New Development
New company established to develop small hydropower in Zambia
New Africa Power has been formed to develop a set of small hydropower projects for submission to the GET FiT program being planned for Zambia. Specifically, the company will develop a 65-MW portfolio of run-of-river hydro projects. New Africa Power has committed US$4.6 million for the feasibility phase of the development, which is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2018.
In a next step, the company will develop the projects for submission under the renewable energy feed-in-tariff program.
GET FiT is a program founded and managed by German development bank KfW that is designed to implement Zambia’s first renewable energy feed-in tariff (REFiT) program. The REFiT strategy calls for 200 MW of small renewables (1 MW to 20 MW) to be built in Zambia over a three-year period. This strategy was approved by the Zambian cabinet in July and formally launched by the Ministry of Energy in October. Eligible technologies include hydro, solar photovoltaic, geothermal, biomass, waste energy and wind power.
Construction on the first hydro plant to be developed by New Africa Power is expected to start in 2020.
Rehabilitation & Repair
Philippines seeking Chinese financing to rehab Agus-Pulangi
Philippines Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III announced the government is seeking financing from China to rehabilitate plants of the Agus-Pulangi complex in Mindanao, Philippines.
Dominguez estimates the project will cost about $1.07 billion and work is expected to begin within the next three years. From the point at which the project is completed, it will extend service life an additional 30 years.
The National Power Corp. (NPC) owns and operates Mindanao Generation Group, which is responsible for the Agus-Pulangi complex. According to NPC, the complex supplies more than 50% of the total electricity requirements for Mindanao electric power consumers and some of the Agus units were commissioned in the 1950s.
The Agus complex includes six powerhouses along the Agus River and one on the Pulangi River near Maramag in Bukidnon province.
Rehabilitation could last four to five years and would increase total capacity by an average of 10% for each facility, with installed capacity for Agus reaching more than 1,000 MW.
Technology & Equipment
ABB supplying transformers for 2,805-MW Mica hydro plant in Canada
ABB has announced it will supply flexible tank technology to replace the generator step-up transformer banks currently in use at BC Hydro’s 2,805-MW Mica plant.
Under a $28 million order, the scope of ABB’s supply work here includes the design, manufacture and supply of single-phase, 176-MVA, 500-kV transformers.
Mica has been in operation since 1970 and accounts for about 22% of BC Hydro’s electric generating capacity. The underground powerhouse contains six turbine-generator units, and some of the ultra-high-voltage equipment is reaching the end of its useful life. The GSUs are in an underground facility with very limited space, meaning minimal equipment size is critical, ABB says.
The transformers are critical in getting the power produced by this facility to more than 650,000 homes annually.
BC Hydro completed a C$714 million expansion and modernization project at this facility in early 2016 that involved adding two turbine-generator units and replacing the aging switchgear equipment.
pumped storage
Directors approve feasibility study of Snowy 2.0 expansion
The board of directors of Snowy Hydro has approved the Snowy 2.0 feasibility study, paving the way to a “final investment decision in 2018” on whether to expand the project.
The Snowy Mountains Scheme in southeastern New South Wales, Australia, has a capacity of 3,756 MW. The expansion would involve construction of a pumped-storage facility that would generate its first power in late 2024.
The study “confirms that the Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro expansion project is both technically and financially feasible,” Snowy Hydro said. The cost is estimated at $3.8 billion to $4.5 billion.
If commissioned the project could increase the reliability of Australia’s national electricity market, become an energy storage solution combined with intermittent renewables and replace baseload generation when coal-fired power stations retire, said Snowy Hydro Chief Executive Officer Paul Broad.
Research & Development
Prize competition seeks to eradicate mussels in U.S. waters
The U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation has launched a prize competition seeking “innovative solutions for the 100-percent eradication of invasive quagga and zebra mussels from large reservoirs, lakes and rivers in a cost-effective and environmentally sound manner.”
Reclamation says invasive mussel infestations pose significant logistical challenges for local communities, recreationists and water managers by potentially disrupting water deliveries, increasing facility maintenance cost, and impacting the local ecology.
For hydropower specifically, mussels cause significant difficulties because of their rapid growth and ability to attach to steel and concrete structures. They grow one on top of another, creating layers of organic buildup that are very difficult to remove.
Solutions proposed for this competition may be novel treatments or approaches that build upon existing treatments. They must be specific to invasive mussels without significant harm to non-target organisms such as native mussels or threatened and endangered species. They must be in compliance with existing federal discharge permits and environmental protection regulations or must be implementable with reasonable modifications to existing regulations.
The $100,000 prize purse will be divided among a maximum of five winners.
The first step is a theoretical challenge, requiring the submission of a white paper that describes novel treatments/methods for open-water mussel eradication
The competition closes February 28. More information can be found via USBR.gov.
Business & Finance
Engie takes over 424-MW Jaguara, 408-MW Miranda projects in Brazil
Engie is taking over operations of the 424-MW Jaguara and 408-MW Miranda hydroelectric projects, both located in Minas Gerais state in Brazil.
Engie, which is based in France, acquired these projects for US$1.1 billion at an auction held in September by Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais (Cemig) and they have been operated jointly since that time. Engie says the change in management will not have any impact on the plants, which supply electricity to the national grid.
Jaguara is on the Grande River and was constructed between 1966 and 1971. Miranda is on the Araguari River and was commissioned in 1998.
Cemig lost operating rights to these plants, along with 380-MW Volta Grande and 1.71-GW Sao Simao, when the company refused the terms of energy sector reforms enacted by former president Dilma Rouseff.
Julie A. Keil Women in Hydro Scholarship Fund launched
A scholarship fund has been launched in the U.S. to honor Julie Keil, who worked tirelessly on behalf of the environment, stakeholders and clean energy. The Julie A. Keil Women in Hydro Scholarship Fund will support women who aspire to a career in hydropower and share Julie’s characteristics, including leadership, courage, persistence and enthusiasm.
The scholarship provides support for women enrolled in an accredited college, university or technical school program majoring in a discipline relevant to entering the hydropower industry. It will be based on merit and financial needs. Grants will also be made to assist in expenses to attend industry events.
Full details can be found at NWHydro.org. Applications will be due March 2, 2018.
The awardee(s) will be announced at the Women with Hydro Vision luncheon at HydroVision International, June 27, 2018, in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
