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A transformer failure at Bureyskaya hydro-electric power station in the town of Talakan, Amur region, on August 19 led to one of the station’s units stopping its output for over a month, news reports said, citing a press statement from the plant.

The breakdown occurred at the plant’s fourth power unit, with the block transformer falling out, the statement said. During the failure, the transformer was disabled by the plant personnel.

The preliminary examination revealed the incident resulted from a defective cable which short circuited. All safe guard systems were triggered immediately and the plant’s personnel disabled the transformer soon after the incident. No fire, explosion or injuries happened, the statement said.

A special commission, which includes representatives from unit manufacturing plants, technical specialists and independent experts, is expected to look into the incident details.

According to the statement, the halt will lead to considerable economic loss for the plant. With a loss of power generation at 245 kilowatt-hours a month, the damage is estimated at six million rubles ($224,635).

Construction of the Bureyskaya station, a powerful plant designed to solve energy problems in the Russian Far East, started in 1985. The plant’s first power unit was launched in 2003. Currently, four of the station’s six power units are running. The total capacity of the station’s six units, with the remaining two planned to be launched in 2009, is estimated at 2,000 megawatts.