EnBW strongly continues to pursue the expansion of the large hydropower plant
Financial Resources for the Expansion of the Rhine Hydropower Plant Released
Karlsruhe. EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG strongly continues to expand the large hydropower plant. The Supervisory Board of the Rheinkraftwerk Iffezheim GmbH (RKI) has now released the resources for the detailed and approval planning of the expansion of a 5th plant in the Rhein hydropower plant in Iffezheim. The new plant will be one of the largest turbines in Europe, with about a 38 megawatt of capacity and a wheel diameter of about 7.40 m. The approved scope of planning comprises the creation of all documents required for the construction decision as well as approval. The construction might already begin in 24 months.
The power plant in Iffezheim went into operation in 1978. Currently, it has more than 4 bulb turbines with a maximum capacity of 110 Megawatt. With this expansion, the average annual electricity supply currently at 740 million kW per hour would be increased by 130 million kW per hour to approx. 870 kW. With an additional annual supply of 130 million kW per hour, about 90,000 people can be supplied with regenerative electricity from a hydropower plant.
“With approx. 10 percent of the electricity supply coming from a regenerative hydropower plant, EnBW is already positioned at the top of Germany’s list of energy suppliers. The commissioning of the 5th machine in the hydropower plant of Iffezheim will make this the largest hydropower plant at the Rhine. Following the June 2005 decision to construct a new plant in the hydropower plant in Rheinfelden, the current decision constitutes a further milestone in the strategic and ecological future-oriented pursuits”, says Prof. Dr. Utz Claassen, Chairman of the EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG Board.
The Gambsheim and Iffezheim barrages were constructed based on a 1969 contract under the German-French auspices. The barrages include a power plant, a weir respectively and a fish ladder in Iffezheim since 2000, and one in Gambsheim as of 2006. The completed plants will be operated by Rheinkraftwerk Iffezheim GmbH (RKI) and the Centrale Electrique Rhénane de Gambsheim (CERGA). The companies own 50% of the EnBW Kraftwerke AG and the Électricité de France (EDF) respectively. The 5th plant for RKI is a joint project between EnBW and EDF.
The June 2005 decision to build a new hydropower plant in Rheinfelden, which will be carried out by the power plant operator, Energiedienst AG sees EnBW in a pioneering role, especially with the expansion of the so called large hydropower plant (power plants with a capacity of 5 megawatt). Currently, the new construction in Rheinfelden is the largest construction by way of regenerative energy in the entire Federal Republic of Germany.