What a view! Zmutt and Stafel bring one of the many beautiful sights in the Swiss Alps with them. The customer HYDRO Exploitation SA operates more than 40 hydroelectric power plants. Part of them are the high-voltage substations between Zmutt and Stafel in the midst of the Swiss Alps, which are part of the Grande Dixence complex.

As beautiful as the view is, there are special conditions that come with every mountain in- stallation. These two substations included. In general, at over 1900 meters above sea level, the substations Zmutt and Stafel are difficult to reach. Because of these circumstances, everything had to be delivered before the first snow. “After the ascent from the village with the gondola, a staircase with 637 steps leads to the substation of Zmutt”, explains our Service Manager Lars Thurnherr. “In addition, weather conditions like snow and ice can be a challenge during installation and service”, says Thurnherr.

Deliveries completed by end of 2022

ALPHA-ET’s framework contract for the renewal of the Zmutt and Stafel high-voltage substation with Hydro Exploitation SA was concluded in 2019 and the final delivery was completed at the end of last year.

At this point, we would like to thank HYDRO Exploitation SA for many years of reliable planning ahead and precise execution of the project while considering all the circumstances that may appear in such an environment.

In addition to ALPHA-ET's delivery for the Zmutt and Stafel substations, our sister company PFIFFNER Instrument Transformers produced ten 170 kV EJOF combined transformers for the Zmutt substation. Read their article.