In line with ABB s position as one of the market leaders in hydropower process control systems in Austria, Tiroler Wasserkraft (TIWAG) has awarded ABB the distributed control system ABB Ability System 800xA® (DCS) contract for its Kuhtai 2 project. TIWAG is an Austrian energy company specialized in generating electricity from hydropower.
The Kühtai 2 project is a new pumped-storage hydropower plant located high in the Alps in Tyrol, Austria. It is being built by TIWAG at a cost of EUR 1 billion and will expand their existing Sellrain-Silz power plant group. The pumped-storage hydro plant will be able to store energy by moving water between two reservoirs: water is pumped up to higher elevation when demand is low and then it is released through turbines to generate electricity when demand is high.
Big boost in renewable energy and security of supply
Set to start up in 2026, the underground facility with a large reservoir with capacity of approx. 31 million cubic meters and a long adduction with nearly 26 km long adduction with six water intakes and two pumping stations in Oetztal and Stubaital, will use two pump turbines to boost generating capacity and improve grid stability. Once running, it will provide the function of a green battery with a capacity of 12 GWh and an additional production of about 220 million kWh of electricity each year, supporting Austria's clean energy transition.
With the new Kühtai power plant and the associated reservoir, renewable energy can be generated more flexibly in terms of time of day to meet demand peaks. In addition, greater quantities of potential electricity produced by other renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, can be temporarily stored via the upper reservoir. This gives TIWAG better options for balancing its energy supply and adapting to fluctuations in its wind and solar energy sources.
The Kühtai 2 project also gives other key benefits, including enhancing Austria's electricity supply security. In addition, it provides TIWAG with extra electricity coming from natural water inflows, which will significantly improve the overall efficiency of the Sellrain-Silz power plant group.
The ABB scope of supply:
- ABB Ability System 800xA® process control system with servers, operator stations, visualization, data archiving and logging
- ABB Ability System 800xA® Digital Control System for two pump turbine units, switchgears, cooling systems, drainage systems, dam area, water intakes, and pumping stations. Comprising in total more than 12,000 I/Os
- Mechanical protection systems
- ABB Ability System 800xA® Cyber Security for Control Systems
- Hardware & software engineering
- About 100 decentralized control cubicles
- Field instrumentation
- Level measurement of upper reservoir
- OT network infrastructure
- Entire erection works
- Site management
- Dry & wet commissioning
For efficient and secure plant operation
"We are proud to be cooperating with TIWAG on this important project that is meaningful in so many ways, especially regarding security of electricity supply and integration of renewable sources. The advanced DCS technology from ABB, and the wide scope of supply we are delivering, will help keep the plant running efficiently and securely, in a more sustainable way," explains Richard Winkler, Project Manager for Kuhtai 2 at ABB's Energy Industries division.
Philipp Tramposch, head of the planning team electrical engineering and control systems at TIWAG: "We look back on a lot of years of very good experience working with ABB, particularly with the type of control system in question. Direct communication, flexibility in finding solutions and reliable partnership have been and continue to be the key success factors. In just a few months, the new pump storage power plant project will enter its actual commissioning phase, and we are confident that we will successfully carry this out together with ABB."
ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this Engineered to Outrun'. The company has over 140 years of history and around 110,000 employees worldwide. ABB's shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ABBN) and Nasdaq Stockholm (ABB). www.abb.com
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