Voith has won a contract from E.ON Kraftwerke to modernise one of the generators at the Waldeck pumped storage plant in North Hesse, Germany.

The contract, which is valued at around €9 million, involves the replacement, assembly and commissioning of the stator and rotor of machine 6 at Waldeck 2. It also includes an option for the modernisation of a further machine unit worth around €5 million.

Each of the two generators at the Waldeck 2 has a capacity of 265 MVA. Voith says that in order to replace the generator the original turbine, which sits vertically above the motor-generator, will first have to be disassembled.

The work is expected to extend the lifetime of the project, and also increase the efficiency of the generator by around 10 per cent.

The Waldeck pumped storage power plant delivers around 10 per cent of the total German pumped-storage capacity, and with its central location in Germany, is particularly suited for the storage of energy from the north and middle of the country.