Voith Received Orders to Supply Generating Machines to Wudongde Hydropower Station in China

The contract has a value of around €365 million. Following Three Gorges or Xiluodu the project marks yet another breakthrough for Voith in supporting the development of large renewable energy projects in China. The turbine generator units for Wudongde will, in terms of power output, be amongst the largest worldwide and the largest Voith has supplied in its history.

Wudongde is located in the lower reaches of the Jinsha River, the region of Huidong County, Sichuan Province and Luquan County, Yunnan Province. With its 12 units of 850 megawatts Francis power generating machines, Wudongde will have a total installed capacity of 10,200 megawatts, nearly half of that of Three Gorges.

The Chinese government approved the construction in December 2015 with the commissioning of the Wudongde project planned to be in 2020. When finished, the Wudongde hydropower plant will have an estimated annual generating capacity of 38.9 billion KWh, and will contribute to savings of 12.2 million tons of standard coal and 30.5 million tons of CO2 emissions each year.

With multiple functions of power generation, flood control, navigation and sediment retention, the project will play a significant role in the "West-East Power Transmission", a program aimed to transmit affordable, clean power from Western China to the economically dynamic Guangdong province and other coastal areas and promote sustainable economic growth for China.

The successful order placement was the result of Voith’s innovative technology and well-established track record of sound performance in China. “Voith is very proud to be a part of this exciting and important hydropower project and continues to contribute to China’s renewable energy development,” said Uwe Wehnhardt, President and CEO of Voith Hydro.

Voith has supplied more than 240 power units to 80 Chinese hydropower stations. Voith Hydro Shanghai was established in 1994 as part of Voith Hydro’s firm desire to take deep roots in China as a local company. It has become a major force behind China’s hydropower development program through its participation in key projects including Three Gorges, Xiluodu, Longtan, Xiaowan, Laxiwa, Liyuan, Dagangshan, Nuozhadu, Jinping II and Hongping.

With 330 GW of installed hydropower capacity, China is by far the leading player in the world’s market for both new hydro development as well as in total installed capacity. In 2014 alone, the country added 21.85 GW.