Representatives from Valmet and GE attended the testing, while the end customer monitored the process remotely. The delivered systems are dual-channel, fully redundant, and come with associated excitation transformers and spare parts. The new 44 MW hydropower plant, located in West Africa, is expected to be fully operational by 2023. 

Once in service, the plant will produce 217 GWh of clean energy annually, reducing carbon emissions by 127,000 tons per year, contributing to sustainable energy development in the region. The French construction firm Eiffage Group is overseeing the $195 million hydropower plant project, which includes constructing a 23.5-meter high, 1,374-meter long dam on the Bandama River, situated between the villages of Singrobo and Ahouaty. This will create a reservoir with a capacity of 105 million cubic meters of water.

As part of the factory acceptance testing, all key functional aspects of the excitation systems were rigorously demonstrated, including extensive tests on all thyristor converters at maximum nominal rotor current. Furthermore, simulation tests were carried out using a dedicated model to assess the system’s behavior under various potential disturbances, while preliminary settings were defined. The final tests confirmed that both the physical equipment and simulation models are fully prepared for delivery, installation, and commissioning.