PM kick starts hydropower plant after disaster

A restored part of the hydropower plant in the Siberian republic of Khakassia, the site of a tragedy that killed 75, has been restarted. The Russian Prime Minister witnessed the re-launch.

Vladimir Putin put the unit into operation, it having been under repairs since December last year, pressing a symbolic red button to revive the damaged plant. Before the ceremony, Putin and Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin had flown in a helicopter and observed the plant from the air. The guests were also shown a video presentation about the history of the power plant.

The part that was re-launched suffered the least damage. However, full reconstruction of the power plant is not expected to be completed earlier than 2014, at an estimated cost of over 1 billion dollars.