Enel Green Power said it is essential to maintain and improve the performance of its hydropower plants, especially through what it calls repowering – replacing and modernizing some or all of its major components.
With the development of intermittent solar and wind power in view of the energy transition, hydropower is taking on an even more important role, as it helps maintain the stability and security of the power grid. In addition to the modulation and regulation capability of reservoir systems, it is possible, thanks to hydroelectric pumped storage facilities, to rapidly produce large amounts of clean energy from water stored in an upstream reservoir, at times of highest demand.
Equipment to be modernized during repowering work could include the generators or turbines (the number of which can be increased), components for machinery automation, or hydraulic systems. The goal of repowering is to increase the installed capacity and/or output of an existing plant. Another important part of repowering is the general modernization of the plant and the extension of the useful life of its machinery.
Enel Green Power has been investing in the refurbishment of its power plants for a number of years. In Italy, for example, the company has prepared a plan with a budget of about €40 million (US$43.9 million) for interventions on pumped storage plants that will be completed by the end of this year, while repowering interventions on conventional plants are under way with an additional investment.
Many of the repowering investments are designed to improve water use, thus avoiding waste especially in agricultural areas. Improvements are also being made in hydropower reservoirs, by allowing the amount of water that is released to be regulated more precisely. Furthermore, planned water releases from dams can improve the production potential of crops.
The company’s interventions enable plants to be increasingly sustainable and integrated, and this improves their environmental footprint. Enel Green Power is building passage ramps, fish ladders that encourage the repopulation of upstream waterways. The company is also installing turbines and valves that do not need oil, thereby avoiding possible sources of pollution.
Enel Green Power’s ongoing Repowering and Refurbishment campaign in Italy includes interventions in about 20 plants with a total installed capacity of about 4,500 MW. The Crego plant in Piedmont is an excellent example of the company’s goal: Repowering has led to an increase in production of more than 28 GWh per year. Enel Green Power initiated a similar program in Spain at the Flix Power Station on the Ebro River, increasing production by 10 GWh per year.
Enel Green Power, within the Enel Group, develops and operates renewable energy plants worldwide and is present in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania. The company has a total capacity of around 54 GW and a generation mix that includes wind, solar, geothermal and hydroelectric power.
