Alstom, in consortium with Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), has been awarded a contract worth over Rs 1,843 by Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) to install a 1000 MW variable speed pumped storage hydro power plant on the river Bhagirathi in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It will be India’s first pumped storage power plant to use variable speed technology. Alstom’s share of the contract is worth around Rs 1,164 crore.
Alstom will supply four 250 MW variable speed turbine & generator units and other equipment including main inlet valves and control and protection systems. On completion, the plant’s electricity output will provide much-needed power to the country’s northern grid.
Pumped storage is the most efficient and flexible form of storing electricity on a large scale, enabling utilities to respond quickly to demand and replacing the fossil fuels traditionally used during peak demand periods with renewable, CO2 free energy. Variable speed pump turbines, which offer even greater efficiency, represent the latest innovation in pumped storage technology.
“The Tehri pump storage plant project is Alstom’s first contract with THDC and illustrates their confidence in Alstom’s technology and project expertise. With this project, Alstom is proud to support the government’s ‘Power for All’ initiative and reinforce the nation’s energy security,” says Francois Carpentier, Managing Director & Vice Chairman, Alstom Projects India Ltd.
About Alstom
Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world, provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources, including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal and wind, and it offers a wide range of solutions for power transmission, with a focus on smart grids. The Group employs 93,500 people in 100 countries, and had sales of €20.9 billion in 2010/11.