Chita-1 power station

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Chita-1 power station (Читинская ТЭЦ-1) is an operating power station of at least 452-megawatts (MW) in Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Chita-1 power station	Chita, Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia	52.053534, 113.357599 (approximate)

The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.

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Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year	Retired year
Unit 1	operating	coal - lignite	60	subcritical	1965	–
Unit 2	operating	coal - lignite	60	subcritical	1966	–
Unit 3	operating	coal - lignite	80	subcritical	1966	–
Unit 4	operating	coal - lignite	87	subcritical	1968	–
Unit 5	operating	coal - lignite	87	subcritical	1972	–
Unit 6	operating	coal - lignite	78.8	subcritical	1973	–
Unit 7	announced	coal - unknown	460	unknown	2030	–

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner
Unit 1	Territorial Generating Company No 14 PJSC (TGC-14) [100.0%]
Unit 2	Territorial Generating Company No 14 PJSC (TGC-14) [100.0%]
Unit 3	Territorial Generating Company No 14 PJSC (TGC-14) [100.0%]
Unit 4	Territorial Generating Company No 14 PJSC (TGC-14) [100.0%]
Unit 5	Territorial Generating Company No 14 PJSC (TGC-14) [100.0%]
Unit 6	Territorial Generating Company No 14 PJSC (TGC-14) [100.0%]
Unit 7	Territorial Generating Company No 14 PJSC (TGC-14) [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

• Coal source(s): unknown, Kharanorsky coal mine

Background

The six-unit coal-fired Chita-1 combined heat-and-power station is owned by TGC-14, which used to be part of Russian Railways. In early 2022, TGC-14 was sold to the Far Eastern Management Company (not to be confused with the Far Eastern Generating Company owned by RysHydro). The Far Eastern Management Company acquired 92% of the shares in TGC-14. Reportedly the company belongs to the ex vice-governor of Primorsky Kray Victor Miasnik, which could be linked to Sinara Group.

The plant’s six units were brought online between 1965 and 1973. The plant provides electricity to the city of Chita and delivers electricity to the overall power network, as well as satisfies 80% of demand for centralized heat of the regional centre and nearby villages.

In April 2023, local residents complained of the heavy smoke coming from the station. The company explained that this was due to the start-up of another boiler where heavy fuel oil was used for start-up.

At the end of 2023, the plant has modernized Units 2 and 5. Electricity generation reached 2,747 million kWh in the 11 months of 2023, which was 6% higher than in the same period in 2022.

Proposed Expansion

Construction of the third stage of the power plant was commenced in the 1980s. A 200m chimney was commissioned in 1989, the installation steel frame of the working building was completed in 1980 (but dismantled in 2019). All work was stopped in the 1990s. In August 2019, the regional government officials stated that no funds will be allocated for the completion of the third phase as until 2025, the region was not expected to have a power deficit.

In early 2022, it appears that the project was being revived under the new ownership of TGC-14. A media source from April 2023 referred to active discussions of the project with capacity of 460MW, which would allow to mothball the 12 MW Chita-2 power station and close 22 local boiler houses. However the cost of the project is estimated at RUB 27 billion which is equivalent to two times the annual budget of Chita, so the project would need to be funded by other investment sources and financial instruments. A media source from March 2023 stated that the project needed a federal approval to proceed.

As of May 2023, it was not clear whether the potential expansion project would be coal-fired or gas-fired, given the news on the potential conversion to gas of the plant in the same time period. In autumn 2023, the project continued to be mentioned by media sources, but without references to the fuel used or concrete implementation plans. One source stated that a 230MW unit will be built by 2030. As of April 2024, there was no further news on the project.

Conversion to Gas

The possibility of converting the power plant to gas was mentioned in March 2023, provided that a trunk pipeline is laid to Zabaikalsky Krai.

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.