RUSHYDRO COMMISSIONS A NEW PEVEK-BILIBINO POWER TRANSMISSION LINE

12 september 2023

RusHydro has commissioned in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug a 490-kilometer long 110 kV Pevek-Bilibino power transmission line built in accordance with Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 188 of May 03, 2018.

The new power transmission line built by RusHydro has connected the towns of Pevek (the northernmost town of Russia) and Bilibino. The power line will provide for more reliable power supply from the floating nuclear thermal power plant (FNPP) “Akademik Lomonosov” located in Pevek to both Bilibino consumers and mining enterprises, the largest being Baimsky GOK.

The construction project of the two single-circuit 110 kV Pevek-Bilibino overhead power lines is implemented in two stages. The first stage includes the construction of the first OHL circuit, erection of the 110 kV Bilibino distribution point with two transformers with a total capacity of 12.6 MVA, and reconstruction of the 110/35/6 kV Komsomolsky substation. The second stage includes the construction of the second OHL circuit, reconstruction of the 110 kV Yuzhny substation, and a new construction of the 110 kV Beta switching substation.

Construction under the first stage commenced at the end of 2020. By now, the civil works have been successfully completed, and all necessary tests have been carried out. Implementation of the project second stage still continues: 45% of OHL poles have already been installed, and the reconstruction of the 110 kV Yuzhny substation is underway. The completion of all work is scheduled for 2025. The new power transmission line will replace the existing wooden-pole OHL built in the 1960s that has reached the ultimate degree of wear.

The project is being implemented under extreme natural and climatic conditions in a remote and hard-to-reach territory belonging to the Far North regions. The required construction materials are delivered by sea along the Northern Sea Route during the navigation season, with the major construction and assembly works carried out in winter.