Voith was awarded a contract by the utility ENDESA Chile to equip the Los Cóndores Hydropower Plant, located in Chile’s Maule Region.

Voith will deliver two power units for the powerhouse in a cavern with an approximate installed capacity of 150 megawatts. The power plant will be fed with water from the Maule Lake. Voith’s electromechanical scope comprises, two Pelton turbines, two generators, plant and product engineering, manufacturing, erection, supervision, commissioning and project management services. The project’s key components will be manufactured at Voith Hydro in São Paulo, Brazil.

“Our excellent references in recent projects in Latin America, and Voith’s long-standing presence in Chile have been decisive factors in winning this new contract,” says Marcos Blumer, President  & CEO of Voith Hydro in São Paulo, Brazil. Since the 1940s Voith has delivered hydro equipment to major projects in Chile, such as Alto Maipo and La Confluencia.

Chile is a promising hydropower market: The technically feasible hydropower potential is about 162.000 gigawatt hours per year, according the World Atlas of the International Journal of Hydropower & Dams. In 2012, the generation from hydropower was 20.146 gigawatt hours. Moreover, the magazine also informs about the fact, that Chile could implement a further 900 megawatts hydropower capacity at existing irrigation dams.

The Importance of Hydropower
Hydropower is the largest, oldest and also most reliable form of renewable energy generation. Worldwide it makes an indispensable contribution to stable power supplies and hence to economic and social development - both in industrial countries and in emerging markets. At the same time, hydropower significantly contributes to climate-protecting energy generation. Voith has been a leading supplier of this technology since the early beginning, and continuously develops it further.

About the Company
Voith sets standards in the markets energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transportation & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith employs more than 43,000 people, generates € 5.7 billion in sales, operates in about 50 countries around the world and is today one of the biggest family-owned companies in Europe.