OREANDA-NEWS. On October, 8 the settlement of Helyla, Sortavala region, was a venue for the ceremony of commencement of construction and laying the first cubic metre in the foundation of minihydro power plant of Kalliokoski. Valentin Chmil, Deputy Head of the Republic of Karelia and Minister of Economic Development of the Republic of Karelia, has taken part in the ceremony. In order to exchange experience representatives to state authority bodies and business of Russian regions from Khanty-Mansyisk, Leningrad and Irkutsk regions also attended the ceremony.

The new hydroelectric power plant will be the third project performed by Nord Hydro JSC in Karelia. Two minihydro power plants are already in production in North Ladoga Lakeside: one of them, Laskela, was launched in September of 2011 in Pitkaranta region, the second one, Rymakoski, was launched in July in Sortavala region.

The hydroelectric power plant of Kalliokoski is build instead of the old Finnish two-level hydroelectric power plant. This will be an intermittent manned plant run off-line. This object is unique in its own way. Kalliokoski will be the first hydroelectric power plant in Russia that will give way to spawning fish, - Valentin Chmil said.

The hydroelectric power plant will enable stable and reliable electrical power supply of consumers in the settlement of Helyla, Sortavala region, as well as social and industrial enterprises.

Public services and amenities will be organized all round the object under construction, the road through the locality of Kalliokoski has already been built. Implementation of the project will also promote job placement of local residents. New workplaces will be created for them within the scope of construction.

A conference on issues of hydraulic power industry development in Karelia and presentation of the new project of construction of minihydro power plant of Byeloporozhsky by Nord Hydro JSC in Kem region also took place within the scope of the event. The necessary initial planning permission to conduct design and survey work is already obtained, the agreement to perform engineering surveying within the project is concluded. The construction is supposed to start in 2015 and conclude in 2018.