The order has been placed by Engie, an energy and services groups in the country. As part of the €40m contract, Voith will manufacture, install and commission two units, with an option to refurbish two more units at a later date.
Voith stated that it will start the design, planning and component production work immediately, while the work at the site could begin by the end of the 2018. The refurbishment is set to take place in early 2020.
This refurbishment of the first two units is said to be a mid-life refurbishment and it will be carried out to ensure that the design life of the units can be extended by at least 20 years.
ENGIE UK and Ireland CEO Wilfrid Petrie said: “The refurbishment of the Ffestiniog Power Station is a major commitment to infrastructure development in Wales.
"We are delighted to announce this investment in Ffestiniog and our partnership with Voith to deliver this important project. The contract was awarded to Voith based on their technically thorough and competitively priced solution.”
Ffestiniog pumped hydro storage plant was commissioned in 1963. It is considered to be one of the first pumped storage systems in the UK, with four power generating units and a total power generating capacity of 360MW. The electricity produced from the plant is enough to power the entire North Wales for several hours.
Image: Voith to refurbish UK’s first pumped hydro storage plant Ffestiniog. Photo: Courtesy of Voith.