RusHydro, Russia's largest hydropower development company, announced the launch of the 640 MW unit at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydropower plant. The power plant now has 3.2 GW of installed and capable power generation capacity, which is half of what the power plant plans anticipate. Four units at the power plant have been damaged in an accident, two of which have been restored, but are now going to be replaced with new units.

Three new hydro units annually until 2014, is what the power plant rehabilitation program calls for. At some point in the future, the plant will feature all new up to date hydropower equipment, with improved performance characteristics. Power Machines has been contracted to produce and deliver a total of ten units, nine 640 MW generators, and six excitation systems (of which one generator and four systems have already been installed in 2010). With these improvements, the power plant's useful life has been extended by another 40 years, with maximum power generation efficiency reaching 96.6 percent.

[source: RusHydro]