Spectacular climax to a modernization project for the Bratsk hydropower plant in Russia: Today, an Antonov AN124-100 cargo plane, one of the largest aircraft in the world, flew the first of six new Voith runners manufac-tured in the Austrian town of St. Pölten from Vienna Airport to Bratsk in Siberia, a journey of some 7,000 kilometres.

The runner has a diameter of 5.6 meters and weighs 73 tons. Air transport is at the request of the client, as it considerably shortened the time to installation for the new hydropower component.

Voith Hydro received the order in September 2011 from Irkutskenergo, Russia's largest energy provider. The Bratsk power plant consists of 18 units of 255 megawatts each; at six of them the runners are being replaced by Voith runners.

"We had already provided the turbine control device for the Bratsk hydropower plant from 2000 to 2005. With these new runners we are once again supplying state-of-the-art technology to Bratsk,” comments Dr. Leopold Heninger, Chairman of the Management Board of Voith Hydro St. Pölten. “The new runners perform better and are more effective than the old ones.” He emphasizes how valuable the long-term and trusting relationship with Irkutskenergo is.

The Bratsk hydropower plant is situated by the Angara River, the only outlet from Lake Baikal, and when it was commissioned in 1967 it was the world's most powerful hydropower plant generating a total of 4,500 MW from 18 machine units. Producing around 30,000 GWh a year, it is still one of the highest producing hydropower plants in the world.

On the importance of hydropower
Hydropower is the world’s oldest, most widespread and most reliable method of generating renewable energy. On a global scale it makes an essential contribution to ensuring a stable power supply and thus to economic and social development – both in industrialised countries and high-growth regions alike. In addition, hydropower plays a significant role in generating climate-friendly energy. Voith has been a leading provider of this technology since the early days of hydropower and continues to develop its offering on an ongoing basis.

About the company
Voith sets standards in the energy, oil and gas, paper, raw materials, transport and automotive markets. Founded in 1867, Voith now has more than 42,000 employees, a turnover of €5.7bn and sites in over 50 countries, making it one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe.