Voith Hydro has been an active participant in China's hydropower industry for over a century, dating back to its delivery of turbines and generators to China's first hydropower plant, the Shilongba hydropower plant, in 1910. As a leading provider of hydroelectric equipment and services, Voith has played a significant role in the development of hydropower in China, with notable contributions including the provision of equipment for the world’s largest hydropower plant Sanxia.
As a witness and facilitator of China's 100-year development of hydropower, Voith's involvement in the industry and the technical level of hydropower construction in China has increased significantly. With a total installed capacity of over 66,000MW, Voith has supplied 200 units to 55 hydropower plants in China, including turbine/generator sets for eight of the top ten hydropower plants in the country.
China's remarkable progress in the hydropower industry over the past decades has seen significant investments in research and development, infrastructure, and renewable energy technologies. As China aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 in its 3060 targets, hydropower will undoubtedly play a significant role in achieving this goal. The importance of hydropower as a green energy source in China cannot be overstated, offering clean and renewable electricity while also providing significant benefits in terms of flood control, irrigation, and water management. Additionally, hydropower plays a crucial role in meeting China's energy needs while reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions.
With a commitment to developing local talent, building local competencies and establishing strong partnerships with local Chinese companies, including state-owned enterprises, Voith Hydro will continue to support the country's development of big hydropower projects and pumped storage plants, further contributing to the growth of China's hydropower industry.
As the largest hydropower station in the world, the Three Gorges Project is also the largest construction project in China, which has achieved comprehensive benefits in flood control, shipping and water resources utilization.
At the turn of the millennium, Voith delivered six sets of machines there. The first machine Voith delivered was commissioned in 2004. The individual components for this project were developed and produced in Brazil, Germany and China. The implementation of the Three Gorges project was a masterpiece of organization. A total of 20 000 persons worked on the mammoth building.
Voith and its consortium partners are all manufacturers of large hydropower stations. None of the companies alone were able to fit out a power station of this magnitude. The total capacity of the hydroelectric plant on the Yangtze River will be more than 22 000 megawatts when it is completed. It can generate enough electricity for 100 million people.
Seventh largest in the world, Fourth largest in China
The Wudongde Hydropower Plant is the seventh-largest hydropower plant in the world and the fourth-largest in China, with a total installed capacity of 10.2 GW generated by twelve 850 MW power units.
On June 16, 2021, the last power unit provided by Voith was successfully trialed, commissioned, and connected into the China Southern Power Grid. At this point, all units of the Wudongde Hydropower plant have been put into operation for power generation. Voith undertook the design, manufacturing, and on-site installation of all six Francis turbines on the left bank of the dam, and its contributions have been instrumental in ensuring the operating parameters of all units meet the standard of Three Gorges Group Power Units of Excellence.
The site of the Wudongde Hydropower Plant is located in one of the narrowest river valleys of any hydropower project currently under construction in western China. Voith supplied the heaviest generator unit ever built for this project: the runner, with a diameter of 9,900 mm and a weight of 450 tons, was the largest and heaviest runner ever built on a power plant site in the history of hydropower; and the generator rotor, with a diameter of 17,500 mm and a weight of 2,200 tons, was also the heaviest rotor in a hydropower plant under construction in the world at that time.
Voith Hydro Shanghai's contribution to the Plant has been recognized with the award of "Excellent Supplier of Electromechanical Equipment" by China Three Gorges Corporation.
Changlongshan(CLS) PSP is a pumped-storage power station located in Anji County, Zhejiang Province, with a rated head of 710 m, which is the highest among the pumped storage power stations in China. As the largest PSP station in East China, CLS Project mainly undertakes the double peak-shaving function of the whole East China Power Grid. The power station can produce 2.435 billion kWh of clean electricity every year.
There are 6 units installed in the power station, with a total capacity of 2.1 GW, of which the rated speed of units 1 to 4 is 500 r/min. VHS provides u nit 5 and unit 6, which are the world's first 600 r/min high-capacity and high-head units. CLS PSP has created many world-class results, such as 350 MW rated capacity of the reversible unit at 600r/min rated speed and at turbine mode 756m maximum head of single-stage pumped storage unit.
