EnBW has reached final investment decision for a pumped hydropower storage plant in Germany.
The Forbach Pumped Storage Power Plant/New Lower Reservoir project will involve modernising the existing Rudolf Fettweis plant in Forbach, in the Black Forest, which has been generating electricity from hydropower for around 100 years.
Turning it into a high-capacity pumped storage power plant will require €280m in investment.
Construction will start in autumn 2023 at the earliest, with completion expected by the end of 2027.
“EnBW has a clear generation strategy focused on the accelerated expansion of renewables and achieving climate neutrality by 2035,” said chief operating officer sustainable generation infrastructure at EnBW Georg Stamatelopoulos.
“To accomplish this, we require additional dispatchable capacity and storage reservoirs that can quickly deliver electricity on demand and ensure stable grid operation,” he added.
“The new pumped storage power plant in Forbach aligns perfectly with these objectives, making it an ideal and essential complement to the expansion of our renewable generation capacity.”
Following an extensive planning approval process led by the regional authorities in Karlsruhe, the complex project has successfully obtained approval.
Karlsruhe regional administration issued the plan approval notice on 1 March 2023.
Administration president Sylvia Felder said: “I am pleased that the Forbach hydropower site is being retained and transformed into to a dedicated pumped storage power plant.
“This is a significant contribution to the success of the energy transition. Pumped storage power plants represent a vital means of energy storage and are indispensable for renewable energies.”
The heart of the new plant will be the powerhouse, integrated into the hillside to accommodate the power plant technology.
This includes a pump turbine for the Schwarzenbach power plant, capable of generating approximately 54MW in turbine mode and 57MW in pump mode, enabling water transfer from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir as needed.
The new powerhouse will also contain the new power plant technology for the Murg plant, including three Francis turbines with a total output of approximately 23MW.
During the construction of the new pumped storage power plant, the existing Forbach equalisation basin will also be expanded with the addition of a cavern water reservoir in the adjacent hillside.
This will serve as the lower reservoir for the future pumped storage power plant, collecting water channelled from the upper reservoir – the Schwarzenbach dam – to drive the power plant’s turbines and generate electricity.
The Rudolf Fettweis hydropower plant (Rudolf-Fettweis-Werk) in Forbach has a total capacity of approximately 71MW.
It consists of four individual hydroelectric power plants built between 1914 and 1926.