The Waldeck I pumped storage plant, located on Lake Edersee in Germay, was officially re-inaugurated at the end of April. Silke Lautenschlaeger, Environmental Secretary of Germany´s Federal State of Hesse, provided the official stamp on the ceremony.
E.on Wasserkraft GmbH has invested 52 million Euros into Waldeck I to create a new state-of-the-art station and to carry out the rehabilitation of the existing plant built in the 1930s which was due for modernisation after decades of reliable operation.
In her inauguration speech Ms Lautenschlaeger made it very plain that she is convinced that the modernisation of existing pumped storage plants as well as building additional plants is part of a forward-looking energy policy in Germany.
Voith Hydro together with the consortium partner for civil construction, Bilfinger Berger, developed the overall technical concept for Waldeck I power plant. As the design of pumped power plants has changed quite significantly since the 1930s and the requirements for their operation have been rising continually, a new pumped storage station with an output of 74 MW has been built.
The upper reservoir has been refurbished and two turbines of the old Waldeck I plant have been modernised. These two units will remain in place in order to provide the tertiary control.
