Fortum to refurbish two of the Imatra hydropower plant’s seven units

Helsinki, Finland, 28-2-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — Fortum is carrying out extensive refurbishment of two of the Imatra hydropower plant’s seven units. The refurbishment will increase the capacity of the power plant to 192 megawatts and will improve safety and reliability. After the refurbishment, the Imatra plant will be Finland’s largest hydropower plant in terms of capacity and production.

“The refurbishments will start with the power plant’s number-three unit, which will go offline on 3 March 2014. The plan is to restore its electricity production before the middle of September. The number-three unit’s turbine, generator, and electrical and automation systems will be modernised during the complete overhaul. Additionally, the unit’s auxiliary systems will be upgraded and extensive structural work will be performed on the unit’s water channels. The refurbishment will increase the number-three unit’s capacity by 7 megawatts and the power plant’s capacity to 185 megawatts. Refurbishment of the number-four unit in 2015 will increase the capacity by an equal amount,” says Markku Nivalainen, Regional Manager, Fortum.

The refurbishment will have an employment effect of about 100 man-years. The power plant’s new turbines will be supplied and installed by the French-Slovenian Andino Hydropower Engineering Sarl and the generators by the Croatian Koncar Generators and Motors Inc. The extensive electrical installation and construction work will offer an estimated 30 man-years of work to local companies in the Imatra region.

The Imatra power plant refurbishment project is part of Fortum’s long-term Nordic hydropower plant investment programme, with an annual investment value of about EUR 100 million. The goal of the investment programme is to increase carbon dioxide-free hydropower capacity and to improve hydropower plant safety and availability. The investment programme will grow Fortum’s hydropower capacity by about 10 megawatts annually. Fortum’s total hydropower capacity in the Nordic countries is about 4,600 megawatts.

Fortum Corporation
Corporate Communications

Additional information: Markku Nivalainen, Regional Manager, Renewable Energy, Fortum, tel. +358 50 453 2327

Imatra power plant
Construction of the Imatra power plant started in 1922. The first unit was commissioned in 1928 and the seventh (and last) unit in 1951. The power plant’s current capacity is 178 MW and annual production about 1,000 GWh. The Imatra hydropower plant, Finland’s largest in terms of annual production, meets the annual electricity consumption needs of more than 220,000 households.

Fortum
Fortum’s purpose is to create energy that improves life for present and future generations. Catering to the versatile needs of our customers, we generate, distribute and sell electricity and heat, and offer related expert services. Our operations focus on the Nordic and Baltic countries, Russia and Poland. In 2013, Fortum’s sales totalled EUR 6.1 billion and comparable operating profit was EUR 1.6 billion. We employ approximately 9,900 people. Fortum’s shares are traded on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. www.fortum.com