Engineering Gigantism on the Caspian Sea: A Powerful Power Plant Is Being Installed in the Balkan Region
ENERGY, July 24 | ORIENT. Construction is underway on a new combined-cycle power plant with a design capacity of 1,574 megawatts in the Balkan region. This large-scale energy project, launched by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov as part of the state investment program, is designed to meet the country's growing domestic demand and significantly expand Turkmen electricity exports.
Today, the coastal construction site on the Caspian Sea has become an arena for rare engineering operations involving the movement and delicate installation of ultra-heavy process equipment. The second giant combined-cycle power plant in the country's history—following a similar flagship complex in Mary—is being built using the most advanced global technologies, ensuring highly environmentally friendly and cost-effective energy generation.
International specialists from Hareket were brought in to carry out the unique lifting operations, using Enerpac hydraulic gantry systems capable of precisely positioning structures weighing hundreds of tons.
The scale of the installation is impressive: an entire power generation complex is being installed on the designed foundations, including four gas turbines weighing 293 tons each, four gas turbine generators weighing 364 tons each, two steam turbine generators weighing 285 tons, and 19 giant transformers.
To precisely guide these heavy units, engineers are constructing special steel trestles the height of a four-story building and using wireless digital automatic synchronization systems.
The implementation of a project of such power on the Caspian coast clearly demonstrates the rapid growth of Turkmenistan's industrial potential and the systematic development of the national energy system.
