Vladimirskaya hydroelectric pumped storage power plant as the first pilot power project of the 21st century

Abstract

The authors describe the Vladimirskaya hydroelectric pumped storage power plant that is currently being designed as the pilot Russian power project for the 21st century.The reform of the electricity-generating sector has led to a new concept of hydroelectric pumped storage power plants (HPSP) and innovative role in industry and in solving socioeconomic problems at the federal, regional, and municipal levels.After the adoption of the federal laws determining the legal principles of the Russian electricity-generating sector in the new economic conditions in March 2003, a set of measures is being implemented for the formation of the electricity market. So far this market is divided into two sectors, i.e., wholesale and retail markets acting on fundamentally different principles. It should be stated that the electricity market in its classical form as a mechanism for coordination between demand and supply has not been created yet. A distinctive feature of the wholesale market in the transitional period is the coexistence of two segments: the first is electricity trade controlled by the state and the second is free trade in electricity. The retail market, in turn, is segmented into the markets of the Russian Federation subjects and is characterized by the absence of competitive relations. The retail prices are controlled by the Regional Power Commissions; consequently, this sector cannot be regarded as a market in its classical interpretation. However, the reform of the electricity-producing sector is speeding up and the formation of the electricity market is acquiring a new steady trend, namely, striving for a unified market encompassing electricity generation and network business, which is capable of optimally distributing, economically using, and ensuring adequate quality of electric power.This approach calls for a new formulation of the concept of "electric power quality" considering that electricity is a specific commodity with limited storage and transportation capabilities. In the market conditions the quality of this specific commodity acquires additional components and characteristics.Providing high-quality electricity in compliance with the federal law requirements and existing standards cannot be achieved by the balance of supply and demand on the market. The production of electric power and the consumption of electricity to a certain extent are probabilistic and subject to stochastic variations. It is impossible to eliminate the consequences of such variations and to control the regimes balancing the electricity market, i.e., to ensure high-quality electric power without additional system services. Only HPSPs are able to offer such services in a wide spectrum, promptly and compactly. That is why an effective electricity market is impossible without such plants. At the same time, in the conditions of the emerging electricity market it is necessary to specify the optimum share of HPSPs in the total volume of power-generating facilities.Due to its unique maneuver capability, the ability to store power, and a ...