The building project is slated for completion in the end of 2014 and a certain percentage of the workforce will be employed at the new engineering center.

According to the company, the expanded production facilities are expected to have a capacity of around 70 turbines annually.

Commenting on the expansion, Kössler managing director Josef Lampl said that the investment is a commitment by Voith towards the potential of small Hydro.

"We are creating better working conditions for our employees and more space for manufacturing our products and, in doing so, upgrade the entire plant with its existing buildings," added Lampl.

In addition, the new compact turbine StreamDiver has been running in trouble-free test operation for an year.

The StreamDiver, which is a compact turbine-generator unit for small hydro applications, enables harnessing the power of water even in places where this had been impossible in the past for economic reasons or due to nature conservation laws, noted Voith.