Alpiq Recommissions Gabi Hydroelectric Power Station in Switzerland

Simplon - Energie Electrique du Simplon (EES), in which Alpiq holds a majority stake, has officially inaugurated the Gabi hydroelectric power station after a total renovation.

After more than 60 years of continuous operation, the machines at the Gabi power station had to be replaced.

Within a year, the old equipment was dismantled, a new building was erected and the hydroelectric and mechanical components were completely replaced. The power plant now has two groups of machines with a capacity of 9.5 MW each. The work made it possible to optimise the operation of the plant and increase annual production by 15 percent to 44 million kWh, Alpiq announced. Over 37 million Swiss francs were invested.

EES shareholders - Alpiq (81.97%), EnAlpin (10.79%), EWBN (3.06%), FMV (2.68%) and private shareholders (1.50%) - have invested around 70 million Swiss francs since 2017 to refurbish the Gondo (2017), Tannuwald (2020) and Gabi (2023) hydropower plants to ensure long-term, efficient and high-performance operation of the facilities.

he total output of the EES power plant complex has increased by almost 30 per cent to 80 MW since 2017. This brings the average annual production to 258 million kWh.

Source: IWR Online, 27 Sep 2023