Voith Hydro Overhaul at Bonneville Dam Improves Fish
Protection and Creates Jobs for the Pacific Northwest
PORTLAND, Ore., July 26, 2010 /PRNewswire
Voith Hydro's first-of-its-kind patented fish friendly hydropower
turbines are giving new life to the Bonneville Dam, after more than 70
years of providing clean, renewable energy to the Pacific Northwest.
The Bonneville First Powerhouse, which has been harnessing hydropower
from the Columbia River since the late 1930s, underwent a $140 million
upgrade to its turbines. The project, which started in 1993, was just
celebrated in a public ceremony last week.
"Overall we are able to get about 15 percent more electricity out of
this powerhouse when running at full capacity," said Scott Clemans with
the Army Corps of Engineers.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees the Bonneville Dam,
hired Voith Hydro to install its patented fish friendly Kaplan turbine,
a design that minimizes the number of surfaces for potential fish
injury. These state-of-the-art turbines have shown an increase in
migratory fish survivability. In fact, the survivability of juvenile
fish passage at Bonneville is now over 95 percent, said Mark Garner,
President and CEO of Voith Hydro York, which manufactures the turbines
on its major production site in York, Pa.
As turbines age, Garner said it's crucial to replace existing equipment
with modern, more eco-friendly models.
"Currently, America gets 7 percent of its electricity from hydroelectric
power, and this could increase to 11 percent by simply retrofitting
existing hydropower plants," Garner said at Tuesday's event. "Given this
enormous potential, hydropower will undoubtedly be a cornerstone of
America's clean energy future."
Garner also spoke of the overall potential of hydropower as a renewable
energy source, highlighting its enormous future potential as a vital
part of the U.S. energy production.
"There are nearly 80,000 dams in the United States and just 3 percent
are used to produce electricity, giving us the potential to generate an
additional 60,000 megawatts to our nation's electric grid over the next
15 years and add more than 700,000 U.S. jobs," Garner said.
The completed $140 million project allows the Bonneville First
Powerhouse to provide stability to the power grid, and reliable,
economical hydropower to the western United States for decades to come,
not to mention addressing the environmental issues related to endangered
and threatened fish species.
"With 10 new Voith Hydro Kaplan turbines installed, this will go a long
way in protecting the wild salmon and other fish in the Columbia River,"
said Garner. "We're thrilled the legacy of the Bonneville Dam can
continue for generations to come."
To learn about the Bonneville Lock and Dam, visit http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/b/home.asp.
About Voith Hydro-
Headquartered in York, Voith Hydro's U.S. operations are home to one of
the world's largest dedicated hydro equipment manufacturing facilities.
Even during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression,
Voith Hydro has continued to invest and create new jobs. With more than
550 employees, a 27 percent increase over the past two years, Voith
Hydro is still growing and keeping up with the demand for hydropower.
The company hired 194 people in the last 24 months and is investing more
than $15.3 million in building renovations, new equipment and upgrades
to its existing equipment.
Voith Hydro is a Group Division of Voith and - with a workforce of
currently almost 4,700 employees and an order intake of almost 1,3
billion Euros in the business year 2008/2009 - belongs to the world-wide
leading companies for hydro power equipment.
Voith is a global leader in the paper, energy, mobility and service
industries. Founded on Jan. 1, 1867, Voith employs 39,000 people, and
has sales of EURO 5,1 billion. Operating from 280 locations worldwide,
Voith is one of Europe's largest family-owned companies.
SOURCE Voith Hydro
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