At the Saratov HPP (part of PAO "RusHydro"), modernization of hydro unit No. 18 has begun. This is the last hydro unit to be updated as part of a large-scale long-term project to replace the hydro turbines of the Saratov HPP.
Specialists will replace the runner, runner chamber, cover and turbine shaft, guide apparatus, and other components.
The old Soviet turbine PL20/661-V-1030 from the Kharkov Turbine Plant operated for a record 58 years. It was put into operation in the late 1960s.
The historical equipment is being replaced by a completely domestic new-generation vertical Kaplan turbine – PL 20-V-1030, designed by engineers of the Russian plant AO "Tyazhmash".
The main uniqueness of the new machine lies in its dimensions – the diameter of the runner is 10.3 m. This is the largest unit of its type in Russia.