Russia’s Largest Solar Power Plant Now Online

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The Kosh-Agach solar PV pilot power plant in the Altai region of Russia is now online, as per recent reports.

The 5 MW project is apparently the largest solar power plant to be installed in Russia to-date, and is serving as the prototype for a further four more such projects being developed in the region — which are expected to be completed before the beginning of 2019.

The new project is also actually the first power plant to be constructed in the region, and produces roughly twice the electricity that the Kosh-Agach district uses. The remainder will be sold to other districts.

The Russian giant Hevel Solar developed the project for roughly RUB 570 million ($15.3 million). The other four upcoming projects — compromising a total of 45 MW of capacity — will be developed for a similar cost-to-generating-capacity ratio, for an estimated total of RUB5 billion ($134.8 million).

Commenting on the project, Andrei Tsygulev, the deputy head of the Kosh-Agach District for construction and architecture, stated: “The entire Kosh-Agach District consumes from 2.7 to 3.5 MW of power, that is, the power station will generate almost twice as much power as our requirements are, and the surplus will be sold to other areas of the region.”

In addition to Tsygulev, a far higher-profile presence was also on hand for the inauguration, the Russian president Vladimir Putin himself. Noting that he expected the projects in development to jump-start the local market, Putin stated: “This means a large amount of work which will enable the production sector of the component to feel confident and get a market.”

Compared to the largest solar power plants in other countries, the Kosh-Agach solar power plant is quite small. There are now more than 20 solar PV power plants in the world with over 100 MW of power capacity.