Moscow, 18 February 2004. Today, the turbine runner for the third hydroelectric unit of Bureyskaya HPP has been delivered from St.-Petersburg to Zavitinsk Airport in Amurskaya Region on an An-124-100 "Ruslan" airplane. Within one day, the turbine runner will be carried 80 km by road from Zavitinsk to the settlement of Talakan. The road transportation will be carried out by the specialists of OAO "Bureyskaya HPP" who have experience in carrying extra-heavy loads.

The pilot operational turbine runner of the third hydro generation unit is 6.25 meters in diameter and weighs 104 tonnes. The runner differs significantly from the first two replaceable runners currently installed at the power plant.

The first two runners are intended for use at the reservoir level below the designed one (between 50 and 105 metres). They are to remain in service until the construction of the power plant is completed, following which they will be replaced with standard runners. The third runner may operate at 120 meters of head, which does not require its subsequent replacement.

The efficiency of the third turbine runner is 96.3% compared to 91,3% of the replaceable ones, which ensures higher energy efficiency. With replaceable runner installed, the capacity of the hydropower generator is 190 MW, whereas the pilot operational runner will ensure a capacity of 300 MW under the same conditions.

The new runner for the third hydro generation unit of the plant has been developed as a result of joint effort of engineers of Leningradsky Metallichesky Zavod (LMZ) and specialists of Bureyskaya HPP.

The third runner is scheduled to be installed in April 2004, and the third hydro generation unit of the power plant is planned for November 2004.

Bureyskaya HPP ranks among the highest priority projects of RAO "UES of Russia". The first two generator units of the plant were put into operation in 2003, which resulted in better operation of the Eastern Unified Energy System and lower electricity tariffs for consumers in Amurskaya Region, Khabarovsk Kray and Primorsky Kray.

The entire project is scheduled to be completed in 2007. Bureyskaya HPP will be the largest hydroelectric plant in the Far East of Russia. The power plant's installed capacity will be 2,000 MW, with the average annual output of 7.1 TWh. In 2004, Bureyskaya HPP will be able to produce 2.1 TWh of electricity.