Programme to increase the efficiency of the Iijoki hydropower plants continues

RENEWAL OF KIERIKKI'S MACHINE 1 BEGINS

Pohjolan Voima has launched the renewal of Machine 1 at the Kierikki power plant. Waterways have been emptied and disassembly begins on January 9^th, 2007. The turbine will be totally replaced. The generator will get a new stator and the remaining parts will be refurbished and serviced. Plant automation and data connections will be replaced. The first new machine components will arrive in three weeks' time. Due to heavy rainfall towards the end of 2006, the machine renewal schedule had to be stepped up to avoid spills. The machine is due to be operational by the time spring floods begin. Machine 2 was renewed a year ago.

After Kierikki, the Iijoki power plant overhaul programme will continue with Haapakoski next in line (2008 to 2009) followed by the other plants, so that by around 2015 the machines of all five power plants will have been renewed. Most parts of the Iijoki power plants were constructed in the 1960s.

The programme to increase the efficiency of the plants is estimated to cost € 50 million. The programme will result in an increase of 44 megawatts, taking the output of the entire Iijoki system to 232 megawatts. Annual energy production will increase by 35 million kilowatt hours.

BOTH FINNISH AND EUROPEAN SUPPLIERS SELECTED FOR THE HAAPAKOSKI MACHINES

The suppliers of machines for the Haapakoski power plant have been selected. Turbines will be supplied by GE Energy Oy,  which has ordered rotor field poles from Polish Euro Ltd and blades from Finnish Metso Lokomo Steel Oy.The Croatian company Koncar GIM was selected as the generator supplier. Electric and automation systems will be supplied by the Finnish Vaasa Engineering Oy. It is estimated PVO-Vesivoima's own employees will contribute around 7,000 hours of the work.