Verbund Hydro Power AG has placed an order with Alstom for the renovation of two generators in the Kaprun Hauptstufe hydropower plant in Austria. This project will extend the service life and also increase the output of the M3 and M4 generators, with commissioning scheduled for April 2016. Kaprun Hauptstufe is one of a group of plants located in the Kaprun valley near Salzburg, Austria.
The two generators have a rated power ouptput of 100 MVA each. Currently, the maximum power output of the facility is 240 MW. Following the renovation, this figure will increase to 270 MW, contributing to the reinforcement of Austria’s energy supply. 
Alstom recently renovated generators for the Edling, Kreuzeck and Bodendorf power plants, as well as supplied turbines for Gralla and rotary valves for Limberg 2. The company has also completed orders for the exciters and protection systems of various additional machines to the required standard of Verbund Hydro Power AG.   
Hydropower plants can convert approximately 90 per cent of the available energy into power, and can therefore achieve very high efficiency rates. The Kaprun power plant is a reservoir facility which has been covering the peak load all-year round since 1952. The individual plants are monitored and remote-controlled by the central control station in Kaprun.