Coo-Trois-Ponts Hydroelectric Power Station

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The pumped storage power plant Coo -Trois- Ponts is the largest Belgian pumped storage power plant. It is situated in the Ardennes and has a turbine capacity of 1,164 megawatts, which can be delivered over a period of five hours. It is the ninth most powerful pumped storage plant in Europe.

Technology

The power plant consists of two phases, each with three Francis pump- turbines from Voith. Coo I was put into operation in 1969 and Coo II in 1978. Machines sentences 1 to 3 of Coo I each have a capacity of 158 megawatts and 157 megawatts in the turbine operating in the pumping mode. The machine sets 4-6 Coo II each with a capacity of 230 megawatts and 210 megawatts in the turbine operating in the pumping mode. Overall Coo I has so about 474 megawatts and 471 megawatts and Coo II about 690 megawatts and 630 megawatts, the total power plant over 1,164 megawatts and 1,101 megawatts ( each turbine power or pump power).

The power plant has two upper reservoirs that are not hydraulically connected. Both pools together have a volume of 8.5 million cubic meters, covering an area of ​​about 60 acres and are deeper than 25 meters. The common sub- basin is formed by two dams and occupies an area of ​​72 acres with full back one. There is a height difference of 275 meters between the upper and lower basins. The turbines are in a 128 meter long, 22 meter wide and 40 meter high cavern inside the mountain. From the upper reservoir to the turbines, two penstocks lead with a length of 995 meters and 1055 meters and a diameter of 6.5 meters to 8 meters. For cavern leads a 210 meter long access tunnel. The electrical energy is dissipated through two cable tunnel 20 in the kilovolt level of the cavity. Outside the cavern, transformation is done at 400 kilovolts and the connection to the transmission grid via a substation.