Work on the installation of the fifth turbine, called the expansion of the Rhine hydropower plant, was started in 2009 and was completed in the summer after four-year construction period.
Since then, the Iffezheim barrage has been processing 1,500m3 of water a second and converting it into electricity, enough to power around 250,000 households annually.
Operated by Rheinkraftwerk Iffezheim, jointly owned by EnBW (50%) and EDF (50%), the Iffezheim/Rhine hydropower plant features five large Kaplan bulb turbines and a rotor turbine with a total capacity of 148MW.
EnBW CEO Frank Mastiaux said the expansion of the project included construction of a bridge which connects this tradition with the course it has charted into a future with sustainable energy.
"By 2020, we intend to have more than trebled our share of renewable energies in our own power generation, which will take it to some 40%.
"The collaboration of all those who worked on the planning and construction of this new power plant has made a definitive contribution to bringing us another step closer to our goal," added Mastiaux.
