In Kidston, Australia, a unique project for energy from renewable sources will be built by 2025: It is one of the world's first combined solar energy and pumped storage hydropower plants on a massive scale. HAINZL Systemtechnik is supplying the cylinders for the outlet contactor for the huge power plant.
Kidston was historically one of the largest gold mines in the country - where gold was once mined, an important site for the energy of the future is now being created. The Australian company Genex Power is working intensively on the new use of the site, which is around 1,000 soccer pitches in size.
The unique pumped storage power plant uses two open pits from an abandoned gold mine which, once filled with water, operate as a closed system. This is made possible by the large difference in height between the two pits and the enormous amount of water that the pits, which are almost 350 meters deep, can hold. A 50 MW solar plant is used to pump the water into the higher reservoir and thus store it. If required, it can provide enough electrical energy from renewable sources at peak times, store it and feed it into the grid to supply more than 280,000 Australian households with sustainable and clean electrical energy.
HAINZL is supplying a total of eight cylinders for the important plant Down Under. The large cylinders were designed by HAINZL and are used to control the outlet contactors. The outlet gates allow or prevent the water from flowing out.
The power plant will be commissioned in 2025.
Further information about HAINZL Systemtechnik can be found here.
