- Multi-year revitalisation of nine machine units and three power plant units in live operations.
EQOS Energie was awarded a contract by VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH, a subsidiary of Austria’s largest electricity company VERBUND AG, for the auxiliary plant distribution at the Danube-based power plant of Ottensheim-Wilhering in Upper Austria. The commission includes the comprehensive revitalisation and remodeling work of the auxiliary plant distribution, which is required for the power plant turbines. Other components of the machine units, such as generators and turbines, will also be revitalised. VERBUND will ensure the normal operation of the power plant. The project, which started in October of this year, will cover a duration of nine years. Completion is planned for early 2029.
“The Danube power plant at Ottensheim-Wilhering is very important for Austria’s energy supply. Based on the upcoming comprehensive revitalisation work, we will make a contribution to safeguarding and further expanding the economic and strategic significance of the power plant for the next few decades. This is why we are all the more proud to have gained the client’s trust once again and for this comprehensive project,” Markus Mairhofer, head of the Austrian Energy Substation division at EQOS Energie, said about the project award.
Contract award: Experience and expertise were decisive
The auxiliary plant distribution plays a key role in the functionality of power plants. In the process, the cooling and lubricating processes for power plant turbines will be coordinated and the performance and failure safety of the power plant will be safeguarded. At the Danube-based power plant of Ottensheim-Wilhering, EQOS Energie will perform the auxiliary plant distribution for a total of nine machine units as well as three power plant blocks and the associated periphery wiring. Every year, one machine unit will be completed and the new system will be integrated into the existing one.
“While we are implementing the complete revitalisation of the individual machine units, the power plant remains fully functional during every single second. This requires perfect schedule and process coordination with other subsections in order to reconnect each individual machine unit to the high-voltage network on time. It is this experience and expertise we have in terms of major complex projects around existing power plant systems that convinced the client and was decisive in awarding this commission,” Mairhofer said.
Comprehensive secondary work: Initial completion as early as April 2021
EQOS Energie will complete the first machine unit as early as April 2021. The starting signal sounded for the required revitalisation of the first auxiliary plant distribution in October 2020. The first step will see the disassembly of the old system. Subsequently, EQOS Energie’s team of multiple specialists will perform all secondary work, such as the planning, rewiring and installation of new high-end control cabinets in fully withdrawable technology. Ultimately, this and other sections will be commissioned jointly with our client, VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH.
Photo: VERBUND
