative 719 MW, with a total of 153 turbines, 167 generators, 114 power transformers, and over 10,000 units of auxiliary equipment replaced or modernized.

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