Verbund said that construction of Limberg II is four months ahead of the programme of originally agreed deadlines, and it expects the project to be completed in 2011.
The planned schedule was for the first of the plant’s two 240MW pump-turbines to be commissioned is late 2011 and the second unit by March 2012. Construction work began in 2006.
Verbund also noted in its Q1 report for the three months to 31 March that hydro power output from run-of-river plants was down by 4.4% compared to the same period last year. It added, however, that there was a 10% increase in output from reservoir-fed plants.
The net effect on generation from the hydro plants was a 4.4% reduction to 5030GWh during the quarter compared to the previous year.
The utility said that river flows were less than normal. The throughflow rate was 3% less than the long-term average during the quarter but at times even up to 6% below the same period last year.
Approval had been achieved for the six plants to be built in Turkey by its jointly-owned local firm Enerjisa, the utility also reported. The plants have combined installed capacity of 870MW.
