KONČAR Group and the Greek Public Power Corporation (PPC) signed an agreement yesterday in Athens for phase one of Messochora hydropower plant revitalization in Greece. Several members of KONČAR Group, led by KONČAR – Engineering, will take part in the project. Phase one of the plant revitalization will include testing and analysis of all plant equipment, along with preparatory activities for the commissioning of the plant.

“KONČAR had initially contracted with Messochora HPP at the end of the Homeland War, in the period when KONČAR Group worked intensively to return to its former markets, including Greece. We would not be exaggerating if we said that, at the time, it was a crucial project, primarily for Engineering, and other KONČAR Group members”, said Gordan Kolak, KONČAR’s CEO.

The plant boasts 2×90 MVA installed capacity, and back in 1996 KONČAR was awarded a turnkey agreement to provide it with electromechanical equipment, winning in fierce international competition. The project was realised in the period from 1996 to 2002, with KONČAR successfully completing the agreement, delivering and installing all the equipment within the contractual terms and conditions. However, PPC had faced certain administrative issues which prevented it from filling up the reservoir with the water necessary for testing, and ultimately it was unable to commission the plant. Therefore, in agreement with PPC, the equipment was subsequently handed over and preserved so that the project could be continued once the necessary conditions are created. Little did we know it would take 20 years for KONČAR to return to the hydropower plant. This agreement comes after months of negotiations with PPC.

In the context of the position of the Greek partner to commission the plant with as much originally manufactured equipment as possible, it is evident that this is an exceptional technological and engineering challenge. Some of the installed equipment has undergone several technological updates, which is not unusual for such a significant period of time. With this in mind, original members of KONČAR’s teams from the initial phase of the plant construction will participate in the “new” Messochora project. It is precisely these kinds of challenges that are at the very core of KONČAR’s expertise – customer-specific solutions and multiple-generation systems.