WWS Wasserkraft

What WWS Wasserkraft does

WWS Wasserkraft GmbH is an Austrian privately-held manufacturer specializing in small hydropower plants up to 10 MW per turbine, founded in 2008 by Wagner, Wögerbauer, and Scharrer and headquartered in Neufelden, Upper Austria. The company designs, manufactures, and supplies Kaplan, Francis, and Pelton turbines, the proprietary WWS PowerGate compact plug-and-play turbine, hydraulic steel structures, custom hydraulic systems, permanent magnet generators with direct-drive technology, and the in-house EPIC turbine control system. Core technical capabilities include CFD-based turbine design validated through X-Blade model testing, with claimed peak efficiencies of up to 95% (Francis), 93% (Kaplan), and 92% (Pelton).

The company operates a Water-to-Wire turnkey delivery model — acting as single source for consulting, engineering, manufacturing at the Neufelden facility, installation, and commissioning — and complements this with service, maintenance, modernization, and revitalization offerings for existing plants. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales through regional sales managers (including dedicated coverage for the Americas/Africa), supported by a multilingual 8-language website and selective industry engagement. Customer base spans public utilities, energy majors (e.g., Axpo AG), and independent project operators across 25+ countries in Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa, and Oceania. The business is privately held by its three founders with no external investors or M&A activity disclosed, holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 45001, EN 1090, and EN ISO 3834-2 certifications, and operates from a single manufacturing site with 11–50 employees.

Name

WWS Wasserkraft

Legal name

WWS Wasserkraft GmbH

Website

https://wws-wasserkraft.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WWS Wasserkraft is an Austrian privately-held manufacturer that designs, builds, and commissions small hydropower turbines (up to 10 MW), generators, and turnkey Water-to-Wire solutions for utility and independent operators across more than 25 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hydropower Turbine Manufacturing

NAICS

Turbine and Turbine Generator Set Units Manufacturing (333611)

SIC

Engines & Turbines (3510), Motors & Generators (3621)

akta.pro primary industry

Hydropower Turbines, Generators & Balance-of-Plant Equipment Manufacturing (EUAMAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hydropower Turbines & Electro-Mechanical Equipment (Turbines, Generators, Governors) (EUAMADAC), Hydroelectric Turbines & Governors (IMAHAFAD)

Keywords

• Small hydropower turbines
• Water-to-wire solutions
• Kaplan Francis Pelton turbines
• Hydropower plant equipment
• Turbine manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Neufelden

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Turbine Manufacturing and Sales: Design, manufacture, and sale of water turbines (Kaplan, Francis, Pelton) and the WWS PowerGate compact solution for small hydropower plants up to 10 MW per turbine. Turbines are engineered for maximum efficiency, long service life, and minimal maintenance requirements.
2. Electro-mechanical Equipment: Supply of generators (including permanent magnet generators with direct drive), control systems (EPIC), hydraulic systems, switchgear for low and medium voltage, and transformers. Complete electromechanical packages from a single source.
3. Hydraulic Steel Structures: Manufacturing and installation of steel hydraulic components including trash racks, trash cleaning machines, control gates, spillway gates with crests, fish ladders, and fish descent aids.
4. Water-to-Wire Complete Solutions: Full-service hydropower plant solutions from consultation and analysis through planning, technical and structural implementation, to commissioning. The company serves as single-source supplier for all mechanical and electrical components.
5. Service, Maintenance, and Modernization: Ongoing service and maintenance contracts including remote control support, system monitoring, rapid spare parts delivery, and maintenance agreements. Revitalization services for existing hydropower plants to improve performance and efficiency.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WWS Wasserkraft manufactures water turbines (Kaplan, Francis, Pelton) and the proprietary compact WWS PowerGate for small hydropower plants up to 10 MW per turbine. The company delivers complete Water-to-Wire turnkey solutions including hydraulic steel structures, generators (including permanent magnet direct-drive units), the EPIC control system, and custom hydraulic systems, plus installation, commissioning, service, and modernization.

Product overview

WWS Wasserkraft is an Austrian company specializing in small hydropower plants up to 10 MW per turbine, offering a comprehensive portfolio of turbine engineering products and turnkey solutions. The core product line includes three main turbine types: Kaplan (axial-flow for low-head applications up to 40m), Francis (reaction turbine for medium heads 10-200m), and Pelton (impulse turbine for high heads 80-1000m), all designed for maximum efficiency, longevity, and minimal maintenance. The proprietary WWS PowerGate provides a compact, pre-assembled solution for micro-hydro applications up to 100 kW. Supporting the turbine products are hydraulic steel structures (trash racks, gates, fish passages), the in-house EPIC control system with Basic/Cloud/Premium tiers, and custom hydraulic systems. The company delivers complete Water to Wire solutions encompassing consulting, manufacturing at their Neufelden facility, installation, and commissioning, plus ongoing service, maintenance, and modernization/revitalization services. A turbine configurator tool assists preliminary sizing. With over 35 years of design experience, WWS also develops permanent magnet generators featuring direct drive technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kaplan Turbine

Quantifiable outcome

• Francis turbine efficiency up to 95%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major.

• Kraftwerk Vorderrhein AG (KVR)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2021WWS developed and produced electro-mechanical equipment for the Curnera hydropower plant. This was a second project for WWS in Switzerland for this client. The plant utilizes the height difference between two reservoirs to generate electricity.
• Axpo AGmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwitzerland's largest producer of renewable energy and majority owner of the Curnera hydropower plant. Axpo set the goal to utilize the pressure head between reservoirs and partnered with WWS for the electro-mechanical equipment. This was the second project for WWS with Axpo in Switzerland.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Kirloskar Brothers: Indian manufacturer of pumps and turbines (including small hydro) with global project execution. Competes with WWS in Asia, Africa, and developing-market small-hydro tenders, typically on price.
• Andritz Hydro: Global hydro OEM with full size range including small hydro (up to 10 MW and beyond), comprehensive service network, and project financing capacity. Overlaps with WWS on the small-hydro niche but operates at vastly larger scale.
• Voith Hydro: German-headquartered global hydro incumbent serving large utility-scale projects and small hydro alike. Competes with WWS on cross-border small-hydro tenders but with materially deeper financial and service resources.
• GE Hydro (GE Vernova): World's largest hydro OEM with broad small-hydro offerings, supported by global engineering and service hubs. Overlaps with WWS in sub-10 MW tenders but with substantially larger balance sheet and installed-base effects.

Direct peers

• Mavel: Czech turbine OEM focused exclusively on small hydropower (Pelton, Francis, Kaplan up to ~30 MW), with turnkey delivery and in-house control systems — directly competitive with WWS in Europe and export markets.
• Global Hydro Energy: Austrian-headquartered small-hydropower turbine manufacturer focused on compact Kaplan-type solutions up to several MW. Closest country-peer to WWS — similar niche, similar European mid-market positioning, and head-to-head in micro-hydro bidding.
• Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon: UK-based specialist manufacturer of Pelton, Francis, and Kaplan turbines for small hydropower, with a global installed base and a dedicated service and modernization business — directly comparable scope and customer type to WWS.
• Litostroj Power Group: Slovenian hydro turbine manufacturer producing Francis, Kaplan, and Pelton turbines with significant small-to-medium hydro share — overlapping product portfolio, regional proximity, and similar turnkey delivery model.
• HPP Hydro Power Plant Engineering: Swiss consulting and engineering firm specializing in small hydropower development, modernization, and equipment — overlapping with WWS's turnkey and revitalization services within a comparable European customer set.

Regional players

• CINK Hydro: Nordic/Central-European small-hydro specialist with similar focus on compact, modular turbine solutions and turnkey project delivery — comparable customer profile but primarily competing in Northern Europe.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WWS Wasserkraft