New village planned for Zabaikalskaya TPP workers

Approximately 6,000 specialists in total will be required to service the future huge Zabaikalskaya Thermal Power Plant and two new power units at the Kharanor Power Plant. This was stated on air by GTRK «Chita» on February 1 by Deputy Chairman of the Government of Zabaikalsky Krai Alexei Goncharov.

«By order of our governor Alexander Mikhailovich Osipov, a working group has been created, which has been set main tasks. This is the selection of a site where the Zabaikalskaya TPP will be located. The second important task, which is proceeding in parallel, is, of course, providing appropriate personnel both for the construction period and for the operation period of these stations, both Kharanor and Zabaikalskaya TPPs. This work has already begun, the authorities responsible for science and education are already working on it,» said Alexei Goncharov.

Answering the question of how many people will be required to service this power plant, Goncharov replied: «In total, if we talk about Kharanor and Zabaikalskaya TPPs, probably about six thousand people we still need.»

The host compared this to the Chita GRES village, where the thermal power plant attracted an entire microdistrict. Goncharov agreed with his comparison: «Yes, there should naturally be organized permanent residence for those specialists who will be there. Power plants do not operate on a shift basis.»

Transbaikal region is experiencing a serious energy deficit due to the growth of the mining industry. To combat this, En+ will build a new «Zabaikalskaya TPP» with a capacity of 1,050 megawatts, its power will be almost twice that of Kharanor Power Plant. The station will consist of three power units of 350 MW each. It is planned that they will begin supplying power to the grid in stages: the first unit – from July 1, 2031, the second – from October 1, the third – from December 1. Coal will be used as the main fuel for all power units.

At the largest thermal power plant in the eastern part of the region and the most powerful station in the Transbaikal energy system – Kharanor Power Plant – in the village of Yasnogorsk, Olovyanninsky District on the Onon River, on December 26, 2025, construction began on the fourth and fifth power units with a total capacity of 460 megawatts. Investments in the construction of each of the new blocks of Kharanor Power Plant will amount to about 136 billion rubles (approximately $1.4 billion at current rates), which is comparable to the annual revenues of the budget of Zabaikalsky Krai. The commissioning of the blocks will increase the plant«s capacity by 70% – currently three blocks of the plant produce a power of 665 MW.