Sustainable Electricity Generation with Base-Load Capability
Hydropower’s ability to provide baseload power makes it a particularly strategically important component of renewable energy. For the Ranft Group, this is a compelling reason to become active in this field! Through our previous activities in the Italian renewable energy market, we have established a first-class reputation among our business partners as a reliable and capable project partner. An ideal starting point, which, within our network, has led to a long-term, partnership-based collaboration with experienced project developers and operators of hydroelectric power plants in Italy. Italy has a long tradition of hydropower, dating back to the 19th century. And Italian engineering is arguably among the best in this field to be found.
Over the next few years, the Ranft Group plans to build hydropower plants with a total annual production capacity currently projected to be at least 22 million kWh, or to take a direct stake in such projects. Based on current information, the annual electricity revenue from these projects is approximately EUR 4.6 million.
Completed Projects:
Hydroelectric Power Plants in Italy
Boves Hydroelectric Power Plant
The Ranft Group has made a successful entry into the hydropower sector with the modernization of the existing Boves power plant in the province of Cuneo in Piedmont. With a rated output of 60 kilowatts (kW) the classic Francis turbines used there—which are designed for moderate water flows and head—achieve an average annual output of approximately 500 megawatt-hours (MWh). The plant in Boves went into operation on December 27, 2012, and has been producing in line with forecasts ever since.
Val Vegana Hydroelectric Power Plant
A truly exemplary project has been completed in the province of Lucca, Tuscany. Both turbine houses, complete with their fish ladders, were designed to blend in perfectly with the surrounding landscape. The project involved the construction of two identical run-of-river power plants. The rated output of each turbine is approximately 99 kW. Kaplan turbines were used, as they are ideally suited to the flow conditions in Val Fegana. For the Val Fegana 1 and 2 plants, an average annual output of approximately 500,000 kWh each is expected.
Pallanzeno Hydroelectric Power Plant
The new Pallanzeno hydroelectric power plant in the province of Verbania, Piedmont, utilizes the water supplied by one of ENEL’s largest hydroelectric power plants before it is used to irrigate agricultural land located downstream. This project involves the construction of a new diversion-type power plant with a rated capacity of 240 kW. The Kaplan turbine used is specifically tailored to the conditions found here . Average annual production is expected to be approximately 1,000,000 kWh.
Hydroelectric Power Plants in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Veneto
In the municipality of Perarolo near Cortina d’Ampezzo in Veneto, three new hydroelectric power plants were built, initiated and designed by the Ranft Group. The hydroelectric power plants are powered by hydraulic Coclea turbines . Each of the hydroelectric power plants utilizes the existing elevation differences between two points along the Boite River to generate energy. By reversing the Archimedes’ principle, the turbines are driven by the natural flow of water, thereby generating energy. Annual production is expected to average approximately 1,950,000 kWh.
Saluzzo Hydroelectric Power Plant
A new hydroelectric power plant, powered by a Kaplan turbine, has been built in the town of Saluzzo in the Italian province of Cuneo, in the southwestern part of the Piedmont region. Located on the Rio Torto Canal, this power plant will generate an average annual output of approximately 550,000 kWh.
Focetto I + II Hydroelectric Power Plants
In the province of Massa-Carrara in Tuscany, the Ranft Group has been commissioned to build a new pressure-pipe power plant within a drinking water pipeline. The project was initially expanded to include an additional pressure pipe with an extra Pelton turbine. Pelton turbines achieve remarkable efficiency even with relatively low water flow rates. Annual production is expected to average around 600,000 kWh .
Druogno Hydroelectric Power Plant
A new hydroelectric power plant, powered by a Kaplan turbine, has been built in the town of Saluzzo in the Italian province of Cuneo, in the southwestern part of the Piedmont region. Located on the Rio Torto Canal, this power plant will generate an average annual output of approximately 550,000 kWh.
