ABB to supply switchgear for hydropower plant in Switzerland

August 1, 2008 - ABB won an order worth $31 million from Kraftwerke Linth-Limmern AG (KLL) to supply two turnkey substations and auxiliary power equipment for a hydro storage power plant facility at the Tierfehd hydro power plant in Switzerland.

Booked in the second quarter of 2008, the order is part of KLL’s refurbishment and expansion plans for its installations at Tierfehd, which are due to be completed in 2011. ABB will supply and install two gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substations, rated at 220 kilovolts (kV) and 50 kV, along with air-insulated components and the complete substation automation system.

"ABB’s technologies will help to stabilize the regional grid and make better use of the generation capacity available in Switzerland,” said Peter Leupp, Head of ABB’s Power Systems division. “It is a good example of how ABB can provide complete tailored solutions to meet customers’ needs and also support the use of renewable energy.”

Kraftwerke Linth-Limmern AG, owned in part by the canton of Glarus and the Axpo subsidiaries Nordostschweizerische Kraftwerke AG (NOK), produces 460 million kWh of electricity every year. The construction of a pumped-storage power facility with a pump/turbine rating of 1000 megawatts is planned for 2015. It will be built inside a mountain, 600 meters below the surface near the town of Linthal.

Pumped-storage power stations can respond quickly to fluctuating power demands, and are the only large-scale means of storing power available today. During periods of low demand, excess power is used to pump water into a higher reservoir. When demand for power increases, the water is released back through a turbine, generating electricity.

Hydropower is one of the cleanest, cheapest and most easily controlled methods of renewable power generation. Its use as a reserve to manage demand peaks is an environmentally attractive solution, particularly in combination with less reliable renewable resources such as wind power.

ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 115,000 people.