New Development
Pakistan announces agreement signed for 870 MW Suki Kinari project
The government of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, has signed an agreement with SK Hydro Private and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to develop and construct the 870 MW Suki Kinari hydro project.
Under the agreement, the hydro project would be built on the Kunhar River in the Mansehra district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at a cost of US$1.9 billion and is expected to be completed by 2021. The electricity produced would be transferred to Pakistan’s national grid for distribution to the entire country.
According to a press release, the parties have agreed to a 30-year power purchase agreement, after which the government of KP would assume operation and ownership of the facility and receive all income from the sale of electricity.
More New Development news:
- Presidential order reinstates study for proposed 6,000 MW Myitsone project in Myanmar
- Final unit at Brazil’s 220 MW Cachoeira Caldeirao enters commercial operation
Small Hydro
3 MW Cia Aig hydropower project commissioned in Scotland
Forestry Commission Scotland and Loch Eil Estates, in partnership with RWE Npower Renewables, commissioned the run-of-river US$15.9 million 3 MW Cia Aig small hydropower scheme in August, after more than a total of six years of development and construction.
The project is located on the Abhainn Chia-aig River, at the eastern end of Loch Arkaig. According to RWE, it received consent from the Scottish government in June 2010. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency under the Controlled Activities Regulations granted a water license for the project.
An intake weir directs water to a 3.2 km-long buried pipeline, into a powerhouse that contains two vertical five-nozzle Pelton turbines, one each at 1.01 MW and 1.99 MW.
Paul Wheelhouse MSP, minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, together with Hans Bunting, chief operating officer for Renewables of RWE, were onsite for the plant’s inauguration.
Bà¼nting said, “We value the skilled supply chain that Scotland can offer and when developing our renewables projects, it is important to us that we are able to work with local companies and to maximize the economic benefits to the local economy.”
After the commissioning of the Cia Aig scheme, RWE now operates 15 hydroelectric power stations in Scotland.
More Small Hydro news:
- Hedcor to upgrade Bineng small hydro plants, more than triple capacity
- Peterborough Utilities commissions expanded 9.8 MW London Street small hydro station
Technology/Equipment
Siemens providing GIS to 3,600 MW Rogun plant in Tajikistan
Germany-based Siemens AG is supplying two gas-insulated high-voltage switchgear (GIS) for the 3,600 MW Rogun plant in Tajikistan. The amount of the award is not immediately available, but the GIS should be installed and ready for operation by 2018, Siemens says.
Rogun Dam has a planned height of 1,099 ft and is located on the Vakhsh River in Pamir.
Siemens said it is supplying:
- 8DQ1 switchgear, which covers voltage ranges of up to 550 kV and has 21 circuit breakers;
- 8DN9 switchgear, which covers up to 220 kV and has four circuit breakers; and
- Online monitoring devices on the GIS to enable automatic remote diagnosis and self-monitoring.
A total of six turbines at 600 MW should, according to Seimens, annually generate 13.3 billion kWh.
More Technology & Equipment news:
- IHA expands knowledge networks to eight hydropower topics
- Hydro Equipment Association announces dissolution
Marine Hydrokinetics
2 MW tidal energy test project coming to Japan
A consortium led by Kyuden Mirai Energy Co. plans to test a tidal energy project near Goto in Japan’s southwestern Nagasaki Prefecture. It is expected to have a capacity of about 2 MW when it begins operation in 2019.
Kyuden Mirai – a subsidiary of Japan’s Kyusuhu Electric Power Corp. – is joined in the effort by Nippon Steel & Sumikin Engineering, Nagasaki University, the Nagasaki Marine Industry Cluster Promotion Association (NaMICPA) and OpenHydro.
OpenHydro said site surveys are expected to begin this year, with procurement, fabrication and cable laying set to begin in 2017. The Scottish manufacturer will build the project’s generating unit in France before shipping it to be anchored on a subsea base built by Nippon Steel & Sumikin Engineering.
“This 16-metre turbine will be the first commercial-scale tidal device to be deployed in Japanese waters,” OpenHydro Chief Executive Officer James Ives said. “Through this demonstration project, we will work with our consortium partners to foster local skills and expertise.”
Once installed, the pilot turbine will undergo a year of tests that will, developers hope, lead to the development for larger installations around Japan.
More Marine Hydrokinetics news:
- Tidal energy company tests prototype in Canadian archipelago, Haida Gwaii
- MHK turbines possible for India’s power infrastructure
Dams/Civil Structures
ICOLD releases four new technical bulletins on dams
The International Commission on Large Dams has released four new technical bulletins related to various aspects of dams.
Bulletin 146, Dams and Resettlement – Lessons Learnt and Recommendations, is intended to be an information source for policy makers and implementers. It highlights the latest policies, criteria and resettlement measures adopted, their implementation aspects and the performance or effectiveness of the mitigation measures taken to improve the living standards and quality of life of the relocation. The bulletin deals with issues implied by resettlement, explains case histories and lessons learned, and recommends strategies.
Bulletin 148, Selecting Seismic Parameters for Large Dams – Guidelines, is a revision of previous Bulletin 72, with the same name and published in 1989. This bulletin takes into account current practice in a number of countries, with a view toward providing a guide for the selection of parameters to be used in the seismic design, analysis and safety evaluation of new or existing dams and their appurtenant structures, as well as promote consistency in handling the earthquake aspects of dam performance evaluation among owners, designers and various organizations involved in the planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance and regulation of dams.
Bulletin 157, Small Dams: Design, Surveillance and Rehabilitation, was prepared as a guide for small dam owners, engineering, government agencies, developers and contractors who are in charge of the design, construction, operation, maintenance and safety of small dams. The bulletin says, “Design criteria and typical features for small dams are generally different from those for high dams, because the construction methods focus upon economy.” This bulletin presents the main recommendations to ensure that the dams will behave appropriately and with minimum cost.
Bulletin 166, Inspection of Dams following Earthquake Guidelines, is a revision of previous bulletin 62A, published in 1988. Inspection of dams following earthquakes is an important aspect in the integral safety concept of dams, ICOLD says. Since 1988, earthquakes have occurred that have caused damage to dams. “Large dams should be able to resist the effects of the strongest ground shaking to be expected at the dam site. However, major damage is accepted as long as there is no catastrophic release of water from the reservoir,” the bulletin says.
The bulletins can be purchased at www.icold-cigb.org/GB/Publications/bulletin.asp.
More Dams & Civil Structures news:
- BC Hydro responds to concerns about fracking and dam safety
- Pennsylvania announces $25.7 million in funding for dam safety improvements
Business & Finance
Aneel sets cap price for upcoming Brazilian hydroelectric power auction
Brazilian power regulator Agencia Nacional de Energia Eletrica (Aneel) has set wholesale cap prices for an upcoming power auction that includes more than 130 small hydro plants.
According to a statement issued by the agency in mid-August, there was to be a US$77 per MWh cap in the Sept. 23 reserve power auction.
In Brazil, power purchase agreements are awarded to developers who submit the lowest bids for the price of power to be sold from their plants, with the government buying capacity using a reserve model to protect against a future supply deficit.
The cumulative capacity from the upcoming auction is about 990 MW, Aneel said, with PPAs to be awarded in 30-year deals.
The auction was scheduled for late July but rescheduled. Aneel plans to hold another reserve auction for renewables later this year.
More Business & Finance news:
- Green Fuel needs $300 million to build Condo Dam, 200 MW hydro powerhouse in Zimbabwe
- China loans Argentina US$25 billion for energy projects, including hydroelectric
Environmental
Brazilian regulator rejects environmental license for 8,000 MW Sao Luiz do Tapajos
Brazil’s Institute of the Environment and Natural Resources, Ibama, will not award an environmental license for the Sao Luiz do Tapajos plant, effectively ending development of the 8,000 MW project.
The federal regulatory agency announced its decision in early August following reports by public prosecutors that the project would destroy traditional lands of the Munduruku Indians near Itaituba in Brazil’s Para state.
The land, known as “Sawre Muybu,” was officially acknowledged by indigenous population authority Funai earlier this year. The designation gives the land protection from potentially invasive developments.
The US$8.6 billion plant was being developed by state-run utility Eletrobras and was one of more than 250 hydroelectric plants and dams publicly opposed by hundreds of members from four Amazonian tribes in May 2015.
A concession auction for the project’s development was also previously revoked in September 2014 after Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy determined that the proposal did not meet a number of environmental and social criteria.
Sao Luiz do Tapajos is the largest component of the proposed 12,000 MW Tapajos complex on the Tapajos and Jamanxim rivers in northern Brazil. The complex also is to include the 2,300 MW Jatoba, 528 MW Cachoeira dos Patos, 881 MW Jamanxin and 802 MW Cachoeira do Cai projects.
More Environmental news:
- US$7.3 million Tibble Fork Dam rehabilitation project temporarily ceases reservoir drainage
- Strategies used at 18 MW Rwegura hydroelectric facility in Burundi to deal with low water levels
Pumped Storage
Andritz awarded supply contract for 880 MW Gouvaes pumped-storage plant
Equipment supplier Andritz Hydro GmbH has been awarded a contract by utility Iberdrola Generacion to supply electromechanical equipment and a penstock for the 880 MW Gouvaes pumped-storage hydropower plant in Portugal.
The order, worth about US$156 million, includes the design, manufacture and installation supervision for four 220 MW turbines that will operate with a net head of 660 m. The penstock will have a total weight of about 12,000 tons, an average diameter of 5.4 m and a length of 2.5 km.
Andritz said Gouvaes will be the “heart” of a new 1,200 MW complex on the Tamega River in northern Portugal. A pair of smaller conventional hydroelectric plants will also eventually be constructed.
“Gouvaes will cover the need for peak-load energy and provide fast-responding regulating power,” Andritz said in a release. “Together with this base load generation from the other two power stations, this scheme will ideally complement the volatile electricity generation from wind power, which has been growing significantly in recent years.”
More Pumped Storage news:
- Plans announced for 300 MW pumped-storage project in Scotland
- Duke receives 30-year FERC license for 868-MW Keowee-Toxaway project
Rehab & Upgrade
Final upgrade testing begins at Statkraft’s 350 MW Nedre Rossaga plant
A three-month test period for a new unit at Norway’s Nedre Rossaga hydroelectric plant is under way, utility Statkraft announced. The 225 MW unit is located in a new powerhouse built by Statkraft over the past three years and will replace three of the facility’s original six units once the test period ends.
The company said the remaining three units in Nedre Rossaga’s old station have already been upgraded, giving the upgraded project a total installed capacity of 350 MW following the installation of the new unit. The plant’s cumulative capacity was 100 MW.
HydroWorld.com reported in March 2013 that the contract to supply the equipment was awarded to Voith Hydro as part of a US$12.9 million package that also included turbines for Statkraft’s Oevera Roessaga and Vessingfoss plants.
“By increasing the tunnel capacity and the efficiency of the new equipment, the total power output of Nedre Rossaga will increase by 200 GWh per year,” Statkraft said. “In total, the annual generation of the power plant will reach 2,100 GWh, or 2.1 billion kWh of renewable energy.”
The upgrade was part of a $165.5 million project announced by Statkraft in March 2010. Construction began in January 2013 and also included more than 19 km of tunnels and environmental improvements.
More Rehabilitation & Upgrade news:
- Phase two of rehabilitation and upgrade beginning at 40 MW Matala in Angola
- Tractebel awarded contract to modernize Peru’s 1,008 MW Mantaro plant
Regulation & Policy
EC approves Czech Republic hydroelectric power support scheme
The European Commission has found that a scheme which supports hydroelectric power production in the Czech Republic to be congruent with European Union state aid rules, the organization said earlier today.
The announcement stems to September 2015, when the Czech Republic notified the EU of its plan to provide the operators of hydropower projects up to 10 MW in capacity with support totaling up to US$9 million.
Under environmental protection and energy guidelines established by the EC in 2014, member states can support the production of energy from renewable sources under certain conditions.
According to the guidelines, hydro installations with a capacity below 500 kW will receive support in the form of a market premium paid on top of the market price, while those below will receive a feed-in tariff.
The EC said this, alongside a similar plan for the Czech Republic’s biogas sector, will “minimize the potential distortion of competition brought about by the public financing by ensuring that these payments do not exceed the minimum level necessary to achieve the schemes’ objectives.”
Both initiatives are part of the Czech Republic’s effort to increase its target of making renewable sources account for 14% of its total image consumed by 2020.
More Regulation & Policy news:
