GE Renewable Energy’s Hydro Solutions has announced that it has completed important project milestones at the Tehri Pumped Hydro Storage (Variable Speed) and Kundah Pumped Hydro Storage (Fixed Speed) projects.
At Tehri (in Uttarakhand), 95 per cent of the deliveries have been completed and the civil and electro-mechanical erection works are underway in full swing. At Kundah (in Tamil Nadu), the first key milestone of hydraulic model testing has been completed.
Both hydropower projects will use GE’s Hydro turbines and Pumped Storage technology for power generation to ensure reliable power to the grid.
These projects are expected to contribute 1,000 mw and 500 mw electricity to India’s national grid by end of 2023, from the Tehri and Kundah sites respectively.
GE has mobilized resources in India and across the world to execute on both the projects.
Kundah
The 4×125-mw Kundah Fixed Speed Pumped Hydro Storage project was awarded to GE by Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL) in 2020. It underwent successful hydraulic model test in February 2021—an important milestone in the project.
Tehri
At Tehri, several major components such as MIVs (Main Inlet Valve), PIVs (Penstock Inlet Valve), Runners, Distributors, Rotor Spiders, Stators, bearings, OPUs (Oil Pressure Unit), Mechanical & Electrical BOP (Balance of Plants) etc. have been engineered and manufactured in India.
The project’s construction and commissioning teams are supported by GE’s global centers of excellence. Notably, the third Main Inlet Valve (MIV)of the four has been manufactured in India with GE’s technology and design and is one of the largest ever MIVs in the world, weighing 350 tonmes without counterweights, and 4m in diameter.
The 4×250-mw Tehri PSP is a mammoth project with variable speed technology. This consortium project was awarded by THDC India Ltd to GE Hydro France, GE Power India Ltd and Hindustan Construction Company Ltd, under the over project leadership of GE Hydro France.
The power plant is designed for high flexibility and short response times to load changes. Unlike conventional fixed speed units, the variable speed operation allows for very quick starts and stops as well as fast transitions between turbine and pump operation. Among the most adaptable production systems, variable speed hydro storage units can store large quantity of immediately available electricity, giving the network greater flexibility, predictability and efficiency.
Featured photograph showing a GE hydro turbine pump is for illustration only
