ABB wins $120 million hydropower order in Switzerland

30th October 2009

ABB Limited

ES Admin

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ABB has won an order worth $120 million from Kraftwerke Linth-Limmern AG (KLL) related to the construction of a new hydropower plant and energy-storage facility in eastern Switzerland. The order was booked in the third quarter.

The Linth-Limmern high–capacity, pumped-storage hydropower station will be installed in an underground cavern in the Linthal valley. The facility will be used to pump water from the lower reservoir (the Limmernsee) in the valley to the upper reservoir (the Muttsee), 600 meters above the station. During peak demand, water will be released from the upper reservoir to generate high-value power.

The project will help to meet future demand across Switzerland and the first of four generating units is expected to be operational by 2015.

ABB will provide electrical equipment, including transformers, medium-voltage switchgears, and instrumentation and automation systems. ABB will also provide a 380-kilovolt GIS (gas-insulated switchgear) substation, which will help to feed power from the plant into the grid.

“ABB has the range of technologies as well as the domain expertise and proven track record to execute such projects” said Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s Power Systems division. “We look forward to working with KLL on this project to deliver reliable power to the region.”

Pumped-storage facilities offer the most effective opportunity for large-scale energy storage, in terms of both cost and environmental impact. The ability to tap into stored reserves during periods of higher demand improves the reliability of power supplies.

Kraftwerke Linth-Limmern (KLL), a partnership between energy utility Axpo AG and the Swiss canton of Glarus, produces 460 million kWh of electricity annually. It manages a complex of hydropower stations and the new facility will boost their total capacity almost four-fold to about 1,460 megawatts.

ABB is already executing a related project for KLL and supplying two turnkey substations and auxiliary power equipment for the nearby Tierfehd hydropower plant.

ABB (www.abb.com) 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 120,000 people.