Turbines arrive near Jocassee

By Charles Sowell  

AUGUST 20, 2010 7:52 a.m. (0)

The first of two 150-ton turbines that will be installed to upgrade the Jocassee Hydro Station has arrived in the Salem area.

The second is expected to arrive shortly after Labor Day, a spokesman for Duke Energy said.

Once the second turbine arrives they will be moved to the hydro station and installed to upgrade Units One and Two at the station.

There will be road closures on state Route 11, Boone Creek and Jocassee Lake Road area when the massive machinery is moved.

The state of the art turbines will increae generating  capacity at Jocassee by 50 megawatts.

The turbines were made by Voith Hydro in York, Pa. Each is about 23 feet in diameter were brought to Jocassee on 20-axle, dual-lane trailers that are about 250 feet long.

Guy M. Turner, Inc. is managing the delivery. Duke Energy will notify residents and emergency personnel that they may need to take alternative routes during daylight hours of the two days final move.

“Essentially, we’re improving the output of the facility and making it more efficient with state-of-the-art design technology,” said Greg Lewis, technical manager - Hydro Fleet. “This extends the life of the station and helps our system respond to peak customer demands with a fast, flexible, clean and efficient energy resource.”

The turbines are the first upgrades to Jocassee Units One and Two since they began commercial operation in 1973.

Units Three and Four were upgraded in 2006 and 2007. Lake Jocassee will be operated at least four feet below full pond during the upgrades to Units One and Two; planned for September 2010 through May 2011.

When generating electricity, the Jocassee pumped-storage facility works as a conventional hydroelectric station. The facility also can reverse its turbines and pump back water from Lake Keowee into Lake Jocassee. This allows Duke Energy to reuse the water to generate electricity for customers during periods of highest demand.

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