Alstom to supply a new 207 MW power generation unit to Salamonde dam in Portugal

Under the terms and conditions of the contract, Alstom will supply and install the entire unit, consisting of one 207 MW Francis reversible pump turbine, a 244 MVA motor-generator, butterfly valve and other hydromechanical equipment, and mechanical and electrical balance of plant.
Salamonde’s existing units, for which Alstom supplied part of the hydromechanical equipment and carried out a retrofit of the generators during the 1980s, was installed in the 1950s and has an output of 2 x 21 MW. The commissioning of unit 3 in 2015 will bring total power output of the Salamonde dam up to 250 MW.
“This project demonstrates the strength of  Alstom’s 50-year relationship with EDP, for whom we are also installing the Alqueva II hydro power plant in Portugal, the combined cycle power plants Soto 4 and Soto 5 in Spain, and a series of wind farms in France showcasing our 3 MW onshore wind turbine, the ECO 100,” said Alstom country president for Portugal Ângelo Ramalho.
Alstom leads the Portuguese energy equipment market and has supplied equipment to 75% of the country’s power plants.
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. Alstom is the world leader in pumped storage with 140 pump turbines and over 310 pump turbine generators in operation or under construction worldwide, representing more than 22 GW. More than 20% of the world’s operational pumped storage units have been manufactured by Alstom.