Graz/Vienna, June 11, 2013. ANDRITZ HYDRO, part of international technology Group ANDRITZ, has received an order from Kraftwerke Oberhasli AG (KWO), Switzerland, to supply two Pelton turbines and one synchronous generator as part of the project to extend Innertkirchen 1 and Handeck 2 hydropower stations. Commissioning is scheduled for 2016. The project to modernize the two plants built over 60 years ago makes a substantial contribution towards covering peak energy demand to compensate for volatile wind and solar energy supplies. Due to the modernization, an additional 70 gigawatt-hours will be generated every year, thus covering the energy demand for more than 14,000 households.
The order comprises supply, installation, and commissioning of two vertical, six-jet Pelton turbines with an output of 150 and 90 megawatts, respectively, and of a vertical synchronous generator (output: 165 megavolt-amperes) including additional equipment. This upgrade will boost the overall output of the two hydropower plants by 280 megawatts to reach 670 megawatts.
By building a second head race, the flow rate of the water and thus the friction losses in the pressure pipes will be reduced. As a result, more energy can be generated from the water volume used in both power stations. A new return water reservoir also upgrades the plant to provide ecological benefits.
With 26 units in nine hydropower plants, Kraftwerke Oberhasli AG, one of Switzerland’s leading hydropower plant operators, provides a total output of approximately 2,350 gigawatt-hours, representing around 7% of the total output from all Swiss hydropower plants.
The ANDRITZ GROUP
The ANDRITZ GROUP is a globally leading supplier of plants, equipment, and services for hydropower stations, the pulp and paper industry, the metalworking and steel industries, and solid/liquid separation in the municipal and industrial sectors. In addition, ANDRITZ offers technologies for certain other sectors including automation, the production of animal feed and biomass pellets, pumps, machinery for nonwovens and plastic films, steam boiler plants, biomass boilers and gasification plants for energy generation, flue gas cleaning plants, plants for the production of panelboards (MDF), thermal sludge utilization, and biomass torrefaction plants. The publicly listed, international technology Group is headquartered in Graz, Austria, and has a staff of around 23,700 employees. ANDRITZ operates over 220 production sites as well as service and sales companies all around the world.
ANDRITZ HYDRO
ANDRITZ HYDRO supplies electromechanical equipment for hydropower stations. With over 170 years of accumulated experience and more than 30,000 turbines installed totaling approximately 400,000 megawatts output, the business area is one of the world’s leading suppliers for hydraulic power generation, offering the complete product portfolio, including turbines, generators, and additional equipment of all types and sizes: “from water to wire” for small-scale hydropower stations up to outputs of more than 800 megawatts. ANDRITZ HYDRO also holds a top position in the growing hydropower plant service, refurbishment, and upgrade market. Pumps (for water transport, irrigation, and applications for various industries) and turbogenerators for thermal power stations are also allocated to the business area.