There are only seven of these in the world: what does the unique Russian plant "Izolyator" look like and how does it function?

In 1896, the Izolyator plant was founded in Russia, today one of the country's oldest electrical engineering companies. This plant survived the Revolution, several wars, and crises, but consistently supplied Russia with products needed in various sectors. Without its products, Russia's electrification, industrialization, and the construction of all energy facilities—from the large-scale hydroelectric power plants of the socialist era to modern nuclear power plants—would have been impossible.

The pre-revolutionary plant's product range was quite broad: insulators and technical porcelain materials, porous pots and firebricks, and ceramics. In 1905, the company's products were awarded a gold medal at the International Exhibition in Brussels. With the outbreak of World War I, Izolyator was urgently called upon to develop domestic electrical products due to the cessation of foreign supplies.



The October Revolution and the following several years had a negative impact on the plant's production capacity. However, after its nationalization, a new chapter in the plant's history essentially began.

As part of the GOELRO plan, the national economy was to be reconstructed, and small, isolated power plants and transmission lines were to be integrated into a unified national energy system. This would have been impossible without the production of insulation products for high-voltage lines. The Moscow Izolyator plant became the primary plant tasked with producing this much-needed product.

Subsequently, by 1926, production of 6-35 kV porcelain insulators was established, a significant success at the time. Thus, 35 kV insulators were included in the first all-Union standard and were produced until 1939. However, as production progressed, the plant faced challenges: on August 1, 1923, a fire destroyed all workshops and equipment. However, this did not deter the workers: by December of that year, production was restored to the required levels.

During the New Economic Policy (NEP), Izolyator became a key enterprise in the production of electrical porcelain and the development of new types of insulators. Thus, at the very beginning of the five-year plan, the task was set to master the production of 115 kV suspension insulators. In the fall of 1931, while fulfilling a government order, the plant produced its first porcelain for 115 kV oil-filled bushings, eliminating the need to purchase them from the United States.

The Great Patriotic War proved to be the most severe test for Izolyator. The plant was evacuated to the Urals. Meanwhile, demand for the plant's products increased during the war: evacuated enterprises in the east of the country and the defense industry desperately needed electricity.

After the war, the Izolyator had to solve no less complex problems associated with the commissioning of the Kuibyshev, Volzhskaya, Sayano-Shushenskaya, Bratsk and Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power stations.

Today, Izolyator produces high-voltage AC and DC bushings. The plant not only manufactures these products, but also develops and improves them in-house. The plant's uniqueness makes its products in demand worldwide, as there are only seven such plants on the planet.

For example, as the company explains, the plant is currently implementing several major projects in India, Brazil, and Turkey. Plans also include entering the African market.