Investing in impressions

We have learnt how one of the largest power plants in Belarus is developing industrial tourism

Observe the operations at the heart of the flagship of Belarusian energy, count how many kilometres of pipes ensure the boiler’s functioning, and even find out how giraffes relate to energy — these intriguing discoveries await visitors to the Lukoml State District Power Plant (LSDPP), branch of the Vitebskenergo republican unitary enterprise (RUE). For several years now, the power plant has been positioning itself as a destination for industrial tourism, and the number of those interested in witnessing the inner workings of one of Belarus’ major power plants has been steadily increasing.

Journey into world of energy

Even those unfamiliar with the intricacies of energy production will be struck by the scale of the Lukoml State District Power Plant. With a current capacity exceeding three thousand megawatts, nearly 20 percent of Belarus’ electricity is generated by the Lukoml power plant. Since 2022, energy professionals have shared insights into this process with tourists.
“The idea was proposed in the region to make the plant an object of industrial tourism. We thought, why not? Tours had been conducted previously anyway, primarily for guests at our health resort Sosnovy Bor, and occasionally for school groups. After all, the history of LSDPP is also the history of Belarusian energy and its achievements. We wanted a broader audience to learn about it,” recounted Galina Avizha, Deputy Director for Ideology and Social Affairs at the plant. She introduced some statistics: while a little over 20 tours were held in the first year, by 2024 this number rose to 84. For comparison: just over 630 people visited the power plant in 2023, while the previous year saw more than 1,600 visitors. Each year, both the composition of the groups and the geographical diversity of the tourists expand noticeably. 
Moreover, tailored programmes are designed for each group, depending on the tourists’ age, profession, and familiarity with the topic. For professionals in the energy sector, the emphasis is on technical details. Those who are far from electricity production are impressed by the scale of operations. Meanwhile, younger generations receive information about the profession and the nuances of the work, which often includes career guidance goals. When it comes to complex technical subjects, younger kids are given imaginative explanations. For instance, weight is measured in elephants, and height in giraffes. This latter approach is a creative know-how by Anton Martinovich, the leading engineer for industrial safety in the reliability, labour protection, fire, industrial, and radiation safety department, who serves as a guide for the younger groups at LSDPP.
The age-based division is intentional, as emphasised by Galina Avizha. Each category has its own guide into the world of energy, tailored to the interests and queries of the specific group, “Everyone remains engaged. We welcome fellow energy professionals who are primarily interested in technical issues. Vladimir Burak, Chief Engineer at the power plant, accompanies such groups on the tour. Schoolchildren delight in learning about the specifics of the profession. Meanwhile, Russian tourists, who also visit us, marvel at how successfully the energy sector is developing in our country. We offer every guest the opportunity to learn where it all began: every route starts at the museum of the Lukoml State District Power Plant.”  

Nearly 20 percent of Belarus’ electricity is generated by Lukoml power plant

Ten thousand steps

To avoid getting lost in the events, dates and awards, tourists are shown newsreel footage. However, no one can explain better than the methodologist, Tatiana Varlamova, what people worked here, how they lived, and how many dynasties there are now in the branch.
“The power plant was built on the site of the villages of Pyrkovshchina and Kalinovka. An interesting story is related to this. On the site where the construction was underway, a tree remained, on which a family of storks lived. So, work did not continue until the birds flew away. Now, every year, storks return to the territory of the LSDPP, and the image of this bird has been organically incorporated into the logo of the flagship of Belarusian energy,” Tatiana Varlamova shared these fascinating facts and suggested leaving a message in the visitors’ book, which has been kept here for more than 40 years.
A certificate from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR awarding the LSDPP the Badge of Honour Order, a diploma for the plant’s inclusion on the Board of Honour of the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy (VDNKh) of the USSR, archival photographs and documents, a model of the modern state district power plant — you can spend a long time moving from one exhibit to another. Decades of dedicated work are captured in old photographs, yellowed pages of periodicals, pennants and banners.
The present day is no less impressive for tourists. For example, how do you imagine a boiler? It is a very complex technical structure at the power plant. Inside are tonnes of steel pipes that ensure the transfer of heat from the gas being burned to the heat transfer agent. The boiler at the power plant can be as tall as a 10-storey building. If you add up the entire length of the pipes connected to it, you get a distance equal to the road from Novolukoml to Minsk and back.
“The full tour takes about two and a half hours. The route map includes key locations: the central control panel, the turbine building, the unit control panels, and the combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) unit. Visitors walk about three kilometres,” said Galina Avizha. “No one has ever complained of being tired. People are so fascinated by the process that they do not want to leave for a long time afterwards, ask a lot of clarifying questions, and promise to come back again.” 
The branch of the Vitebskenergo RUE offers such industrial tours to visitors free of charge, with the aim of increasing tourist traffic. They use every opportunity to achieve this, such as participating in various exhibitions, including tourism exhibitions and forums. They proudly state that a model of the Lukoml State District Power Plant could be seen at the My Belarus exhibition. The power plant sees its own advantages in the development of industrial tourism, “Firstly, a significant proportion of visitors are young people, schoolchildren. We widely promote the profession to the latter, telling them about the benefits of working at the branch. We often invite students from specialised educational institutions, who may subsequently return here as young specialists. Industrial tourism for us is about the image of the profession, the branch, and the region. Secondly, Belarusians have achieved a lot in the last 30 years, including in the energy sector. We want people, following the tour, to be filled with a sense of pride in their country, in our hard-working people.”

By Galina Zhukova

Photo courtesy of Lukoml State District Power Plant