Austria’s ANDRITZ to supply 10 turbines for Vlasina hydropower plants modernization – Multi-million euro deal

The Austrian technology company ANDRITZ will supply ten new turbines as part of the modernization of the Vlasina hydropower plants, one of the long-standing pillars of Serbia’s power system. The company was awarded the job by domestic Energotehnika Juzna Backa, and the contract value is estimated at a low double-digit million euro amount, the Graz-based company announced.

The Vlasina hydropower system on the Vrla River consists of four power plants that have been in operation since 1955, with a total installed capacity of around 130 MW. The planned modernization will enable their reliable operation in the coming decades, with an additional eight megawatts of capacity, which will strengthen the production of electricity from renewable sources in southern Serbia.

As part of the project, ANDRITZ will design, manufacture and supervise the installation and commissioning of a total of ten turbines – four Pelton and six Francis units, along with associated equipment. The works will be organized in such a way that electricity production is carried out without interruption, in order to maintain the stability of supply.

The modernization is being carried out as part of the reconstruction program implemented by Elektroprivreda Srbije, with financial support from international institutions, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The project aims to improve the efficiency, reliability and safety of existing capacities, as well as further develop renewable energy sources in Serbia.

As a reminder, the Vlasina Hydropower Plants Revitalization Project worth almost EUR 110 million officially began in February, at a water meeting between representatives of EPS and the contractors, the companies Energotehnika Juzna Backa, Andritz Hydro, Gamesa Electric, and the subcontractor Gosa montaza.

The Mihajlo Pupin Institute is responsible for the reconstruction and modernization of the control system, and the Swiss-Serbian consortium Gruner-NET Invest is responsible for project supervision.

Financing was provided through a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the amount of EUR 67 million, a grant from the European Union of EUR 15.43 million, disbursed through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), and EPS’s own funds of EUR 27.26 million.

– Since the continuation of the modernization of hydro capacities is of strategic importance, EPS, as an investor, expects compliance with the planned deadlines and maximum engagement of all participants. Although the power of the Vlasina HPPs is 129 MW, it is a very complex project, because the system includes four power plants with 10 aggregates, which have been in use for more than seven decades. Upon completion of the works, the power plant will have not only greater power, but also decades of reliability – said Dusan Zivkovic, CEO of EPS.

The Vlasina HPPs, unique power plants in the EPS portfolio, operate in a cascade system and, by producing energy four times in a row, represent a significant source of “peak” energy.

B. P.

Elektroprivreda Srbije ad Beograd

MVM Južna Bačka doo Novi Sad

Goša Montaža doo Beograd

Institut Mihajlo Pupin doo Beograd

ANDRITZ HYDRO

Netinvest d.o.o. Beograd

EBRD Evropska banka za obnovu i razvoj Beograd

Vlasina Hydro Power Plants

EPS

Andritz

Elektrotehnika Južna Bačka

Vlasina HPPs

reconstruction

turbines