Voith Receives Order for Modernization of Albbruck-Dogern Hydropower Plant

The customer is Rheinkraftwerk Albbruck-Dogern AG (RADAG) who owns the hydropower plant. The first contract stage covers the modernization of one machine set with an order volume of € 10 million, while the remaining two machine sets will be refurbished in the next project phase. In total, the order is worth approximately € 25 million.

The aim of the machine refurbishment is to ensure another long period of failure-free operation, ideally over several decades, and to increase the efficiency of the machines. The Rheinkraftwerk Albbruck-Dogern has been in service for 80 years and, upon completion of the modernization project, will supply eco-friendly energy also in the future. Only a few years ago, its license has been extended until 2072.

Investments in the modernization and maintenance of existing plants are of high importance, especially in established hydropower markets such as Europe and North America. On the southern Rhine alone, not far from Albbruck-Dogern, Voith recently modernized and overhauled the hydropower plants Rheinfelden, Erneg and Bad Säckingen. In Norway, Voith has just received orders for the modernization of six turbines in four hydropower stations. Apart from significantly extending a plant’s lifetime and increasing output as well as efficiency, modernization of power station components can also ensure sustainable and long-term reductions of the operating costs for these power plants.

In Germany, nearly one quarter of all renewable energy is generated from hydropower. The installed hydropower capacity in Germany amounts to approximately 4,100 MW, added by about 6,400 MW from pumped storage power plants. The technically feasible yet still untapped hydropower potential is estimated to be another 6,000 MW.