Built in 1930, the Petrasiunai Power Station is one of the oldest power stations in the country still in operation. The building of the new station on the east side of the city was begun in 1971. In December 1976 it reached its design capacity of 170 MW.

About 80% of all thermal power needed by the city of Kaunas is generated at the Petrasiunai and Kaunas Power Stations. All the electricity is supplied to the Lithuanian power system.

The main equipment at the Petrasiunai station consists of three steam boilers, each with a capacity of 75 t/h, one 12 MW turbogenerator and two water-heating boilers, each with a capacity of 100 Gcal/h.

The boilers run on heavy fuel oil and natural gas. All the circuit breakers, steam and water-heating boilers are controlled from control rooms. Computer-based control system enables staff to watch the parameters of district heating water, industrial steam and water.

The quantity of pollutants in flue gases is regulated. Flue gases from the steam boilers are released into the atmosphere through two 80-m-high stacks and those from the water-heating boilers through two 55-m-high metal stacks.

At the Kaunas station, the main equipment consists of three steam boilers, each with a capacity of 420 t/h, two steam turbines, one with a 60-MW hydrogen-cooled generator with two outlets of steam for industrial needs and heat exchangers, the other with a 110-MW hydrogen-cooled generator and a steam outlet for heat exchangers, four water-heating boilers, each with a capacity of 100 Gcal/h, one water boiler with a capacity of 180 Gcal/h and one electrode boiler with a capacity of 40 MW. The station runs on natural gas and heavy fuel oil.

A computer-based information control system makes it possible to watch, note and analyse the parameters of district heating water, industrial steam and industrial water, and also to do commercial accounting. With this system it is possible to control all the 110 kV circuit breakers and partly control the electrode boiler and to monitor the main parameters of the Petrasiunai Power Station.

Flue gases from the steam and water heating boilers are vented through two stacks, 180 and 150 meters high. Air pollution was reduced significantly through the reconstruction of the boilers. A new monitoring system for the station is now being introduced. It will record all pollutants in the flue gases and be used to regulate the operation of the boilers.