VOITH
Cat Creek Energy and Water selects Voith Hydro ternary units for state-of-the-art Large Volume, Long Duration (LVLD) renewable energy and water storage project in Idaho

Highlights

• Voith Hydro has been selected to design, manufacture and install 720 MW of ternary pumped storage equipment for the Cat Creek Energy and Water (CCEW) Project in Elmore County, Idaho.
• The overall project will provide more than $1 billion in U.S. manufacturing and construction jobs over the next six years.
• More than 2.7 million metric tons of CO2 emissions will be offset annually by the renewable energy generated for the pumped storage facility enabling the delivery of firm, reliable and dispatchable renewable generation that will offset fossil-fuel generation.
• The project will also provide critical water storage to satisfy more than 40% of the shortfall impacting local municipalities, water authorities, and irrigation districts due to effects of climate change.

Voith Hydro has received the first of several contracts to design, manufacture, and install 720 MW of ternary pumped storage equipment for the Cat Creek Energy and Water (CCEW) Project planned near Mountain Home, Idaho on the South Fork of the Boise River.

The overall project, which includes wind and solar generation parks, the pumped storage plant, the associated electrical transmission facilities and structures, and a very large upper reservoir, will provide more than $1 billion in U.S. manufacturing and construction jobs over the next six years and will offset more than 2.7 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. The CCEW project also addresses many key national and regional issues including the transition to providing firm, resilient and reliable renewable energy; the mitigation of long-term effects of climate change; and the securing of a significant portion of the future water storage needs in the Boise River Basin.

"Voith Hydro is all in when it comes to supporting the renewable energy transition and climate change goals in the U.S. and around the world," said Stanley J. Kocon, President and CEO of Voith Hydro North America. "This project will be the most advanced large-scale, fully integrated energy and water storage project ever constructed in the U.S. and we're excited to be partnered with Cat Creek Energy right from the start." 

John Faulkner, Owner of Cat Creek Energy, also noted, "The CCEW project was uniquely conceived to address the needs for renewable energy and water storage with the best technologies available and with the highest degree of flexibility to adjust to future needs. By selecting Voith Hydro ternary units, we lock in the most capable technology for the pumped storage facility and confirm our intent to build this critical infrastructure project with American steel manufactured in America."

When completed, the CCEW Project will be capable of generating 1100 MW of clean, renewable energy, including 720 MW of hydropower from the ternary pumped storage hydropower equipment provided by Voith. The upper reservoir will store enough water to support more than 40% of the projected water supply needs of the Boise River Basin. This stored water volume will provide five complete days of full generation capacity (720 MW) from the pumped storage facility, creating one of the most significant Large Volume, Long Duration (LVLD) energy storage facilities in the West. The energy to power the pumps will come from on-site wind turbine and photovoltaic solar panel arrays as well as other variable renewable energy resources around the region.

"Cat Creek Energy's agreement with one of the world's largest hydropower technology companies is a welcome milestone in this Idaho business' effort to build its advanced pumped storage hydro energy and water storage project in Elmore County," U.S. Representative Mike Simpson said. "The project will bring hundreds of good paying construction and operational jobs and other economic benefits to Idaho."

The combination of specifically designed Voith equipment for the CCEW Project combined with the innovative configuration of the balance of plant electrical configuration will lead the West in its quest to achieve 100% clean energy and a decarbonized grid while merging critical water supply storage. These changes will help to reduce the effects of changing climate conditions (i.e. droughts and lack of sufficient water storage) in the region that local governments and water authorities are grappling with today, while creating and sustaining good paying American infrastructure manufacturing and construction jobs.

For additional information of Voith's pumped storage hydropower technology, visit:
https://voith.com/corp-en/industry-solutions/hydropower/pumped-storage-plants.html 

For additional information on the CCEW Project, visit: www.catcreekenergy.com

About the Voith Group
The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has more than 20,000 employees, sales of $4.7 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.

The Group Division Voith Hydro is part of the Voith Group and a leading full-line supplier as well as trusted partner for equipping hydropower plants. Voith develops customized, long-term solutions and services for large and small hydro plants all over the world. Its portfolio of products and services covers the entire life cycle and all major components for large and small hydro plants, from generators, turbines, pumps and automation systems, right through to spare parts, maintenance and training services, and digital solutions for intelligent hydropower.