In August 2007, the supply and engineering contracts for the construction of the Ilisu hydropower station in southeast Anatolia, Turkey were signed. The total project volume amounts to approximately 1.2 billion Euros, of which 530 million Euros fall to the European supply and engineering consortium, consisting of Andritz VA TECH HYDRO, Alstom, Züblin (a member of international STRABAG Group), Stucky, Colenco, and Maggia. The Turkish project operator, the Turkish government, and the export credit agencies involved have agreed upon a series of comprehensive accompanying measures and requirements for environmental protection, social cushioning, preservation of the cultural heritage, and protection of neighboring countries. Compliance will be monitored by an independent international commission implemented by the export credit agencies. Thus, the project meets the high Western standards of OECD and the World Bank. The order will be put in force in Q1 2008. The Ilisu hydropower station – which is urgently needed in Turkey due to the country’s fast economic growth – will have an output of 1,200 MW and will supply two million households with electricity from environmentally friendly hydropower starting in 2014/2015. Compared to a thermal power station, this will help avoid approximately three million tons of carbon dioxide per year, or replace one or two nuclear power stations.
The Business Area received two major orders from India, thus further extending its excellent market position in the fast-growing Indian hydropower market. For Teesta Urja Limited, Gurgaon, New Delhi, India, Andritz VA TECH HYDRO will supply the complete electromechanical equipment for six vertical Pelton machine sets for Stage III of Teesta Hydropower Station. The total nominal output will be 1,200 MW. The six sets will go online by August 2011. Jaiprakash Industries placed an order with Andritz VA TECH HYDRO to supply four erosion-resistant Francis turbines with a total output of 1,200 MW for Karcham Wangtoo Hydropower Station on the river Satluj. These four units will also go onstream by August 2011. Both the Satluj and the Teesta rivers carry large amounts of sand from the Himalayas during the rainy season. Due to its high quartz content, this sand can cause major erosion damage to the turbine parts. Therefore, the aspect of erosion-resistance was given special attention in the turbine design. In addition, all turbine runner surfaces in contact with water will be provided with a very hard, special ceramic coating.
Electromechanical equipment for a new weir power station on the Rhine will be delivered for Rheinkraftwerk Albbruck-Dogern AG, 77%-owned by German RWE. Together with the existing facilities, the power station will supply electricity to more than 180,000 households. The heart of the new plant will be a bulb turbine generator set with a runner diameter of 6.1 m.
Andritz VA TECH HYDRO AG, Vevey was awarded a contract to deliver four MicroGuss™ Pelton runners to Chhukha, Bhutan. Each of the four units has an output of 84 MW and consists of 21 buckets with a total weight of more than 17 tons. Andritz VA TECH HYDRO was able to win the contract thanks to the outstanding reliability of the proven MicroGuss™ Pelton technology installed in more than 300 hydropower plants worldwide. In Bhutan, where approximately half of the electricity produced is exported, hydropower has become a very important source of electricity generation, thus supporting the strong growth of the country’s economy.
After having successfully rehabilitated unit 1, Andritz VA TECH HYDRO also obtained the order for rehabilitation of units 2-5 of the Rock Island hydropower station, the oldest hydropower station on the Columbia River, Washington, USA. One of the decisive criteria for the order award by Chelan County Public Utility District was the fish-friendliness of the design offered. A habitat conservation plan aims at improving the migration of the red salmon in this region.
Refurbishment of hydropower plants to the north of Rome will be carried out for Endesa Italia by Andritz VA TECH HYDRO through its affiliate VA TECH Escher Wyss S.r.l. in Schio, Italy. In total, this supply includes six Francis turbines and two Kaplan turbines, as well as new power systems and complete plant automation based on the Andritz VA TECH HYDRO NEPTUN concept.
SAF Hydroelectric, LLC placed an order with VA TECH HYDRO USA Corp., a member of the Andritz VA TECH HYDRO Group, to install HYDROMATRIX® units at the lower Saint Anthony Falls Lock & Dam in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. The 16 units will produce a total of 10 MW. SAF Hydroelectric was created for the purpose of developing the Lower Saint Anthony Falls Project and is majority-owned by Brookfield Power, a major producer of hydropower in North America. The HYDROMATRIX® Turbine-Generator concept is a leading solution for the development of hydropower at existing low dams and gate structures, utilizing a factory assembled grid or ‘matrix’ of small propeller turbine-generator units. This contract represents years of engineering and development in close relationship with the customer to bring this first major U.S. HYDROMATRIX® project to fruition.
IRIDE ENERGIA S.p.A., Turin awarded a contract for refurbishment of the mechanical part of the Rosone hydropower plants to Andritz VA TECH HYDRO, through its affiliate VA TECH Escher Wyss S.r.l., Schio, Italy. The plant is located in the Piedmont Region, northwest of Turin in the Orco valley. VA TECH Escher Wyss will be responsible for the design engineering, manufacturing, installation, and commissioning of two horizontal Pelton units with an output of 41 MW each.
VA TECH HYDRO AS, Norway received an order from Statkraft for the supply of four new Francis runners for the Tokke hydropower plant. Tokke is one of the largest power stations in Northern Europe, generating approximately 430 MW with four turbines harnessing the 394 m drop from the Vinjevatnet Lake to Bandak. The basis of this order was the successful new runner design, leading to increased efficiency above the guaranteed values. The performance was verified both in Andritz VA TECH HYDRO’s laboratory in Vevey, as well as in the laboratory of the University of Trondheim.
VA TECH BOUVIER HYDRO S.A.S. will deliver hydropower equipment including two Compact S-type turbines with a runner diameter of 2.6 m for the Dafnosonara hydropower station, located on the Acheloos River, for Terna S.A.; Terna is an important private Greek energy producer with an installed capacity of 130 MW wind power and 147 MW thermal power. The Dafnosonara hydropower station will have an installed capacity of 8.5 MW.
Electromechanical equipment for six hydropower plants in the Harrison Lake region was sold to Peter Kiewit Sons Co., Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. The contractor and Andritz VA TECH HYDRO have established intensive collaboration to develop the design and technical parameters, resulting in optimization of the whole system.
The award of this contract and the fast development of hydropower in the province of British Columbia have prompted Andritz VA TECH HYDRO to open a new branch office in the Greater Vancouver area in late 2007 to enhance the sales and project management activities.
This successful cooperation was strengthened and continued with another order: Peter Kiewit Sons Co. awarded VA TECH HYDRO Canada Inc. a contract for the supply of the electromechanical equipment for the East Toba and Montrose water power plants situated approximately 190 km northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia. Andritz VA TECH HYDRO will deliver two complete machine sets for each plant, with a maximum output per set of 73 MW for East Toba and 44 MW for Montrose. The delivery includes six-jet Pelton turbines, digital speed governors, spherical valves, generators, and excitation. The two power stations will generate an average of 750 GWh of electricity per year, which is sufficient to cover the electricity demand of 75,000 households and represents a savings of approximately 455,000 tons of greenhouse gases per year.
To BC Hydro, VA TECH HYDRO Canada Inc. will supply three turbines, generators, and governors, as well as related electrical and mechanical auxiliaries for the redevelopment of the Aberfeldie Generating Station, located on the Bull River, 30 km east of Cranbrook in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Aberfeldie dam and generating facility will assist in filling the growing supply/demand gap for electricity in British Columbia producing enough clean energy to supply 10,500 residential customers annually.
Electrogoes S.A. entrusted VA TECH HYDRO Brasil with the electromechanical equipment supply for the new Rondon II power plant on the Comemoração River between the cities of Pimenta Bueno and Vilhena in the state of Rondonia, Brazil. The supply comprises three 25 MW vertical Francis units, penstocks, bifurcations, and inlet butterfly valves.
Pend Oreille PUD (Public Utility District), State of Washington, USA signed a contract with VA TECH HYDRO USA for the rehabilitation and upgrade of the four 19.6 MW Kaplan units installed at its Box Canyon power plant. The plant, located approximately 50 km from the Canadian border, was commissioned in 1955. The scope of work includes the design, model testing, and supply of four new Kaplan runners, rewinding the four generators, supply of new governors and controls, and the field rehabilitation of all turbine and generator components.
The Cengiz Group, a private Turkish investor, entrusted Andritz VA TECH HYDRO with the modernization of the complete secondary equipment for the Oymapinar power station, Turkey. The goal lies in the accomplishment of a fully automatic power station with the possibility of remote control. This order marks Andritz VA TECH HYDRO’s entry into the developing rehabilitation market of Turkey.
From Illwerke AG, Vorarlberg, Austria, Andritz VA TECH HYDRO received an order for replacement of two further rotors in Rodund I pumped storage plant, located in the Montafon region in the westernmost part of Austria. The renewal of the first two machines had been awarded to Andritz VA TECH HYDRO in 2004. The horizontal machines built in 1943 will be prepared for an output increase of over 20%, which can be achieved after future replacement of the stators. Rodund I provides an important contribution for the growing need of the European power grid for regulating and peak energy, caused by, among other things, the rapidly growing but inherently volatile wind power. With its pumped storage power plants, lllwerke is additionally making an essential contribution towards flood protection in this region.
Regional utility company CVA (Compagnie Valdôtaine des Eaux), Italy entrusted VA TECH Escher Wyss S.r.l. in Schio, a member of the Andritz VA TECH HYDRO Group, with the contract for modernization of the 10.4 MW electromechanical equipment at Fauburg hydropower station. The decisive factor in this order award was the long-term, good experience that this customer has had with Andritz VA TECH HYDRO.
The Order Intake for centrifugal pumps progressed well during 2007 and reached a new record. The total of pumps ordered amounted to approximately 5,600, including major orders from Germany and orders for medium-consistency pumps of the new MC series from China.
To Navayuga Engineering Company Ltd. Multi-Disciplinary Construct. Eng., Hyderabad, India, the Business Area will supply five vertical large irrigation pumps.