The Lida Thermal Power Plant has begun a major overhaul and modernization of the NK-37 engine, a key component of the 43 MW gas turbine unit that supplies power to the Lida District. UEC specialists are updating the low-emission combustion chamber, housings, and bearings, and installing modern condition monitoring sensors. The work will be completed in early 2027. The project is being implemented as part of a collaboration between Rostec and Belarus, according to the press service of Rostec State Corporation.
The 43 MW power plant meets the heat and electricity needs of the Lida District of Belarus. The GTE-25/NK gas turbine power unit, based on the NK-37, was commissioned at the facility in 2008. In 2011, this engine was first equipped with a low-emission combustion chamber, which improves environmental performance, and an automated fuel supply control system. The upgraded NK-37 engine has successfully completed pilot operation and continues operating at the combined heat and power plant (CHP).
To date, the engine has reached its 25,000-hour operating time at the Belarusian facility. As part of the maintenance program, UEC-Kuznetsov specialists have begun scheduled overhauls and upgrades of the industrial engine.
«The Lida CHP is of particular importance in the context of the strategic cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. Many years of operating experience with the NK-37 engine confirm its high efficiency and reliability. As part of the overhaul, the engine is being upgraded. Specialists are updating key components and assemblies that have reached the end of their service life. Components of the low-emission combustion chamber, which is responsible for environmental performance, are being replaced. The bearings are also being upgraded, the housings and bearings are being replaced with more modern and reinforced ones, and new sensors are being installed to monitor the engine’s condition during operation. These measures will improve the reliability of the NK-37 engine. «The work will be completed in early 2027,» said Andrey Vorobyov, CEO of UEC Engineering.
The 25 MW NK-37 engine was developed and manufactured at the Samara-based UEC-Kuznetsov plant. It combines high efficiency, reliability, and low operating costs. An automatic starting system, high pre-start readiness, and the ability to operate in automatic mode allow power plants with NK-37 engines to be used both in normal power generation and to compensate for peak loads in emergency situations. The total operating time of NK-37 engines in Russia and abroad has exceeded 230,000 hours.
UEC Engineering is a comprehensive supplier of gas turbine equipment manufactured by UEC enterprises and the organizer of repair and maintenance services. A fundamentally new line of power equipment is currently being developed based on the NK-37 engine: rapidly erectable gas turbine power plants (GTPPs) with capacities of 25 MW and 32 MW. Thanks to their high power density and compact dimensions, modular GTPPs can be quickly deployed in energy-deficient areas. The Lida Thermal Power Plant (TPP) is located in the Grodno Region of the Republic of Belarus and supplies electricity and heat to the cities of Lida and Smorgon. The primary generating equipment is the GTE-25/NK power plant, based on the NK-37 gas turbine engine.