www.iteco.ch/Renewable Energy & Water/Project Selection/Hydropower Plant in Flims - Switzerland

Small Hydropower Plant Stenna Flims, Switzerland

Small hydropower plant Flims

Economic Power without compromises
New hydropower sites are nowadays rare in Switzerland. Hence efforts are focused to upgrade and modernise existing power plants to improve their efficiency. After ninety years of operation, the penstock of the Stenna hydropower plant had to be repaired more and more frequently and the costs for operation of the three small turbines increased. Several options were studied ranging from shutting down the entire plant to its complete refurbishment with an increased head. It became obvious that in case of further operation, the penstock as well as all machinery and hydraulic steel works would have to be replaced, almost a complete new construction.

Powerhouse

Finally it was decided to keep the existing general layout and some structures like the weir and desilting basin despite the more than doubled design discharge. Even the historic power house building remained unchanged. However, due to its limited inside space and vicinity to hotels, a water cooling system had to be introduced to evacuate the heat of the machinery without noise emission outside the building.

Small hydropower  Flims Switzerland

Thanks to appropriate decisions taken during the phases of tendering, planning and construction, generation costs of less than 5 Rp/kWh (3.2 US cts/kWh) could be achieved,a price competitive even in the future European's free power market.

The penstock follows a downhill skiing run in one of the largest and most modern tourist resorts in the Alps. Pipes and other equipment for artificial snow production were implemented together with the new penstock.

Technical Data

design discharge (Qmax) 850 I/s (before 400 I/s)
gross head (Hbr) 242 m
penstock (ductile cast iron) D = 700mm, L = 1540m
max. electric power output (Pe) 1650 kW (before 600kW)
efficiency at design discharge 82% (including head losses of penstock)
machinery vertical shaft Pelton turbine with 5 nozzles
  synchroneous generator 1000 rpm, 2100 kVA
expected power generation  
per year 7.7 GWh
summer period (April to September) 6,0 GWh
winter period (October to March) 1,7 GWh