Toshiba wins major order for 600MVA class hydroelectric generators for China’s Datang Guanyinyang

2011-1-22 Hydroelectric generators Toshiba

Toshiba wins major order for 600MVA class hydroelectric generators for China’s Datang Guanyinyang Hydro Power Development co. ltd.

Toshiba Corporation, one of the leading global suppliers of hydro power generating equipment, today announced that its Chinese consolidated subsidiary, Toshiba Hydro Power (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd. (THPC), has won a major contract to supply two 667MVA hydroelectric generators to Datang Guanyinyang Hydro Power Development Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Datang Corporation, one of China’s largest power companies.

The generators will be installed at the Guanyinyang Hydro Power Station in Yunnan Province. THPC is scheduled to deliver the equipment in October 2014, and the plant is expected to start commercial operation in the middle of 2015.

Key factors in securing the Guanyinyang contract were the high level technical capabilities and reliability that Toshiba Group brings to hydro power generation, Toshiba’s support for state-of-the-art engineering at THPC, and THPC’s excellent record in supplying hydroelectric generators in China. The generating capacity of the Guanyinyang generators positions them in the largest class for single units of hydroelectric generators.

Established in January 2005 as a Toshiba consolidated subsidiary and a joint venture with Sinohydro Corporation of China, THPC undertakes manufacturing, marketing and maintenance services for hydro power generating equipment. In five years of operation, THPC has already supplied approximately 100 hydro turbines and generators, mainly to Chinese projects, a record that has supported the company in reinforcing its operations, facilities and capabilities.

THPC’s manufacturing operation extends across casting, welding, assembly and machining and a coil shop. Since fiscal year 2006, the company has invested a total of 170 million yuan (approximately US$25 million) in building up its production capability and facilities, including a 2008 expansion of the coil shop and installation of advanced equipment for production of world-class electrical components. Last year the company built a research lab for testing hydro turbine model and expanded its assembly and machining shop to support the manufacture of 600MVA class hydro turbine and generators.

The generators for Guanyinyang are the first 600MVA class equipment that THPC has manufactured since the expansion, and they will integrate coils with a voltage of 20kV, the highest level for hydroelectric generators.

China leads the world in the scale of hydro power plant construction, and half of all new projects now underway are in the Chinese market(1). Growth is expected to continue, driven by China’s continued economic expansion and increasing need for environmentally friendly renewable energy. The installed capacity of hydro power generating equipment is expected to reach 300GW in 2020, approximately double the current level.

Beyond China, hydro power is increasingly recognized as an integral part of strategic planning for energy security, and many new plants are at the planning stage. Where possible, customers are moving toward employing large scale machine in the 600MW class in these projects.

Toshiba Group will continue to seek to secure more contracts in China, and to expand its hydro power business in other key markets, including North America, South America, India and Southeast Asia, where demand for hydro power systems is strong.