In March 2012, Voith signed a contract with the Czech consortium Metrostav a.s. and Zakládáni staveb a.s. as general contractor for the delivery of the complete electro-mechanical equipment for Štětí small hydro power station. The project is being implemented by the Czech investor Energeia o.p.s.

The Voith delivery scope covers two turbines, each rated at 3.5 megawatt (MW), the associated control systems, the transmissions for speed control, as well as the synchronous generators. With a runner diameter of 5.1 meters, the three-blade Kaplan bulb turbines in pit design are the largest such units in Europe. Situated some 40 kilometers north of the Czech capital Prague, Štětí hydropower station on the river Labe (Elbe) is being set up at the existing weir on the right river bank in flood-proof design. Commissioning is scheduled for July 2014. Štětí will feed approximately 30 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity from renewable sources into the grid every year and thus reliably supply 12 000 households in the region.

After receiving an order for two pit turbines for the Czech hydro power station Litomerice south of the Bohemian Highlands in 2010, Voith has once again won a contract from the Czech Republic. "Our customers have every faith in our technology and count on our experience which spans several decades," says
Dr. Leopold Heninger, Chairman of the Board of Voith Hydro St. Pölten.

Picture: View of the future power house (Source: Energeia o.p.s)