OREANDA-NEWS. February 09, 2016. GE Renewable Energy announced today that the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) as operator of the EEA[1]-Grants program has provided almost €2 million in financial support for the hydropower equipment research and development (R&D) activities for the Iveland (Norway) and Tepekisla (Turkey) hydroelectric projects. GE Renewable Energy’s Spanish entities are the recipients of the funding. They handle the R&D and engineering for generators and turbines.

EEA-Grants aim 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 that are eligible for 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 Iveland and Tepekisla projects required developing two completely different yet very innovative hydro turbine/generator prototypes. The Tepekisla project included two 35 MW SAM units which are the most powerful ever built for this type of technology that is typically used in run-of-river applications. The Francis-driven Iveland project will add 50 MW of additional generating capacity to the plant’s output.

More about Hydro power

Today, Hydro is the most reliable renewable energy on the grid. A hydro plant can be turned on fast and will produce a constant flow of energy. As a result, power plants operators often use them to the fullest of their capacities – at 80%.  According to the International Energy Agency, Hydro energy will grow 24 GW stronger every year until 2050.


[1]European Economic Area