XFLEX Hydro

Sitting in the French Alps, Grand'Maison is Europe’s largest pumped storage plant at 1,800 MW capacity. The plant has multiple production units including 4 Pelton turbines and 8 reversible pumps, which first went into service in 1986. During the XFLEX HYDRO project, hydraulic short circuit will be demonstrated using new turbine runners and automation techniques for advanced control and efficiency.

View our video about the Grand'Maison project.

Objectives

Demonstrate the simultaneous use of very high head pumps and Pelton turbines, and corresponding enhancement of flexibility services for the power system, thanks to an innovative system integration of hydraulic short circuit technology.
According to a full automatic optimisation algorithm, while the pumped storage plant is globally in pumping mode, a Pelton turbine regulates the overall load based on grid frequency support signal.

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Key Tasks

Initial studies
Adaptation – Smart Power Plant Supervisor (SPPS)
Implementation of Hydraulic Short Circuit (HSC)
Installation and operation
HSC vs Variable Speed
Conclusions

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Partners involved in this demonstration

full-scale apllications

During the project, the flexibility technologies will be trialled at 7 demonstration sites. These are located at existing European hydropower stations. Each XFLEX HYDRO demonstration site will test a different technological configuration, installed together with the Smart Power Plant Supervisor in every case.

BATTERY/ TURBINE HYBRID

Vogelgrun is a 142 MW run-of-river hydropower plant in France, situated near the border with Germany along the river Rhine.

ENHANCED FIXED SPEED

Alto Lindoso is a 630 MW hydropower plant situated on the Lima river in Portugal. Caniçada is a 70 MW hydropower plant located in northern Portugal

HYDRAULIC SHORT CIRCUIT

Alqueva is a pumped storage scheme in southern Portugal that was built in two phases, Alqueva I and II, now totalling 520 MW.

HYDRAULIC SHORT CIRCUIT

Sitting in the French Alps, Grand'Maison is Europe’s largest pumped storage plant at 1,800 MW capacity.

VARIABLE SPEED (DFIM)

Frades 2 is a new 780 MW pumped storage hydropower plant in northern Portugal.

VARIABLE SPEED (FSFC)

Z’Mutt is a pumping station located in Canton Valais, Switzerland, and feeds water into the main reservoir of the Grande Dixence hydroelectric scheme.