Tauernmoos Pumped Storage Tender

Location Municipality of Uttendorf Salzburg State AustriaNumber of Pumps Turbines TwoConstruction Started November 2020Expected Completion 2026Estimated Investment Approximately 268m 300mThe Tauernmoos hydropower project is a 170MW pumped-storage hydroelectric facility being developed in Salzburg Austria.Austrian National Railway Company sterreichische Bundesbahnen BB is building this facility with an estimated investment of approximately 268m 300m.The environmental impact assessment EIA of the Tauernmoos pumped storage hydropower project was approved by the Salzburg provincial government in 2012 and was later amended and approved in October 2018.While the construction works on the project were started in November 2020 with the plant commissioning expected by 2026. The Tauernmoos pumped-storage facility is expected to generate up to 460GWh of electricity a year.Location and site detailsThe Tauernmoos pumped-storage hydropower project is located in the middle of the Hohe Tauern National Park in the Stubachtal Valley Uttendorf Salzburg Austria.Tauernmoos pumped-storage facility make-upThe Tauernmoos pumped-storage hydropower plant will be equipped with two 85MW variable speed pumped storage units for a net power output of 170MW. The variable speed turbine technology will facilitate the quick start and stop of the system and fast changeover between turbine and pump mode.The underground powerhouse cavern will measure 73m-long 25m-wide and 40m-high and accommodate the key mechanical and electrical equipment. The underground cavern is divided into a powerhouse cavern and a transformer cavern.The plant will be designed to consume 80m3 of water per second in turbine mode and send back 70m3 of water per second for storage in pumping operation.The pumped-storage facility will utilise two existing high-alpine reservoirs namely Tauernmoossee upper basin and Weisee lower basin that are located at an elevation difference of 220m from each other. Both the reservoirs will be connected through a 6km long subterranean pressure tunnel.The other components in the project will include the inlet and outlet structures transformer pressure pipes control room and workshops.Power evacuationThe electricity generated by the Tauernmoos pumped-storage hydropower plant will be evacuated through a 110kV power cable system connecting to the Austrian power grid.Contractors involvedGeneral Electric GE Renewable Energy received a contract from sterreichische Bundesbahnen for the supply of two variable speed pumped storage turbines and generators for the Tauernmoos power project in May 2021.The scope of the contract includes the design manufacturing supply erection supervision and commissioning services for the pump-turbine units as well as the balance of plant BOP equipment and services including power transformers and power frequency converters