(York, Pennsylvania/Columbus, Ohio) Voith Hydro has announced that it will open a manufacturing facility in Hannibal, Ohio. The facility will manufacture stators for the generators to be used at the run-of-the-river hydroelectric facilities currently under development by American Municipal Power Inc. (AMP). Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (Ohio) have been working closely with the Ohio Department of Development and Voith Hydro to find a suitable site for the new manufacturing facility.
With the recent award by AMP of contracts to build 11 large horizontal bulb units for hydroelectric projects at the Smithland, Cannelton, Willow Island and Meldahl dams on the Ohio River, Voith Hydro determined that it was necessary to develop a manufacturing facility, with river access, to assemble, test and ship the large generator stators. The stator is a key component of the generator and typically one of the larger components of the power unit of a hydroelectric project. The particular stator for the Ohio River projects is 30 feet in outside diameter, 10 feet in height and weighs 128 tons.
Voith Hydro has signed a five-year agreement to lease a minimum of 32,400 square feet within an existing manufacturing facility located in Hannibal. One of the primary advantages of the facility is its on-site barge landing that allows for the transportation of the final assembled and tested stators on the Ohio River to the applicable project sites. The facility is projected to employ 40 workers.
The Ohio Department of Development via state funds (Industrial Site Improvement, Advanced Energy, Appalachian Regional Commission Grant, Ohio Job Creation Tax Credit, Rapid Outreach Grant and Work force Guarantee Grant) will be supporting Voith Hydro with the modernization of the lease area/facility and training of a local workforce. Modernization of the leased space and mobilization of Voith Hydro equipment and management personnel will continue until the receipt of the first stator frame, scheduled to arrive from Voith Hydro Brazil in January of 2010.
“When we signed the contracts with Voith Hydro for the turbines and generators for these projects, we encouraged them to look for a suitable site in Ohio for this portion of the manufacturing,” AMP President/CEO Marc Gerken said. “This hydro development is important for our participating member communities and we’re proud that it will be bringing green jobs to Ohio.”
“Our skilled manufacturing workforce and commitment to innovation positions Ohio to be a leader in producing and supplying green technologies. We applaud Voith Hydro for their investment in Ohio,” Governor Strickland said. “We are investing in the growth of Ohio’s advanced and renewable energy businesses because the industry is creating jobs for Ohioans.”
“It’s an incredibly exciting time for both Voith Hydro and the entire hydropower industry in the United States,” Voith Hydro President/CEO Mark Garner said. We have known for years that hydropower is a reliable, low-cost and renewable source of clean energy. Now, we’re learning that hydropower is also a tremendous source of job growth. Voith Hydro is excited to establish this new production facility in Ohio. The elected officials and local officials here and at AMP have been great to work with. Our company has seen a 27 percent growth in permanent employees in the past two years, and even while the overall economy has been soft, the hydropower industry continues to grow; we are pleased to bring new, clean technology jobs to Ohio.”
“This reaffirms that Ohio can become the Silicon Valley of clean energy manufacturing,” Sen. Brown said. “I was pleased to work with Voith and AMP to bring this manufacturing facility to Hannibal. Hydropower can serve as a source of clean, affordable energy for Ohio consumers. And Ohio workers will play an important role in building components to support this clean energy.”
AMP is developing five run-of-the-river hydroelectric plants at existing dams on the Ohio River, which when complete, will add more than 350 MW of renewable generation to the region. In addition to the projects mentioned above, AMP is working with its member community of Wadsworth, Ohio to secure the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license on a fifth project at the R.C. Byrd Dam near Gallipolis, Ohio.
