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PLC Energy Systems Service has been operating Kaunas power plant for three decades although the history of the power plant traces back the end of the XIX century. The first steam boilers were equipped in the mechanical nail factory, later named “Tilmans & CO “ factory in 1876. The steam boilers heating surface was 4 – 4.5 atmospheres pressure under 200 square aršinas – 71.12 cm. In 1898 a 40 AJ electricity current generator was equipped in this factory, run of the three operating steam engines. It was the first power plant of industrial establishment in Kaunas. According that day newspaper records Kaunas City Garden was illuminated by electricity lights, supplied from “ Tilsmans & CO “ factory power plant at the night of June 28 to 29 in 1898 during the Nurses of Mercy Association gathering. This is a prehistory of the present Pergalė boiler house. Nowadays this facility is the property of Kaunas energy AB. January 2 (old calendar - 15), 1900 Kaunas Municipality public central power plant started operation and the same evening in the city garden and in Provincialna ( present - Donelaitis ) and Arsenalskaja ( present - Daukantas) streets were illuminated by the first 75 watts arc lamps. Before the world war the capacity of the power plant reached 1475 AJ ( 3 x 400 + 2x120 + 35 ) During the interwar electricity energy to Kaunas was supplied by the central city diesel fuelled power plant. Due to the lack of energy related to the city expansion, in 1928 Petrašiūnai power plant construction was commenced and on 11 November,1932 was put into operation. Its capacity reached 6,4 MW, electricity energy price was up to 1.35 Lt/kWh. To correspond the demand of the increasing energy, the prewar power plant capacity reached 16.4 MW. It was the most powerful power plant in Lithuania for those days. During the war, the power plant was exploded by the retreating German army. After the war the power plant reconstruction works commenced. On 13 October, 1946 power plant was put into operation again, its capacity reached 3,2 MW. In 1958 Petrašiūnai power plant capacity was 60,5 MW. At present this facility is owned by Kaunas Energy AB. With the city expansion in residential and industrial constructions, the increase in heat demand resulted in the construction of the boiler house, equipped with two heat boilers, installed heavy fuel oil storage and the heat suppply pipelines were laid. The heat shop, established in Petrašiūnai power plant was transformed into a seperate enterprise – Kaunas district heating network. In 1971 a construction of a new power plant was commenced in the eastern part of the city. In December 1976 two power steam boilers were commissioned in the new Kaunas power plant with two 60 MW and 110 MW capacity turbogenerators and two water heating boilers 110 Gcal/h capacity each. The power plant designed capacity is 170 MW. Petrašiūnai power plant becomes one of the Kaunas Power plant production facilities. Later on two more water heating boilers with a capacity 100 Gcal/h and one power steam boiler and a new boiler house were commisssioned. In 1991 a new water heating boiler house was built and a 180Gcal/h capacity water heating boiler started the operation. In 1995 40MW capacity electrode boiler was erected and commissioned. After the reorganization of the Lietuvos Energija AB, Kaunas power plant becomes a branch of Kaunas Energija SPUAB. On the 31 March, 2003 Kaunas power plant was acquired by PLC Kaunas Thermal Power Plant, a representative of the Russian company “Gazprom“ in Lithuania, whereas the power plant employees continued to operate the facility – as according to the contract the then Kaunas Energija AB is the power plant operator. On 31 December, 2003 the agreement with Kaunas energy AB was terminated and a new operator‘s agreement was signed with a new established enterprise PLC Energy systems service , where the part of Kaunas Energy AB qualified specialists has become its employees.
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