Fire at power plant in Russia’s Far East disrupts heating to nearby communities
A fire broke out September 22 at the Neryungri Power Plant in Yakutia, damaging a transformer substation for power unit No. 1 and a turbine in the machine room. One person suffered smoke inhalation. The plant is not operating.
The Yakutia government said the fire and shutdown have not disrupted electricity supply, with the region now drawing power through transfers from the unified energy system.
“The main task is to restore stable heat supply from the plant as quickly as possible,” said Nikolai Bochkov, acting first deputy chairman of the Yakutia government.
Bochkov said apartment temperatures are currently “remaining at an acceptable level, though some decrease has been noted.” Authorities plan to set up an additional heat generation scheme, and the school schedule will be adjusted if necessary, he added.
He said a “large” volume of repair work will be needed at the plant following the fire.
The Neryungri Power Plant, located in the settlement of Serebryany Bor, is the largest in southern Yakutia and supplies electricity and heat to Neryungri, Serebryany Bor, and nearby industrial facilities.
In Neryungri, the daytime air temperature is holding at about 9 degrees Celsius (48 degrees Fahrenheit) on September 23, with an overnight low of -1 degrees Celsius (30 degrees Fahrenheit) expected.
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