KUCHING: A factory which is capable of manufacturing and supplying the largest hydro turbine generator unit, which is up to 1,000 MW in the industry, recently saw its first phase inaugurated in Tianjin, China recently.
SYMBOLIC CEREMONY: (From left) Pelle, Feng and Joubert launch the new workshop of AHC in Tianjin, China.
To date, the world’s largest hydro turbine ever manufactured was 800MW, which was also designed and engineered by Alstom Power (Alstom), one of the the world leaders in clean power generation, for the Xiangjiaba Dam in China.
The new factory, which is fully owned by Alstom could deliver up to 30 turbine and generators units with outputs ranging from 20MW to 1,000MW per unit.
Phase 1 of the project saw the completion of five buildings while another 15 buildings would be completed in Phase 2. The construction of Phase 2 is ongoing, but the date of completion was not disclosed.
The total investment of the project amounted to approximately about renminbi (RMB) one billion, equivalent to around RM0.49 billion.
Alstom president Philippe Joubert said during the inauguration ceremony that the factory was equipped with eco-friendly designs and energy-saving features to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
“It has been transformed into a world-class hydro power manufacturing site which is able to manufacture and supply the largest hydro turbine and generator units up to 1,000MW,” he said.
Alstom Hydro China Co Ltd (AHC) deputy general manager Wan Duan Yang pointed out that the new workshop could increase their capacity by 20 per cent compared with the old site.
He said the new factory also utilised many features such as full use of natural light to reduce the need for artificial lighting, automation and energy-saving lighting equipment, adequate ventilation and efficient building insulation and heat preservation.
Apart from natural light, the factory had installed 2,000 solar panels which were able to generate electricity up to 500,000 kilowatt hours (kwh) per year; enough to power all the factory lightings and part of the ground-sourcing heat pumps.
“The CO2 emission reduction of the whole factory comes up to about 5,000 tonnes per year, which is equivalent to the plantation of 15 hectares of broad leaf forest,” Wan explained.
Wan said the heating pump system combined the heat pumps and floor radiation to keep the workshop room temperature higher than 13 degrees Celsius in winter and lower than 32 degrees Celsius in summer.
The working environment of workers was the emphasis of the factory where welding dust and fumes were collected and filtered to reduce harmful elements, he said.
The factory had about 1,700 workers.
Rodolphe Pelle, Chief Economic Counsellor and French Ambassador in China and Feng Zhijiang, Chairman of the Administration Committee of Tianjin Free Trade Zone and Airport Industrial Park were among those who present at the ceremony.