Alstom has won a €100 million (US$107 million) contract from Latvian power company Latvenergo to refurbish the Riga hydropower plant.
The contract for six 69-megawatt Kaplan units for the project that is located on the 1,020-kilometres long Daugauva River includes the refurbishment of the turbines, the generators, a new control system and auxiliary equipment. Alstom will refurbish one unit per year for the next eight years and the renovation will be completed in 2022.
As a result of the reconstruction, the annual production at the Riga hydropower plant will grow by at least 20 gigawatt-hours. The Riga hydropower plant is one of the three main hydropower plants of the country which produce more than 50% of the electricity in Latvia.
The rehabilitation will extend the lifetime of the plant for at least 40 years and increase its efficiency.