Volga-Dnepr Airlines has transported a turbine running and tooling weighing 115 tonnes for the Ust-Srednekanskaya hydroelectric power station in Magadan, Russia, onboard an Antonov AN-124-100 Freighter.
Preparations for transporting the six metre diameter turbine runner from St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport to Sokol Airport in Magadan started in late 2015 in consultation with Power Machines Company, the producer of the runner for the power station.
Volga-Dnepr engineers modified the tooling within 20 days to ensure the safety of the load, and the runner was mounted inside the tailored frame at the Power Machines Company production site before delivering it by trailer to Pulkovo Airport.
The AN-124-100’s technical crew assembled a special ramp extension with slide rails to load the structure onboard the aircraft. Loading took 10 hours to complete.
The turbine runner is for the hydroelectric unit No. 3 at Ust-Srednekanskaya hydroelectric power station, which is scheduled to commence operation in 2018. The power station will have an estimated 570 megawatt capacity and is located 217 kilometres down the Kolyma River from the current Kolymskaya HPS, which provides continuous electricity supplies in the Magadan region. The final commissioning of the station will enable major infrastructure projects to be implemented in the region.
