OREANDA-NEWS. GE Renewable Energy is pleased to announce that the Tepekisla (Turkey) and Iveland (Norway) hydroelectric projects are now running, thanks to the €2 millions awarded in 2013 by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) as operator of the EEA-Grants program in financial support for the hydropower equipment research and development (R&D) activities. The €2 million grant was awarded to Alstom Renovables Espa?a which, since the acquisition of Alstom Power by GE in November 2015, goes to market today under the name GE Renewable Energy. The funding was allocated to the Tepekisla (Turkey) and Iveland (Norway) hydroelectric projects. GE Renewable handles the R&D and engineering for generators and turbines.

EEA-Grants aims to reduce economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area as well as to strengthen bilateral relations between the donor states (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and the 16 Member States of the European Union eligible to this aid (includes Spain).

“We are grateful for the contribution of the EEA-Grants program that helped us to deliver two major European projects, Iveland and Tepekisla, and to develop R&D within the hydro field” said Yves Rannou, CEO of the GE Renewable Energy Hydro business.

The Tepekisla and Iveland projects required developing two completely different yet very innovative hydro turbine/generator prototypes. The Tepekisla project included two 35 MW Kaplan units, a type of turbine specifically designed for low heads, and which are the most powerful ever built for this type of technology typically used in run-of-river applications. The plant generates approximately 240 GWh/year, equivalent to the energy required to meet the needs of a population of 50.000 household. The Francis-driven Iveland project required innovative equipments specifically designed by the Hydro team in Spain such as hydrostatic guide bearing or rotor spider with oblique and asymmetrical arms. The project added 50 MW of additional generating capacity to the plant’s output, which generates 150 GWh/year, meeting the needs of 30.000 households.