Voith has announced it is to modernize two units at the Ffestiniog power station, part of the 2GW First Hydro”pumped storage operation located in Snowdonia, North Wales.
In a contract valued at around EUR 40 million awarded by operator Engie, the technology group will manufacture, install and commission two units, with an option for the refurbishment of two more units at a later date.
“The refurbishment of the Ffestiniog Power Station is a major commitment to infrastructure development in Wales. We are delighted to announce this investment in Ffestiniog and our partnership with Voith to deliver this important project. The contract was awarded to Voith based on their technically thorough and competitively priced solution”, said Wilfrid Petrie, CEO of ENGIE UK and Ireland.
With this project, Voith offered a technical solution which allows a higher flexibility of the units as well as the extension of the operating band of the power plant. This will allow Ffestiniog to react more quickly to grid requirements with an extended range of operation.
Design, planning and component production work is due to start immediately, while work on site is expected to start at the end of 2018. The refurbishment is set to be completed by early 2020. The announced refurbishment of the first two units is a mid-life-refurbishment, and will ensure the design life is extended for at least 20 years of further operation.
The power station was commissioned in 1963 and was the UK’s first major pumped storage facility. Ffestiniog’s four generating units are capable of achieving a combined output of 360MW.
