Currently a new ?-160-3.9-440 G? gas and fuel oil boiler is being installed at Mosenergo's Gas Power Plant-1 (GES-1). It will produce 1.6 times more heat than the equipment it replaced. The boiler was manufactured at Podolsk machine-building factory and produces 160 tons of steam per hour. The equipment that is being replaced by the new boiler produced only 100 tons of steam per hour.

To replace the outdated machinery Mosenergo tendered bids for manufacturers of heat-producing equipment. In addition to the Podolsk machine-building factory, the bidding participants included Russian company Belenergomash from Belgorod in conjunction with US partner Babcocks-Wills, and Sibenergomash, a plant from Barnaul.

"Equipment manufactured by the Podolsk factory is more powerful, economical and, last but not least, manufactured by a domestic company located in our region. The Power Company took all of these factors into account when choosing our partner," said A.Antonov, deputy director of GES-1 on capital construction.

Besides increasing heat output capacity of GES-1, the new Podolsk-manufactured boiler will help lower the plant's noise level and the amount of nitrogen oxide in its waste. When using gas, efficiency of the new boiler is no less than 94 per cent.

The installation began last November and will be completed in the second or third quarter of this year. According to preliminary estimates, the boiler will be put into operation in the fourth quarter of this year. In 2001-2005 Mosenergo plans to install and put to operation a total of five boilers at GES-1-all manufactured by the Podolsk factory.