Water and electricity
The Landquart river flows past the narrows of Chlus. With the Chlus/Rhine project Repower aims to exploit the potential of this river with additional power plants. The energy generated by the power plants in Prättigau will be distributed via a 50-kV line.
Taschinas: A new Repower power plant
Swiss hydropower is in demand — particularly in the current energy policy climate. So the commissioning of Repower's new Taschinas power plant this spring came at exactly the right time. The photographs in this semi-annual report provide an insight into this modern new plant.
Repower has been in the hydropower business for more than 100 years, and to this day continues to accord high priority to the development of new hydropower plants. Wherever it makes economic and ecological sense, it aims to exploit the limited options still available. In keeping with this conviction, Repower is working on several projects to build new facilities in its key markets. While hydropower alone cannot meet the growing demand for electricity, it is making an important contribution in this respect. This applies to pumped storage power plants, which enable the on-demand use of wind and solar power, as well as to new high-pressure and run-of-river power plants which generate high-value electricity. Incorporated in the European power supply system, they are in some ways the jewels in the power-generating crown.
New power plant connected to the grid since spring
Against this backdrop, Repower derived particular pleasure in commissioning the new Taschinas power plant in Graubünden in spring. After two and a half years of construction, the plant boasts a range of interesting details, is ideally adapted to the local conditions and is an excellent fit for the current and future use of hydropower in the Prättigau region. The constructive collaboration with the local authorities played a key role in the project's speedy realisation.
Prättigau - a hydropower region
With its Klosters, Schlappin and Küblis power plants Repower already utilises the gradient in the valley of the Landquart river — starting with Davos Lake, which is used for storage. Repower is also pursuing a project to extend this power plant cascade in Lower Prättigau. The Chlus/Rhine project plans to build two new plants at the start of the valley near Landquart as well as in the vicinity of the Rhine. The new Taschinas power plant now uses the Taschinas — a tributary that flows into the Landquart river near Grüsch. The water catchment is situated at an altitude of a good 1,000 meters, while the plant itself sits at around 650 meters above sea level. The water is first transported through a 3.2-kilometer-long pressure tunnel, and then fed over a 1.7-kilometer pressure line to the plant situated in a cavern within the Solavers fortress rock. The electricity generated is transported to the existing Lower Prättigau substation via a 50 kV underground cable, and from there fed into the grid.
Blue for water - red for electricity
Both the layout of the underground facilities and their visual identity are unusual. The turbine and generator are superimposed on each other and colour-coded. The water-transporting components — including the turbine — are painted blue, while the generator is painted red. Other parts of the facility that serve security and control functions are yellow-coded.
Electricity for around 10,000 households
The Taschinas power plant has an installed capacity of 11.5 megawatts, and Repower expects it to generate around 41 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year: enough to meet the annual requirements of around 10,000 households. The new plant cost around CHF 60 million, and a large share of the contracts were awarded to companies in the region.
Strategy working
The new Taschinas power plant is a concrete expression of Repower's strategic approach, the aim of which is to build up proprietary generation to feed the Group's growing sales and trading operations and avoid unilateral dependencies. Repower's priority is therefore to focus on a geographically and technologically diversified mix with a clear emphasis on renewable energies. The Taschinas power plant also proves that it is not only possible to plan and build new plants within a short time frame, but that cost-effectiveness and environmental compatibility can go hand-in-hand.
A power plant from an unusual perspective
The photographs in this Repower semi-annual report provide a 360° view of the new Taschinas power plant: a brand-new power plant shown from a fascinating and unusual perspective.