Newly signed contract - small hydro power plant in Switzerland

ÅF signed a contract as Owner’s Engineer for the new small hydro power plant Cotlan in Rüti.

Two 80 year-old Francis turbines with a total capacity of 0.32 KW are still in operation today. This small hydro power plant was originally the power supply of the textile manufacturer “Textilfabriken Cotlan AG”, whose production buildings and the employee houses still exist and are stringently protected by the cultural heritage ordinance.

In a significant increase of performance, the headrace of the new power plant will go from 12 meters to 18.6 meters and the capacity will be rise to 2.3 MW. The plan is to build the new Cotlan power plant in a direct cascade with the existing 800 meter upstream small hydro power plant. The penstock canal will cross below the river Linth and the historical buildings. A drilling machine for micro-tunnelling is foreseen for this challenging work.

As Owner’s Engineer, ÅF are responsible for tendering, detail design and construction supervision, including ecological construction supervision, as well as commissioning.

For further information, Contact Christian Buser.