At the Mamakan Hydroelectric Power Plant in the Irkutsk region, comprehensive tests of hydro unit No. 2 were successfully completed after a full equipment replacement. The work was carried out by specialists from the JSC "SO UES" branch – the Irkutsk Regional Dispatching Department – in cooperation with the plant's personnel and contractors.
The updated unit underwent a series of automatic starts, load sets and drops, frequency regulation participation checks, and 72-hour continuous operation at minimum and maximum power. During the equipment's parallel operation with the Unified Energy System of Russia, the System Operator's dispatchers ensured stable network operation and uninterrupted power supply to consumers.
The modernization of the equipment, which was commissioned back in the 1960s, began in 2024. New Russian-made hydroturbines and hydrogenerators were supplied by the Tyazhmash group of companies. By 2031, three more units are planned to be updated, which will increase the plant's installed capacity from 86 to 112 megawatts.
Mamakan HPP is the first hydroelectric power plant in Russia built in the permafrost zone. It is located on the Mamakan River, 12 kilometers downstream from the city of Bodaibo. The plant, commissioned for permanent operation in 1966, remains the main source of electricity for the Bodaibinsky and Mamsko-Chuysky districts.
