CDTI is the operator of the European Economic Area (EEA)-Grants program, which intends to reduce economic and social discrepancies in the European Economic Area while boosting bilateral relations between Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein and the 16 Member States of the European Union.
The funding will be used by GE for the hydropower equipment research and development (R&D) activities for the Iveland and Tepekisla hydroelectric projects located in Norway and Turkey respectively.
GE Renewable Energy Hydro business CEO Yves Rannou said: "We are grateful for the contribution of the EEA-Grants program that helped us to deliver two major European projects, Iveland and Tepekisla, and to develop R&D within the hydro field."
GE said that the two projects required developing two completely different hydro turbine/generator prototypes.
The Tepekisla project comprises two SAM units with generation capacity of 35MW. The units are claimed to be the most powerful of its type.
Located on the river Kelkit, near the city of Tokat, northern Turkey, the Tepekisla project is owned by a subsidiary of SANKO Enerji.
Additionally, the Francis-driven Iveland project is expected to provide 50MW of generating capacity to the plant’s output.
The International Energy Agency estimates that hydro energy is expected to grow 24GW annually until 2050.
