Inter RAO to build 445-550 MW in Bodaibo for phase 2 of eastern railways expansion

MOSCOW. Aug 4 (Interfax) - Power company Inter RAO will build a power plant with capacity of 445-550 MW in the Bodaibo district of Irkutsk Region for the second phase of the expansion of Russia's eastern railways, the office of Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told Interfax.

This decision was made taking into account Inter RAO's readiness to carry out the project, the office said. A spokesman for Inter RAO declined to comment.

The new thermal power plant will be built using primarily domestic equipment. It is scheduled to go into operation in 2028, the Russian government said in a statement released Tuesday after a meeting of its commission on development of electricity infrastructure.

A source familiar with the commission's discussion of the issue said that there are plans to audit all capital expenditures and signed contracts. The total expenditures will be approved by the government.

The System Operator held a tender for building generating capacity in Bodaibo at the end of February, but it did not draw any bids. It was planned that the capacity of the selected thermal or hydropower power plant would be 450-500 MW in the former case or 450 MW in the latter. The plant was supposed to come on line in July 2027.

The plant is intended for the electrification of the second phase of the development of the eastern parts of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) and Trans-Siberian Railway. En+ Group proposed to revive the Telmamskaya HPP project for this tender.