Voith Hydro has modernized three generators of the Drakensberg pumped storage power plant in South Africa, and successfully put them back into operation. The company received the order, including design, installation, and commissioning, back in 2016. A special requirement was that all works were carried out without disrupting the normal plant operation of the customer – the public power utility, ESKOM.
The technical concept for the modernization improved the performance of the machines enormously. The generators in the power plant, which has been in operation since 1981, have now been redesigned for another 40 years of operation.
“We were able to reduce the operating temperatures and vibrations of the machines, so that their lifetime has been significantly increased,” says Anton Harris, Managing Director at Voith Hydro in South Africa. This success was mainly based on international cooperation between the local team in Johannesburg and the engineering department at the headquarters in Germany. During the pandemic, the project schedule was temporarily hindered. “We reacted quickly and accessed the experts at the headquarters in Heidenheim, who would originally have been on site, via remote support, ” Harris continues.
The pumped storage power plant Drakensberg, has a total installed capacity of 1,000 MW and therefore is the second largest of its kind in South Africa. Interestingly, the power plant is built completely underground. Only shafts and transmission lines can be seen on the surface, and the four reversible pump turbines are placed approximately 52 floors below ground.
Pumped storage power plants help to store energy during times of excess, and release this energy during times of need. This helps stabilise the grid, which is especially useful when working with renewable energies such as wind and solar that do not provide consistent energy. This flexibility greatly improves the quality of energy supply in a country.
Voith has been active in pumped storage technology for many years. The company has made vital contributions in this field, developed many innovations, and continuously works on optimizing them. Voith invests in research and development in this area, because so far, pumped storage technology is the only long-term, technically proven and cost-effective form of storing energy on a large scale and making it available at short notice.
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