Accident at Reftinskaya GRES: causes and photos of damage

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:53

The accident at the Reftinskaya GRES has become a serious test for the entire energy system of our country. Until now, representatives of the commission established to investigate its causes cannot give an unambiguous answer regarding the causes of this incident.

Own investigation was carried out not only by such departments as the Ministry of Energy and the federal Rostekhnadzor. Journalists also conducted an investigation into the accident at the Reftinskaya GRES, having visited the site of the tragedy, talked with the management of this station, and also listened to the opinion of independent experts.

Tragedy at the station

The fire, which occurred on August 22 this year at two o'clock in the afternoon, was the result of a splash of molten metal. An accident occurred at the Reftinskaya GRES due to the destruction of the insulator. Such a statement sounded as if there had been no tragedy and life at the station was going on as usual.

DOE version

The most complete version of the events that happened was the information provided by the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation. The accident at the Reftinskaya GRES is considered as the cause of the destructionhigh-voltage line capacitor (220 kV). As a result, oil was ejected, the tire section was switched off during its ignition. The station has reduced the generated power from the maximum indicator (2295 MW) to zero.

Consequences of loss of power

The accident at the Reftinskaya GRES led to the immediate operation of automatic protection systems. All high-voltage lines that come out of this station have been switched off. Reftinskaya GRES (an accident in 2016, to be more precise) provoked numerous cascading outages throughout the country.

Energy systems in many Russian regions had to switch to an isolated system of work. Ultimately, the accident at the Reftinskaya GRES left six Siberian regions without a full-fledged power supply at once. It took a lot of effort to get the power system back to normal.

Expert Opinion

When discussing what kind of accident occurred at the Reftinskaya GRES, experts agree that this is one of the largest man-made disasters in the post-Soviet space.

They cite the coupling capacitor as the main reason for the large-scale shocks that occurred. This two-meter-long rod, which had insulating ceramic rings, contained molten butter inside.

Experts do not have exact information about whether the capacitor exploded, but it is in it that the main causes of the accident at Reftinskaya GRES. The work of experts continues, other possiblecauses of fire at the station.

Opinion of local residents

Residents of the nearby village of Reftinskiy learned from their relatives that there had been an accident at Reftinskaya GRES. They saw photos of the damage only in the newspapers. When journalists who arrived in these places to conduct their own independent investigation began to ask the inhabitants of the area about the tragedy that had occurred, they all answered without hesitation that an oil condenser had exploded. Such unanimity aroused doubts among the representatives of the press, they decided to go to the scene.

Crash location

The picture that appeared before the journalists was depressing. As a result of the release of molten oil on the territory of a dozen square kilometers, the earth was completely scorched. The scene of the tragedy was perfectly visible from the road.

Next to the fence, on which the barbed wire was stretched, the grass was scorched. It was here that the oil splashed from the condenser burned. Eyewitnesses say that first a loud explosion was heard, then a crack was heard.

Investigative journalism

Many local residents observed sparks from an electric arc, as there was a short circuit in the sections of wire closest to each other. People talk about how it felt like the whole sky was filled with sparks.

This is proof of how seriousturned out to be an accident at Reftinskaya GRES. Photos taken immediately after the tragedy confirm the scale of the tragedy. Journalists conducting their independent investigation were unable to photograph the aftermath of the accident.

Representatives of the security service of the Reftinskaya GRES told the press that this station is a strategic facility, so any photo and video filming is prohibited. After intervention in the current situation by the press service of PJSC Enel Russia, the direct owner of this power plant, the conflict situation was resolved.

After finding out the identities of the journalists, the head of the station's security service gave permission to photograph the accident site. It was these shots that were published and attracted the attention of Russian environmentalists. Residents of the Reftinsky village believe that they were just lucky. If the protection system had not worked at the station, the consequences of the accident would have been much larger.

In his interview, Oleg Kosmenyuk, Deputy General Director of Enel Russia, noted that immediately after he received information about the accident, he flew to Yekaterinburg. According to his version, a complete destruction of the coupling capacitor occurred on the open switchgear, designed for 220 kW.

As a result of this, a short circuit was observed, spreading through the tires, rated at 220 kW. At the time of the tragedy, six power units were in full operation.

Thanks to the modern automatic protection systems available at this station,after the technological blocking was triggered, it was possible to turn off all power units in stages. Such actions eliminated any possibility of the accident continuing.

Situation at the station at present

The system operator has given a request to turn on the normal operation of all eight power units. Literally a few days after the tragedy, the sixth unit was restored to normal operation, then the second unit returned to a normal schedule.

By Wednesday, August 24, the station restored its original mode of operation. Thanks to the well-coordinated work of professional power engineers, it was possible to cope with the emergency in the shortest possible time.

Pros version

Engineers carefully answer journalists' questions about whether a more serious and powerful explosion could have really happened if it were not for the professionalism of the employees and the automation of the station. They told the press that they are always prepared for any emergency and are working to create a complete system of measures aimed at improving the protection of the plant.

Safety First

Particular attention is paid to the continuous training of personnel, emergency response drills. During such classes, a variety of problem situations are simulated, allowing staff to improve their practical skills, deal with behavior in case of an emergency.

After the end of the trainings, it is obligatorythe actions of each employee of the station are analyzed, all shortcomings are analyzed so that they are not repeated next time.

Experts say that it was thanks to the well-coordinated work of the station staff that they managed to quickly cope with the current emergency situation and prevent human casu alties. In the course of the ongoing investigation, the journalists found out that in September 2000, an emergency situation had already happened at Reftinskaya GRES.

Employees of the station confirmed this fact and noted that in both cases, landing of the station in the zero phase, that is, a power outage, was accepted to eliminate serious consequences.

That is why all trainings with working personnel, systematically conducted by labor protection specialists, concern the actions of employees in the event of an emergency in this scenario.

Conclusion

One of the versions of the accident, considered by various expert commissions, was the abnormally high temperature that was established at that time in the region. A direct answer to the existing connection between the exploded capacitor and abnormal temperature was not revealed during the investigation.

Specialists who have an idea about the operation of such equipment argue that one of the causes of an emergency may be a hidden defect (equipment defective), as well as a violation of operating rules, poor-quality installation of installations. Experts explain that during the installation of power equipmentthis class is mainly attracted by third-party organizations.

Due to the fact that the warranty period has already expired, it will be difficult to hold them accountable. Experts also note the need for systematic monitoring of the state of the plant and the feasibility of timely preventive maintenance.

Professional power engineers do not exclude the possibility of a negative impact on the normal operation of condensers from abnormally high air temperatures. They are convinced that natural conditions could become an additional factor that, together with the human resource, led to an emergency. They explain their position on the basis of a high school course in physics. During heating, the oil expands, which can cause an explosion.

Environmentalists have not yet voiced their position on the tragedy, its consequences for wildlife. They continue to analyze the changes observed in the region in order to assess the severity of the accident at the power plant. The investigation of the accident at Reftinskaya GRES continues.