Small hydropower plant in Macedonia: Voith wins order to supply two StreamDivers
Heidenheim / Skopje. Technology group Voith has won an order for the manufacture, supply and commissioning of two StreamDivers for the small hydropower plant Gradiste in Macedonia. The company will also supervise installation and supply the gate valves. The power plant is set to go into operation early in 2020 and will supply clean power to up to 900 households in the Jegunovce region north of the Macedonian capital Skopje. The plant is one of 12 facilities currently being planned for the river Vardar and intended to increase the hydropower share within Macedonia’s total energy mix.
With the two StreamDivers, the Gradiste power plant is being equipped with a compact and simply structured small hydro technology that needs hardly any maintenance. In addition, this is an environmentally friendly type of turbine characterized by oil-free operation and low visual and noise impact.
“The StreamDiver turbine-generator unit is ideal for the new power plant location,” explains Besfort Aliti, owner and managing director of Bart Energy DOO Skopje, the client. “Compared with a conventional vertical Kaplan turbine that would normally have been used, we are gaining significant benefits in respect of delivery time and on-site implementation.” For example, construction time is reduced by 60 percent. Moreover, there are substantial savings in construction costs, due among other things to a reduced concrete requirement.
StreamDiver – electricity generation even at low head
The centerpiece of the StreamDiver technology is the turbine generator unit with a permanent magnet generator built into an oil-free bulb housing that is available in a range of 50 to 800 kW. The strength of this technology lies in its flexibility of use. The unit can be completely submerged, so it can operate independently regardless of any existing structures. It can also be integrated into existing power plants, facilitating economic upgrades and keeping investment costs to a minimum. For example, existing weirs and dams can be utilized for power generation.
Voith estimates the potential of the StreamDiver technology to be around five GW worldwide. The regions with the greatest potential are in North America and Europe, particularly in the north and east of Europe.
About the Voith Group
The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has more than 19,000 employees, sales of € 4.2 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the large family-owned companies in Europe.
The Group Division Voith Hydro is part of the Voith Group and a leading full-line supplier as well as trusted partner for equipping hydropower plants. Voith develops customized, long-term solutions and services for large and small hydro plants all over the world. Its portfolio of products and services covers the entire life cycle and all major components for large and small hydro plants, from generators, turbines, pumps and automation systems, right through to spare parts, maintenance and training services, and digital solutions for intelligent hydropower.
