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Berlin, Germany

On July 5, 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Angela Merkel together witnessed the signing of a joint cooperation agreement between Mr. Lu Chun (Chairman of China Three Gorges Corporation) and Dr. Hubert Lienhard (President and CEO of Voith Group) in Berlin. The agreement covers the delivery of two 350 MW units to Zhejiang Changlongshan pumped storage power station. In addition, it also includes the strengthening of the strategic cooperation between the two parties in promoting hydropower business in the African market.

The delivery of the reversible pump turbine generator units once again highlights Voith’s competence in equipping large pumped storage plants, as recently also proven in Hongping, another Chinese pumped storage project. Changlongshan power station is located in Zhejiang Province’s Anji County between the cities of Tianhuangping and Shanchuan. With a total capacity of 2,100 MW the station will rank number three in terms of capacity among pumped storage plants built or being built within the Chinese mainland. Additionally, its 710 meter high head makes it the highest in China and second highest in the world.

Besides the importance of the order, the agreement also lays a firm foundation for Voith’s and China Three Gorges’ (CTG) continued cooperation in developing Africa’s hydropower industry. Voith has a comprehensive long-time experience on the continent and has been successfully executing hydropower projects since the 1940’s. By June 2017, Voith has installed about 10.000 MW of capacity in Africa and has thereby already made significant contributions towards the continent’s development. CTG first came to Africa 50 years ago and now has over 300 completed or ongoing projects covering more than 30 countries and districts.

The strategic agreement addresses the continuation and deepening of both companies’ cooperation on the continent, and the plans to work together to foster the concept of sustainable hydropower development, economic growth and social progress. Voith and CTG already have a long and solid history of cooperation, with the two working closely together in a number of hydropower projects around the globe.

The Importance of Hydropower
Renewable energy is undoubtedly the most sustainable answer to the rise in energy demand. Hydropower plays a key role in sustainable and environmentally friendly power generation and is the leading renewable source of electricity generation globally. Worldwide it makes an indispensable contribution to a stable power supply and thus to economic and social development – both in industrialized countries and in regions seeing strong growth. Since the early days of hydropower exploitation, Voith has been a leading supplier of this technology and is constantly refining and improving it.

About the company
For 150 years, Voith technologies have been inspiring its customers, business partners and employees all over the world. Founded in 1867, Voith today has around 19,000 employees and earns 4.3 billion euros in sales. It has locations in more than 60 countries and is one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe. As a technology leader, Voith sets standards in the energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive markets.