While generating, neighbors are unable to hear the operation. Other large bodies of standing water include a complex of several lakes at the Bath County Pumped Storage Station, a hydroelectric park, as well as a smaller lake at Douthat State Park. this will be updated as news is available . The station is located in the northern corner of Bath County, Virginia, on the southeast side of the Eastern Continental Divide, which . Residents refer to the construction period as the good old days, he said. bath county pumped storage station tours Upper Reservoir consists of 265 surface acres and the water level fluctuates 105 feet during operation. GE Renewable Energy offers integrated solutions for fixed speed pumped storage . In 1988, the Supreme Court ruled that the Corps' denial of the Section 404 permit would stand, and Canaan Valley would not be flooded for a reservoir. Copyright California is generating a ton of solar power--some days, more than people can use. At times of low demand, such as the middle of the night, flow is reversed. But hydroelectric power doesn't need a large dam. Proposed New Pumped-Hydro Storage Facility In Tazewell County is Uneconomic 22 V. No Demonstrated Reliability Need for Proposed Tazewell PSH Facility 26 VI. It moves through three tunnels or "penstocks" carved through Little Mountain, which separates Little Back Creek and Back Creek. The penstocks are 3,780 feet long and 28.5 feet in diameter, and have concrete walls 18-24 inches thick. From VEPCO's perspective in 1971, pumped storage was already a proven technology with a track record of meeting electricity peak demand requirements in Virginia. As the upper reservoir drains, the elevation of the water drops and the turbines spin at slower speeds. The company also has contracted with Virginia Tech to study the feasibility of using an abandoned coal mine in Wise County to construct a pumped storage facility. An aerial view of the 555-acre lower reservoir and earthen dam of the Bath County Pumped Storage Station, which produces hydroelectric power by pumping water from the 265-acre upper reservoir. America's largest battery is nestled in the rolling hills of a Virginia valley.The Bath County Pumped Storage Station allows us to reliably store and provide. The impellers were replaced. More than 3,000 people worked on the project. The lower reservoir dam on Back Creek is 135 feet (41m) high and 2,400 feet (730m) in length. 30+%. This spins the turbines forward, activating the generators to produce electricity. In operation since 1985, the Bath County station is capable of powering about 750,000 homes. It stores energy for PJM Interconnection, a regional transmission organization in 13 states and the District of Columbia. A fishing habitat was created downstream of the facility. Together. Once described as the "world's largest battery," its maximum generation capacity is 3,003 megawatts and its total storage capacity is 24,000 megawatt-hours. A lot of the work is done underground, multiple stories below the surface, where the turbines generate electricity. Harrison Power Station (Regulated) Location: Haywood, WV Generation Type: Coal Capacity: 1,984 MW Fact Sheet. Cited as one of the nation's most outstanding 1985 engineering achievements. The world's most powerful pumped storage generating station provides the electricity needs for millions of homes across six states. Allegheny Power sold its 12,000 acres in Canaan Valley to the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 2002.2. The creeks and recreational reservoirs have water quality sufficient for fish. Source: Virginia Electric and Power Company, Bath County project: Draft Environmental Impact Statement (p.1-24). Due to extreme fluctuations of the lake, no public recreation is permitted. View PDF View article View . Although this plant uses more power than it generates, it allows these other plants to operate at close to peak efficiency for an overall cost savings. From the exterior, the building may seem unimpressive. Source: Virginia Division of Mineral Resources, Geologic map of the Virginia portion of the Staunton 30 X 60 minute quadrangle (Publication 163). As it considers SW Va. site, Dominion offers tour of pumped storage station in Bath County. The Kurokawa Reservoir, the upper reservoir . Owned jointly by Dominion Energy (60%), Bath County Energy, LLC (approximately 24%) and Alleghany Power System (approximately 16%). Bath County Pumped Storage Station is situated close to the reservoir. Dan Charles/NPR An aerial view of the 555-acre lower reservoir and earthen dam of the Bath County Pumped Storage Station, which produces hydroelectric power by pumping water from the 265-acre Upper reservoir. Maximum static pressure from the top of the water delivery system to the turbines is 1,320 feet (400m).[7][9]. Back Creek and Little Back Creek, the water sources used to create the reservoirs, have a relatively small flow rate. Allegheny merged with FirstEnergy in 2011. Geoprofessional, View all The Bath County Pumped Storage Station is a pumped storage hydroelectric power plant with a generation capacity of 3,003 MW The station is located in the northern corner of Bath County, Virginia, on the southeast side of the Eastern Continental Divide, which forms this section of the border between Virginia and West Virginia.The station consists of two reservoirs separated by about 1,260 feet . You have permission to edit this article. However, since water is pumped between the reservoirs equally, the only water taken from these creeks now that the reservoirs are full is to replace the water lost to evaporation. Hydro. Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) is a type of hydroelectric energy storage. Flows to Back Creek and Little Back Creek are supplemented by storage from the station reservoirs. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. All six units were declared commercial in December 1985, and the plant has operated continuously since that . The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries stocks trout in Back Creek below the lower reservoir's dam. FirstEnergy subsidiary Allegheny Generating Company continues to own 1,200 MW of the 3,000 MW Bath County Pumped-Storage Hydro facility in Warm Springs, Va. Vital to grid reliability, today, the U.S. pumped storage hydropower fleet includes about 22 gigawatts of electricity-generating capacity and 550 gigawatt-hours of energy storage with facilities in every region of the country. For other questions, help is available under Contact Us. Cradled in Virginia's rugged Allegheny Mountains, the world's most powerful pumped storage generating station quietly balances the electricity needs of millions of homes and businesses across six states. Optimal dispatching of wind-PV-mine pumped storage power station: a case study in lingxin coal mine in Ningxia ProvinceChina. The 3,000 MW facility in Bath County, Virginia, has been in operation since 1985. In 1971, the Virginia Electric and Power Company (VEPCO), now known as Dominion Energy, obtained preliminary permits from the Federal Power Commission for two pumped storage projects. This significantly improves stream flow during periods of drought and enhances the environment for fish and other aquatic life. We have to determine they are feasible, Adkins said. The Bath County Pumped Storage Station is a pumped storage hydroelectric power plant, . Our talented people do more than just work here, they are the reason we build better. He noted that Dominion plans to only operate one site. The Bath County Pumped Storage Station is a pumped storage hydroelectric power plant, which is described as the "largest battery in the world", with a maximum generation capacity of 3,003 MW, an average of 2,772 MW, and a total storage capacity of 24,000 MWh. Lower Reservoir Dam is 135 feet high and 2,400 feet long, containing 4 million cubic yards of earth and rock fill. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. The generators will spin the turbines backward, causing the turbines to pump water from a river or lower reservoir to an upper reservoir. The plant is 80% efficient; for every four kilowatts of electricity generated, five kilowatts are consumed. Virginia Electric and Power Company Omistaja: Dominion Energy (60 %), Bath County Energy LLC (24 %), Allegheny Power System (16 %) Operaattori: Dominion Energy: Ylpuolisen altaan pato; Tyyppi: Davis said the jobs created during construction of the Bath County site greatly boosted the local economy. Last Modified: March 17, 2021 Direct Testimony of Kerinia Cusick Table of Contents I. Because the extreme fluctuations of the water levels at the Bath County Pumped Storage area make them unsuitable for recreation, Dominion Power . Deep within the powerhouse structure, Bill Mitchell, operations and maintenance manager of Dominion Energy's Bath County Pumped Storage Station, describes how the six water-spun turbines generate power. The maximum power generation of 3,030MW is possible only when the reservoir is full. Visitors may also park at the closed entrance gate and walk into the park during the off-season. In the 1970's, the limited availability and high price of natural gas made that option unattractive. View the latest Integrated Resource Plan. Dominion Energy has retained majority control with 60% ownership of the pumped storage asset, but its minority partners have changed over time. Water Supply, Conveyance, and Distribution, View all The Bath County Pumped Storage Station is a pumped storage hydroelectric power plant, which is described as the "largest battery in the world", with a maximum generation capacity of 3,003 MW, an average of 2,772 MW, and a total storage capacity of 24,000 MWh. Source: US Geological Survey (USGS), Sunrise, VA-WV 7.5 minute quadrangle map (2016). At the time, the utility company was committed to a major expansion of its baseload generation capacity. The Bath County Pumped Storage Station is a pumped storage hydroelectric power plant with a generation capacity of 3,003 MW The station is located in the northern corner of Bath County, Virginia, on the southeast side of the Eastern Continental Divide, which forms this section of the border between Virginia and West Virginia. This quickly showed that a significantly higher level of efficiency could be achieved by replacing the ventilation and cooling system as well as by redesigning the stator windings. The head covers were rehabilitated with new components. The dam was completed in 1985 and upgrades were added in 2009. The dam on Back Creek, creating the lower reservoir, is 135 feet high. A look inside of Dominion Energy's existing pumped hydroelectric storage station in Bath County, Va. VIDEO: A tour of the Dominion Energy Pumped Storage Station in Bath County, Va. Jun 22, 2017 Bath County Pumped Storage Lake Reservoir; Little Mountain Mountain, 2 miles north; Saw Pit Hollow Valley, 2 miles northeast; Fodder House Peak, 2 miles east; Jewel Hole Valley, 3 miles northeast; [7][8] Bath County Station is jointly owned by Dominion Generation (60%) and FirstEnergy (40%), and managed by Dominion. The conduits each lead to a 990 feet (300m) shaft which bifurcates into two penstocks (for a total of six) before reaching the turbines. Lower Reservoir consists of 555 surface acres and water level fluctuates 60 feet during operation. The earth and rock fill moved to construct the dams and other projects facilities, if piled up, would create a mountain 1,000 feet high. The proposed Southwest Virginia site would be considerably smaller than the Bath County site, Adkins said. Pumped storage facilities store excess energy as gravitational potential energy of water. The 500MW turbines can start exporting significant amounts of electricity into the grid within five-ten minutes. The utility could have proposed to build a power plant fueled by natural gas, since such facilities could be turned on and off relatively quickly. Counting seepage from the dam of the upper reservoir, Little Back Creek should receive a minimum of 2cfs. Pumped hydro-power stations, such as the one in the mountains of Bath County, store energy in the form of water. However, the storage capacity behind such a dam was identified as too low, while costs to operate a small conventional hydropower facility were projected to be higher than at a large pumped storage project.1. Normal flow of the streams is simply passed through. Two downstream lakes are available for visitors. The Bath County Pumped Storage Station was completed and started generating electricity in 1985. Unlike a coal-fired or nuclear generating plant, there are no significant delays for "warming up" and no downtime for refueling.7, Peak power can be generated for only three hours. Thanks for contributing to our open data sources. how far is monterey from san francisco airport [10] Source: ESRI, ArcGIS Online, Constructing the pumped storage facility in rural Bath County created socioeconomic as well as environmental impacts. In 2017 the largest pumped storage in Europe was the Cortes-La Muela hydroelectric project in Spain, rated at 1,762MW. During the summer, there may not be enough time to pump all the water back uphill before electricity demand rises again and the flow must be downhill to generate power. In order to serve you better, please select your Dominion Energy location services. The station consists of two large reservoirs. Electricity was marketed through the PJM grid. The Bath County Pumped Storage Station is a pumped storage hydroelectric power plant, which is described as the "largest battery in the world", with a maximum generation capacity of 3,003 MW, an average of 2,772 MW, and a total storage capacity of 24,000 MWh. Bath County Pumped Storage Station The upper reservoir on Little Back Creek has a surface area of 265 acres (107ha) and storage capacity of 35,599 acre-feet (43,911,000m3). The station consists of two reservoirs separated by about 1,260 feet (380m) in elevation. Once in operation, the facility would produce about $12 million annually in tax revenue for local governments, according to Richmond-based Chmura Economics & Analytics. Source: US Energy Information Administration, Pumped storage provides grid reliability even with net generation loss. Are you sure you want to leave your current location ? In times of drought[11] water quality can be maintained[12] by using nearby recreational reservoirs to supply extra water to the creeks. Even with the additional 3,500MW (megawatts) from those four reactors, VEPCO calculated that it would need additional capacity during peak demand periods (typically 11:00am-8:00pm), but would have surplus capacity during nighttime. Net generating capacity is 3,003-megawatts (6 units). As it happens, though, Dominion is already the majority owner of the world's largest pumped hydro project. Voith modernized the "quiet giant's" six turbines in 2009 to make it fit for the years to come. Guests can visit the sites recreation area, which includes two ponds, a beach and a campground. penstocks through Little Mountain (brown lines) carry water down to the lower reservoir, then back up to the upper reservoir At times of low electricity demand, like at night or on weekends, excess . Another seven miles later, Back Creek flows into the reservoir created by Gathright Dam, which is named Lake Moomaw. Your browser is not supported for this experience.We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. At the time, the Federal government still regulated the price of natural gas. [7][4] Connecting the upper reservoir to the power station are three water conduits between 3,1003,600 feet (9401,100m) long. Many of the construction workers were expected to live in Highland County, which would receive no increased property tax revenues because the project was located south of the county boundary in Bath County. This maintains the pumped storage power station as an efficient and reliable energy supplier. Hot Springs, VA 24445 2023 Bath County, Virginia Mountains Region. The station is located in the northern corner of Bath County, Virginia, on the southeast side of the Eastern Continental Divide, which forms this section of the border between Virginia and West Virginia. The Bath County Pumped Storage Station is . Allegheny Energy was a separate utility than Appalachian Power, and at the time its Potomac Edison Company subsidiary sold electricity in Virginia. Bath County Pumped Storage Station is the United States largest pumped storage project, with a total installed capacity of 3003 megawatt (MW) through six units, generating electricity for residents spanning six states. WARM SPRINGS, Va. The 3,000-megawatt pumped storage station in Bath County, Virginia, similar to one proposed for Southwest Virginia is the largest of its kind in the United States. [13] The creeks and recreational reservoirs have water quality sufficient for fish. Bath County Recreation Ponds. In 1985, the year it went into operation, it was cited as one of the nation's most outstanding engineering achievements. What is Dominion Energy's long-term forecast? The sites upper reservoir features the eighth highest earthen dam in the country. The largest in China was the Cuntangkou Pumped Hydro Power Station in Sichuan, rated at 2,000MW.4, The Snowy Hydro 2.0 pumped storage project in Australia completed a feasibility study in 2017 that proposed to expand the existing network of hydropower dams to provide up to 6,000MW of generating capacity. 11.1.4 Bath County Pumped Storage Station Revenue in Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage(PHES) Business (2016-2021) Camping And Lodging Along The Blue Ridge Parkway, George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, Micro-Brasseries et Cidreries Artisanales, Spend a History-Packed Weekend in Fredericksburg, Abingdon: Your Gateway to Southwest Virginia. The company claimed that the proposed Snowy Hydro expansion would have:5. It is a six unit, pump-generating station rated at 2100 MW, the largest pumped storage project in the world. When full, the upper reservoir can has the capacity to provide 24,000 megawatt-hours of electricity. The ponds offer excellent sunfish opportunities with fish in the 8-9 inch range, and good numbers of nice-sized channel catfish are present. The generators will spin the turbines backward, causing the turbines to pump water from a river or lower reservoir to an upper reservoir. Some hydropower plants can use a small canal to channel the river water through a turbine. In 2003, Voith was commissioned for the redevelopment. These components had to be delivered by special transport from the Voith plant in York some 250 miles away. The power grid will send energy into the electric generators at the station. The station is located in the northern corner of Bath County, Virginia, on the southeast side of the Eastern Continental Divide, which . The overhaul of Bath County was completed within six years. The most common type uses a dam on a river to store water in a reservoir. The upper basin of the Bath County pumped storage power station is more than a square kilometer in size and contains almost 14 million cubic meters of water. There are also hermal and gravity storage systems.). Source: US Geological Survey (USGS), Streamer, the Bath County Pumped Storage Station stored water can be used to generate electricity when it is most valuable, and increase grid reliability by generating almost immediately if another power plant trips offline The tour begins and ends in the beautiful West Virginia mountains and crosses back and forth between Virginia and West Virginia several times. The Bath County recreation areas is open to the public. Please subscribe to keep reading. There were few economic advantages to explore for natural gas, particularly in unconventional locations. No water is consumed during the operation of the pumped storage facility. In 1971, VEPCO did not anticipate the fracking boom that would generate a surplus of gas three decades later, ultimately causing a dramatic reduction in the price of that fuel. The vast majority of the complex, of almost twenty stories, is hidden beneath the surface of the water. The new turbines were manufactured with tolerances smaller than the width of a sheet of paper. The station consists of two reservoirs separated by about 1,260 feet (380m) in elevation. Allegheny Energy sold its service areas to Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative and Rappahannock Electric Cooperative in 2010, but retained its ownership in the Bath County facility. Other alternatives examined included solar, wind, fusion, and fly-wheel energy storage. Source: ESRI, ArcGIS Online. dubuque insanity volleyball club; why might a submarine need to return to land; britney spears' lucky costume. However, since water is pumped between the reservoirs equally, the only water taken from these creeks now that the reservoirs are full is to replace the water lost to evaporation. Looking for fishing, non-power boating, picnicking, swimming, hiking or camping? The bedrock in the valley of Little Back Creek, in which the upper reservoir of the Bath County Pumped Storage Station was constructed, is shale. [2] The station is located in the northern corner of Bath County, Virginia . The new concept for the stator winding used a 540 degrees transposition instead of the original 360 degrees. If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari, Location of Bath County Pumped Storage Station in Virginia, Bath County Pumped Storage Station Website, List of largest hydroelectric power stations in the United States, Buildings and structures in Bath County, Virginia, Pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. It finally started building the Smith Mountain and Leesville dams in 1960, and completed them three years later. Pumping 12.7 million gallons of water per minute, Generating 13.5 million gallons of water per minute. One potential customer was Appalachian Power, which in 2021 was seeking suppliers to provide electricity from renewable resources.14, the water that flows into the two reservoirs of the Bath County Pumped Storage Station ultimately flows down the James River to the Chesapeake Bay The transport of these components was completed during the winter months. We provide specialized expertise and design for geotechnical, dam, and tunnel engineering projects worldwide. The dam on Little Back Creek, creating the upper reservoir, is 460 feet high. Water is released from the upper reservoir during periods of high demand and is used to generate electricity. pumped storage hydroelectric power plant in Bath County, Virginia, United States. There is a $2.00 daily parking fee between April and October. Several U.S. locations use this method, such as the Bath County pumped storage station in Virginia, and the Raccoon Mountain pumped storage . [4] It stores energy for PJM Interconnection, a regional transmission organization in 13 states and the District of Columbia. The upper reservoir on Little Back Creek has a surface area of 265 acres (107ha) and storage capacity of 35,599 acre-feet (43,911,000m3). When the spherical valves are open for turbine operation, the water level in the upper basin drops by 32 meters. When storing power, the flow can be as much as 12.7million US gallons (48,000m3) per minute (800m3/s). [14][15], Location of Bath County Pumped Storage Station in Virginia, Bath County Pumped Storage Station Website, List of largest hydroelectric power stations in the United States, "The Inside Story Of The World's Biggest 'Battery' And The Future Of Renewable Energy", "Bath County Pumped Storage Station | Dominion Energy", "Bath County Pumped Storage Project Tunnel System - Evaluation of Remedial Measures", "Water customers asked to conserve in drought", United States Environmental Protection Agency, Bath County Pumped Storage Station Home Page, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bath_County_Pumped_Storage_Station&oldid=1100370576, This page was last edited on 25 July 2022, at 15:27. VEPCO identified a pumped storage facility as its preferred option, and chose the Bath County site as its preferred location. During operation, the water level fluctuates by over 105 feet (30m) in the upper reservoir and 60 feet (20m) feet in the lower reservoir. Robert Sorrell Oct 17, 2017 Oct 17, 2017 Updated Aug 10, 2020; 0; 1 of 10 . At peak times, when around 500 000 homes and companies in Virginia require power, the spherical shutoff valves are open and more than 850 cubic meters of water per second rush down the underground pipes from the upper basin and through the six turbines located in the lower part of the building. VEPCO dropped its plans for a pumped storage project involving Goose Creek and Bottom Creek 15 miles southwest of Roanoke, and built in Bath County instead They were labelled as "exotic" and not considered to be viable alternatives, reflecting the technological capabilities and economics of the time. Schnabel has . Bath County will not be the world's largest pumped hydro station for much longer. Allegheny Power had proposed to build its own pumped storage project in West Virginia. "The generators here, once we get a call, we can have that unit online, producing electricity in . Map. Water is released from the upper reservoir during periods of high demand and is used to generate electricity. Lower Reservoir Dam is 135 feet high and 2,400 feet long . The Bath County Pumped Storage Station is a pumped storage hydroelectric power plant, which is described as the 'largest battery in the world', with a maximum generation capacity of 3,003 MW, an average of 2,772 MW, and a total storage capacity of 24,000 MWh. The priority was to create greater flexibility in generating electricity at hours of peak demand, rather than overall greater capacity. While China is already home to more of the top 10 largest pumped storage power stations than any other country, the Fengning Pumped Storage Power Plant in China's Hebei Province will take the top position when completed in 2023, thanks to its 3.6 GW capacity. An aerial view of the 555-acre lower reservoir,earthen dam and powerhouse of the Bath County Pumped Storage Station, which produces hydroelectric power by pumping water from the 265-acre upper reservoir. Global Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage(PHES) Market 2021 by Company, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2026 initially defines the business objective to help business owners to avoid . Our completed projects have often been multidisciplinary, involving our experts in hydrology, hydraulics, structural engineering, instrumentation, geophysics, geology, geotechnical engineering, and risk analysis and evaluations. There was a problem saving your notification. On the banks of the lower reservoir, the Bath County pumped storage power station can be found nestling in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains in the US state of Virginia. The Bath County (Virginia) pumped storage project, when completed in 1982, will be the largest pumped storage facility in the world with a rated output of 2100 MW from its six generators. Little Mountain, through which the penstocks were excavated, is also limestone. The utility allowed the Federal Power Commission permit involving Goose Creek and Bottom Creek to expire in 1975. Pump Storage SchemePump Storage Scheme It is a type of hydroelectric plant but in this case water is not naturally present at the elevation, instead water is pumped using Low-cost off- peak electric power from the grid or onsite steam plant. A fishing habitat was created downstream of the facility. The dam for the lower reservoir is to steep for mowing the grass, so Dominion Power rents a herd of 30 goats and an accompanying guard dog each summer.6, a dam 460 feet high blocks Little Back Creek and creates the upper reservoir Additionally, Stantec is the engineer of record for the 3,000 MW Bath County Pumped Storage Plant in Virginia, the largest of its kind in the world. An aerial view of the 265-acre upper reservoir and intake facility of the Bath County Pumped Storage Station, which produces hydroelectric power by gravity-feeding water to the powerhouse on the lower reservoir during daylight demand hours before that same water is returned to the upper reservoir during the night. . Directions. Pumped storage projects store and generate energy by moving water between two reservoirs at different elevations. Dominion Virginia Power opened the Bath County Power Station Recreational Ponds, near Back Creek, in 1989. Regulated Generation News. Both reservoirs in Bath County were man-made. Between 1972-1980 it started construction of nuclear reactors, two at Surry and two at North Anna. Whether around the corner or across the globe, they provide a foundation, a sense of place and of belonging. The upgraded program incorporates new robotic and digital surveying instrumentation, better data processing and analysis methods, and improved minimum . bath county pumped storage station tours. It has a structural volume of 4,000,000 cubic yards (3,100,000m3) and creates a reservoir with a surface area of 555 acres (225ha) and storage capacity of 27,927 acre-feet (34,447,000m3). The project, located in Bath County, Virginia, celebrated its 25th anniversary on 18 December 2010. . ABSTRACT:. Plant operators normally catch up and refill the upper reservoir on weekends. GE is a world leader in pumped storage plant equipment and supplies in-house capabilities not only for turbines and generators but also the full electrical balance of plant. overall cycle efficiency. Today on the show, we visit the world's biggest battery, built out of a mountain and a lake. In times of drought water quality can be maintained by using nearby recreational reservoirs to supply extra water to the creeks. Each penstock is 18 feet (5.5m) in diameter and between 9001,260 feet (270380m) in length. You can cancel at any time. By selecting to choose later, you are choosing not to view state specific content. Construction on the power station, with an original capacity of 2,100 megawatts (2,800,000hp), began in March 1977 and was completed in December 1985 at a cost of $1.6billion, Voith-Siemens upgraded the six turbines between 2004 and 2009, increasing power generation to 500.5 MW and pumping power to 480 megawatts (640,000hp) for each turbine.