HPP close-up
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1 Turbine (runner)
A component of a hydropower unit located in the HPP dam structure. Water turns the turbine runner blades, generating mechanical energy.
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2 Generator
A component of a hydropower unit connected to the turbine by a shaft. The generator converts mechanical into electrical energy.
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3 Transformer
Its function is to increase the voltage, so that the electricity generated by the hydropower units can be transferred to the transmission grid.
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4 Machine hall bridge crane
Is used for moving the hydropower unit components during the assembly and dismantling of hydropower units.
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5 Machine hall
The hall where the hydropower units and their auxiliary equipment are located.
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6 Upstream gantry crane
Is used for lifting and lowering the gates for the purposes of closing the penstock as well as removing debris from the trash racks.
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7 Turbine inlet trash rack
Its function is to prevent all kinds of floating objects from getting into the penstock.
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8 Downstream gantry crane
Is used for lifting and lowering the downstream gates, draining or flooding the draft tube.
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9 Motor road tunnel
Is used for road traffic across the Daugava river.
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10 Water spillway gate
Its function is to spill flood water over the spillway.
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11 Upstream and downstream gates
Are used for closing the waterways and draining the inlet pipe during the maintenance or repair of the hydropower unit turbine.
360° virtual tour
Facts about Plavinas HPP
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Location
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Technical data
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Largest power plant in Latvia
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Provides backup power to the Baltic region
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Second largest HPP in the European Union
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Unique structure of the HPP
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Crane with the largest lifting capacity in Latvia
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Aizkraukle – HPP workers settlement
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Biggest fish caught in Latvia
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HPP construction site immortalized in a film
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Aizkraukle, 107 km from the Daugava River mouth.
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- Plavinas HPP was constructed in a very short period of time (5 years) and put into operation in 1965
- The hydropower plant is equipped with 10 hydropower units
- The maximum head of the HPP is 40 metres
- The installed capacity after reconstruction is 893.5 MW - The average annual output is about 25 % to 30% of all electric power generated in Latvia
- Plavinas HPP plays a vital role in Latvian electric power system. In the Baltic context, it is essential for ensuring the stability of the power system, since it serves as a backup for the entire Baltic power system in case of emergency, such as unscheduled power cuts or failures at baseload plants.
- In terms of the installed capacity, Plavinas HPP currently is the largest hydropower plant in the Baltic States and the second largest in the European Union.
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Although any hydropower plant has a unique structure, Plavinas HPP is significantly different from similar power plants: it is very compact, with its spillways and water production facilities combined into a single unit, where a tunnel for road transport has been built – the only one of its kind in Latvia.
In construction of Plavinas HPP, it was shown for the first time that it is possible to build a medium-head hydropower plant on soft ground.
- Aizkraukle is the newest town in Latvia. It was built in the 1960s as a village for the builders of the nearby Plavinas HPP. Aizkraukle acquired the status of a town in 1967. Up until 1990, it was actually called Stucka and then renamed to Aizkraukle.
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On the Street of Tomorrow is a drama filmed by Mosfilm studio on the HPP construction site in 1965, which features the construction of some HPP in Russia.
- The lifting capacity of the largest overhead crane in the turbine room is 250 t, it is the biggest in Latvia.
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A catfish weighing a whooping 84.7 kg was caught in the Daugava River not far from Plavinas HPP. To date, this has been the biggest fish ever caught in Latvia.
