200 ton generator for Reißeck II pumped storage power plant

Following the ascent up the mountain of the 200 ton generator today, all large components for the Reißeck II pumped storage power plant have now arrived in the cavern placed 1,600 metres above sea-level. The newest VERBUND pumped storage power plant will be completely constructed inside the mountain and will go into operation next year.
The generator rotor weighs 200 tons, was built in Styria and first transported to Spittal an der Drau by rail. Using many towing vehicles with a total of 1,850 horsepower, the journey started from Mölltal and proceeded along over 15 hairpin curves uphill to the power plant cavern at 1,600 metres above sea-level. Following the delivery of both transformers, of both pump turbines as well as the two generators in the last months, today's ascent up the mountain sees the completion of the heavy haulage up to Europe's highest placed hydroelectric power plant construction site.

With 450 km/h inside the mountain: Reißeck-generator manages 750 rotations per minute.
Once it arrived in the mountain, the generator rotor was raised to its final destination using the heavy-lift crane installed in the cavern. The 200 ton heavy rotor is the part of the generator which is connected to the pump turbine by a shaft and is propelled by the turbine to generate electricity. In the pumping operation on the other hand, for its part the generator acts like a motor and drives the pump turbine. In the operation of the power plant, the generator-rotor achieves 750 rotations per minute. The pole of the generator can reach a speed of 450 km/h. The rotor is equipped with eight poles and each individual pole weighs more than nine tons.

As a "green battery" Reißeck II delivers as much electricity as 200 large wind turbines.
Austria's largest power plant construction site is running exactly according to schedule. Together with Kelag and Energie AG Oberösterreich, VERBUND is investing 385 million euros in the Reißeck II pumped storage power plant, through which electricity production from wind and solar power stations can be stored. In this way with a power consumption of 430 megawatts during night periods where there is low consumption, Reißeck II can store the electricity produced by 200 large wind turbines and should there be a strong demand in electricity, can feed it into the network grid. The Reißeck II pumped storage power plant goes into operation in Autumn 2014.