The Germany-based technology group
Voith and the Spanish electricity generation company
Iberdrola recently signed a contract to modernise a total of five pump turbines at the Spanish hydroelectric power plants Torrejón and Valdecañas, which are located on the River Tajo.
Moreover, due to the travel restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the entire contract negotiations were conducted online from home offices by both parties and concluded at the end of July.
For the Torrejón hydropower plant, Voith will supply two semi-axial pump turbines, each with an output of 43MW. The scope of supply includes the runners, guide vanes, turbine covers, shafts and bearings, as well as hydraulic and digital governors.
As part of the modernisation, the plant will also be converted to variable-speed operation and the head of water will be increased.
For the hydropower plant Valdecañas, Voith will supply three Deriaz pump turbines with an output of 83MW each. The scope of supply for this project includes the runners, parts of the control systems and the hydraulic governors.
Quentin Seringe, sales and marketing manager at Voith Hydro, said: “By modernising both installations, Voith is making an important contribution to a more flexible use of hydropower plants in the European power grid. For the Valdecañas project, we are developing a Deriaz pump turbine that can be optimally used for small to medium heads.
“The Torrejón project also represents a special modernisation project for Voith, due to the speed variability and the increase in head while maintaining the same construction conditions.”
The acceptance of the model tests in mid-2021 will mark the next important milestone for both projects. The first runners for the plants are to be delivered in the second half of 2022 and the last runners in mid-2024. The project will end with the commissioning of the plants which is scheduled for early 2025.
Founded in 1867, Voith Group has more than 19,000 employees, sales of 4.3 billion euros and locations in over 60 countries world-wide.