Damage after an explosion on 17 August at the Sayan-Shushenskaya hydroelectric p ...

Damage after an explosion on 17 August at the Sayan-Shushenskaya hydroelectric plant in south eastern Siberia will need 40bn roubles (US$1.25bn) and several years to repair, plant operator RusHydro has estimated. Total economic costs of the accident, including losses in coal and aluminium export revenues, could exceed US$3bn. Seventy-three plant employees were killed in the explosion and a further two remain missing, Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu reported in early September. Three of the plant’s ten turbines were ripped apart by the explosion and a further six were damaged. Flooding of the turbine hall preceded the explosions though the true cause of the accident remains unknown. The 30-year old plant, located on the Yenisei river and of installed capacity 6.4 GW, is Russia’s newest hydro plant despite being close to the end of its 30-35 year service life. It contributed a quarter of total Russian hydropower output and 2.5% of Russian electricity output. Previous accidents in 1979 were caused by flooding of the turbine hall while the spillway was damaged in 1985 and 1988. RusHydro states that it expects US$200mn in compensation from its insurers. Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, is to lend US$623mn for repairs while RusHydro is in talks with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for a further loan. The Russian government announced compensation of 1mn roubles (US$31,000) per victim and 100,000 roubles (US$3,000) per injured person. The accident has generated fierce criticism in the Russian media and blogosphere about the lack of infrastructure maintenance in the country. In the months preceding the accident the plant had been working at peak capacity to supply, at cut rate prices, aluminium smelting plants owned by RusAl, the world’s largest aluminium producer. Maria Kielmas