LACHINE, QUEBEC (March 31, 2003) --- Increased plant output will be the result when GE Hydro replaces runners on two of the seven turbines in operation at the Cameron Falls Generating Station, a hydropower plant owned by Ontario Power Generation, Inc. (OPG).
GE Hydro will install two upgraded Francis runners on units 5 and 6 at the Cameron Falls facility, which is located on the Nipigon River 19 kilometers north of Nipigon, Ontario. The vertical Francis turbines and generators for units 1-6 were placed in service in the 1920s and unit 7 in 1958. The new runners will operate at a rated net head of 22.2 m with a full gate output of 11.2 megawatts, approximately a 15% increase over the original rating.
The first runner is scheduled to be shipped in October 2003, only seven months after the order was received, with commissioning planned for December 2003. The second runner will be shipped by March 2004.
"We employed new design methods, challenged our internal manufacturing cycles and considered various sourcing options to meet OPG's requirements for new technology, increased output and a short cycle time," said Haresh Ramchandani, GE Hydro account manager. "This project demonstrates the capability of GE Hydro to supply small runner sizes for the hydro industry under a tight timetable."
OPG, a major North American energy company, generates and sells electricity to customers in Ontario and interconnected markets. Over the past five years, more than 70 percent of the company's electricity production has been generated by nuclear and hydroelectric stations, which offer the advantage of being virtually free of acid gas and smog-related emissions.
GE Hydro, a unit of GE Power Systems, is a world leader in the supply of hydro turbines, generators and related electro-technical equipment for the hydropower production industry. Capabilities include complete water-to-wire solutions for new hydroelectric plants and refurbishment and service for existing plants.
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