effects of the gorkha earthquake tragedy on nepalese hydro … · effects of the gorkha earthquake...

Hydropower & Dams Issue Three, 2015 3

Effects of the Gorkha earthquake tragedy on Nepalese hydro plants

Areas affected by theGorkha earthquakedisaster in April andMay, showing the epicentres of themain seismic events,and the degree ofground shaking inthe various districts.

The major earthquake and after-shocks which oc curred in centralNepal in April, officially known asthe Gorkha earthquake, are reportedby the Nepalese Govern ment to havecaused the loss of around 8000 lives,and major destruction affecting morethan 20 districts of Nepal and someareas of India, Bangladesh, and Tibet.In Nepal more than 190 000 homeswere destroyed, a further 175 000were damaged, along with around 25 000 government buildings.

The epicentre of the Richter magni-tude 7.9 earthquake on 25 April was77 km northwest of Kathmandu, andoccurred on a shallow north-dippingthrust fault beneath the Himalayas.The steep topography in the area ofthe epicentre, and the high intensityof the shaking, meant that thousandsof landslides were triggered, whichexacerbated the damage. Most of theaftershocks occurred to the east of theepicentre. A second earthquake, regi -stering M7.3, occurred on 12 May.

Damage was most severe in theGorka-Lamjung region, the BurhiGandaki valley and Ganesh Himal.Local reports suggest that Kath -

mandu was particularly affected as itis founded on old lake sediments,including a 300 m-deep layer ofblack clay, which is susceptible tointense shaking.

According to experts from theEuropean Space Agency, an area ofthe Kathmandu valley measuringaround 120 ¥ 50 km has risen by upto 1 m as a result of the disaster. AGPS survey confirmed that the valleyaltitude had increased by an averageof around 80 cm.

Despite damage to many of thecountry’s hydro plants, as describedbelow, it was reported that withintwo days, the Nepal ElectricityAuthority had restored power sup-plies in the Kathmandu valley, meet-ing around 70 per cent of demand.However, 12 districts in the worst hitareas have still been facing poweroutages as a result of damage totransmission lines and substations,NEA said. In early May, NEA report-ed that the country’s installed capac-ity had been reduced from 500 to 354MW since the disaster, and thatNepal was importing 200 MW fromIndia.

The prompt response of the IndianGovernment in providing variousforms of assistance to the affected peo-ple, including the services of the IndianAir Force, has been gratefully acknowl-edged by the Government of Nepal.

According to local reports andinformation gathered by the NepalHydropower Association, 14 hydrostations in operation, including the 45MW Bhote Koshi and 10 MWSunkoshi plants, have sustained sig-nificant damage. The CEO of theBhote Koshi Power Company report-ed that boulders had fallen on to thepenstocks, and 13 workers had beenevacuated from the site.

At the 111 MW Rasuwagadi plant,located on the Trishuli river, 67 kmwest of the epicentre, the ChinaThree Gorges company reports thattwo Chinese and four Nepalese work-ers were killed and several were seri-ously injured. The dam, which hasbeen under construction for twoyears, is reported to be badly dam-aged.

The largest scheme under construc-tion, the 456 MW Upper Tamakoshischeme, was also badly affected;

4 Hydropower & Dams Issue Three, 2015

according to Chief Engineer B.P.Shrestha, an initial inspection at thesite indicated that the dam has suf-fered settlement, and first estimatessuggest that the dam has subsided by17 cm. The scheme is at Dolakha, oneof the worst affected districts. Repairwork is unlikely to begin for sometime, as most workers had to leavethe site in view of the danger of land-slides. Around 270 Chinese andNepalese workers were initiallytrapped at the site, in the few daysfollowing the first earthquake, whena massive landslide blocked the 11km-long access road.

The 24 MW Upper Trishuli 3Ascheme was also hit by landslides,and much of the access road to thedam was washed way. Cracking wasalso reported on the dam at the

Kulekhani project; however, it hasbeen possible for this dam and pow-erplant to remain in operation.

International experts and a WorldBank team have been studying theaffects of the disaster on the Nepalesehydropower sector.

According to Prof John Reynolds,UK, Concerns have arisen about theaffects of the earthquake and subse-quent landslides on the many glaciallakes across the northern central partof the country, and about the possibil-ity of landslide dams forming, whichcould begin impounding water (aswas the case after the Wenchuanearthquake of 2008 in China, seeH&D Issue 3, 2009).

It has been reported that a numberof small hydro schemes operated byindependent power producers have

also been damaged to some extent,and are out of operation, but theextent of damage could not be con-firmed as we went to press, as in mostcases, access to the sites was still notpossible. These projects include:Sunkoshi Khola (2.5 MW), wherepart of the powerhouse has collapsed;Baramchi Khola (4.2 MW); where apenstock has burst, but some genera-tion is contuing; Sipring Khola (9.65MW), where a landslide damaged thepenstock; Ankhu Khola (8.4 MW),where the powerhouse and a substa-tion were damaged by a landslide;Mailang Khol (5 MW), where therehas been significant damage to head-works; and, Bhairab Kunda (3 MW),where tunnel leakage is reported aswell as damage to a penstock andtransmission lines.

GMS Power Summit highlights investment opportunities in Lao hydroThe enormous hydropower develop-ment opportunities in the GreaterMekong region, and current invest-ment activities to exploit that poten-tial, were debated over two days inVientiane, Laos, recently, at the 2ndGMS Power Summit. Organized byNeo ventures of Shanghai, China, theevent, with an accompanying techni-cal exhibition, brought together min-isters and other senior officials of theLao Government, with internationaldevelopers, financial and legalexperts, contractors, consultants andsuppliers from more than 20 coun-tries.

Hydropower & Dams was MediaPartner for the event, and combinedparticipation with meetings and dis-cussions in preparation for ASIA2016, which will take place inVientiane next year (see pp129).

The Power Summit looked in depthat the many hydropower develop-ments under way and planned inLaos and neighbouring countries,with emphasis on power trading pos-sibilities, financial and legal chal-lenges, and environmental and socialaspects. The event was preceded bytwo pre-Conference sessions. Thefirst, entitled ‘Laos Power Invest -ment Workshop’, was organized byDFDL Legal and Tax, and outlinedkey trends in the region. Practicalaspects for preparing to invest inpower projects, particularly in Laos,were discussed. Speakers warned ofsome of the pitfalls if projects werenot well prepared, and offered con-structive advice on how to attract funding, agree on concessionarrange ments, comply with currentlegislation, as well as adequatelyaddressing social and environmentalissues.

The second pre-conference session,a ‘Hydropower Forum’ was orga-nized by SMEC, and began with anoverview of key development trends,with a focus on large hydro schemes,presented by CEO Andy Goodwin.He discussed ways to manage invest-ment risk. Other subjects coveredwere: the value of pumped storage,with a presentation by ReinhardFritzer of ILF Consulting Engineers;and, particular project design charac-teristics in the GMS context. The lat-ter topic, discussed by MatthieuBeraud of Tractebel Engineering,focused particularly on the influenceof hydrology on project design.

The first session of the PowerSummit began with addresses by theMinister of Planning and Investmentof Lao PDR, who outlined the futureopportunities for the development ofhydropower in his country.

Davao Phonekeo, Director-General

of DEPP, MEM presented the coun-try’s 2030 vision, and concluded thatthe vast hydro potential of Lao PDRcould become a battery in the Me -kong region to stimulate more reg -ional power trading.

Khampaseuth Theppangna, DeputyManaging Director at Electricité duLaos (EDL) outlined his country’spower development plans up to 2025(including generation, and transmis-sion lines).

Among others giving presentationsover the two days were Sino Hydro,China Three Gorges, Tractebel, TNBof Malaysia, the Asian DevelopmentBank, and IFC. A number of interna-tional consultants active in the regionparticipated, as well as the majormanufacturing companies, includingAndritz, Voith, Alstom, and Mavel.

A more detailed report of theSummit will appear in the next issueof Hydropower & Dams.

A panel discussion on hydro development in the GMS region, showing (from left): A. Souche of DFDL Legal and Tax; J-L. Cervetti of Tractebel Engineering; F. Hofmann,Nam Theun 2 Power Company; and, Nopporn Prapaitrakul, GMS Power Public Co Ltd.


First phase of Cameroon’s Memve’ele completedThe first phase of the 201 MWMemve’ele hydroelectric project onthe river Ntem in southern Cameroonwas completed in late February, withthe successful diversion of a secondstream of the river to the site of thepowerplant in Nyabizan, the country’sMinister of Energy Basile AtanganaKouna has announced. With the com-pletion of the river diversion, the pro-ject is now 60 per cent complete,according to the Minister, who saidthat this step paved the way for thecompletion of the main dam. The pro-ject is on track to come on line in 2017.

The Memve’ele plant is being con-structed by Sinohydro of China at an

estimated cost of CFA 420 billion, ofwhich CFA 243 billion is beingfinanced by China’s Eximbank, CFA65 billion by the African Develop mentBank and the balance by theGovernment of Cameroon. Cons -truction work on the project was offi-cially launched in June 2012 byPresident Paul Biya.

Memve’ele is one of a series ofhydropower schemes planned by theGovernment of Cameroon to developthe country’s hydroelectric potential,estimated at 13 700 MW, to accelerateeconomic growth and reduce poverty.According to its Electricity SectorDevelopment Plan (ESDP), Cam-eroon has targeted installed capacityof 3000 MW by 2020 through thedevelopment of hydropower plantsand other forms of renewable energy,with the aim of meeting domesticdemand and becoming an exporter ofelectricity. Hand-in-hand with newgeneration capacity, the Governmentis developing a rural electrificationprogrammes to increase access toelectricity.

Construction work is also underwayat the 30 MW Lom-Pangar project onthe Lom river in eastern Cameroon, aspart of plans to exploit the 5665 MWhydroelectric potential of the riverSanaga. The project’s embankmentdam, which is about 13 km upstreamof where the Lom joins the Sanaga,is designed to regulate flows for thedownstream 335 MW Song-Loulouand 224 MW Edea hydropowerplants, and is expected to increasetheir capacity by 170 MW. The damwill also help to increase the poten-tial capacity of the planned Nachti-gal project to 330 MW. The US$195.7 million project, comprising a45.5 m-high, 1278 m-high RCC damand powerhouse to be equipped withfour 7.5 MW units, is being financedby the World Bank (US$ 132 mil-lion), the African Development Bank(US$ 71.1 million) and the EuropeanInvestment Bank (US$ 39 million). Itis being built by China InternationalWater & Electric Corporation. It isexpected to be completed in Marchnext year.

Hydro industry supports Médecins Sans Frontières through AMI’s African publicationReaders around the world willrecently have received Aqua~MediaInternational’s special publication‘Water Storage and HydropowerDevelopment in Africa’. The contentcomprises papers selected from thosewhich would have been presented atAFRICA 2015 in Marrakech. Basedon advice from relevant authorities,the conference had to be postponedfollowing the tragic Ebola outbreak(and has now been reconvened for2017 – see p141).

Regretting the need to postpone theevent, at a time when the Africancontinent was more than ever in needof support from the world water com-

munity, we decided to offer compa-nies the opportunity to sponsor pagesin the publication by advertising, andto donate all revenue to MédecinsSans Frontières, the organizationwhich played the most significantrole in bringing the Ebola crisis undercontrol (and which, as part of its mas-sive work programme, is frequentlytackling problems relating to floods,drought, earthquake, water supplyand sanitation).

A total of 19 companies took up theoffer to sponsor pages in the publica-tion (see below), and so Aqua~Mediawas delighted recently to present atotal of UK£ 20 000 to MédecinsSans Frontières, as a donationtowards its efforts in Africa.

A message from MSF conveyedthanks to the contributing companiesand Aqua-Media, stating that “…theincredible donation of UK£ 20 000 willhelp us to save a great many lives andrespond to emergencies, while main-taining independence and impartiality”.

The AMI Hydropower Foundationsponsored worldwide distribution of thepublication, and the Aqua-Media teamtook care of editing and production.

The publication was produced incollaboration with ICOLD and theAfrican Union with a comment fromICOLD President Adama Nombre,and a leading article contributed byDr Elham Ibrahim, AU Com -missioner for Energy and Infra -structure. She set out the AfricanUnion Commission’s initiatives forAfrica’s energy sector, focusing espe-cially on regional infrastructure.

At a recent conference on climateresilience at the African Union, DeputyEditor Steve Usher presented copies toAU Commissioner Dr Elham Ibrahim,and other senior AU officers. The pub-lication has now been despatched tonational and regional power and waterauthorities across the African region,as well as to our regular readers.

Our thanks again to all who con-tributed to this project.

Sponsoring Companies:Andritz Hydro Artelia Carpi Tech Dolsar Dongfang Electric Machi nery Co DSD Noell Farab Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon KGAL

Konc̆ar Mavel as Mott MacDonald Multi consult Ruhfus System hyd raulik SIG Studio Pietrangeli Tractebel Engineering Voith Hydro WKV Wasserkraft Volk, AG

The President ofCameroon, PaulBiya, viewing amodel of Memve’ele,during a ceremony tomark completion ofthe first phase of the201 MW project.


Accord now signed on Grand Renaissance damFollowing the discussions reported inour last issue, the leaders of Egypt,Ethiopia and Sudan have now signeda declaration of principles concerningthe 6000 MW Grand EthiopianRenaissance dam on the Blue Nile.The agreement, signed on 23 Marchby Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia,Hailemariam Desalegn, and Sudan -ese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir, eases tensions over regionalwater supplies. The preliminaryagreement had been reached in earlyMarch following tripartite meetingsbetween the three countries’ foreignand water ministers.

Prime Minister Hailemariam Des -alegn reassured Egypt that the damwould not disrupt the Nile’s flow(see H&D Issue 2, 2015). “I reaffirmthat the construction of the Re-naissance dam will not cause anydamage to our three states and espe-cially to the Egyptian people,” hesaid at the signing ceremony.

Egypt, which relies almost exclu-sively on the Nile for farming, indus-try and drinking water, has soughtassurances that the dam will not sig-nificantly reduce the river’s flow toits rapidly growing population.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stressed his country’s depen-dence on the Nile. “The Renaissancedam project represents a source ofdevelopment for the millions of

Ethiopian citizens through producinggreen and sustainable energy, but fortheir brothers living on the banks ofthe Nile in Egypt, and who approxi-mately equal them in numbers, it hasrepresented a source of concern. Thisis because the Nile is their onlysource of water,” he said.

The ten principles, which were pub-lished in full on the website of Al-Ahram, one of Egypt’s leading news-papers, recognize the dam as primar-ily a hydroelectric facility and grantpriority access to its electricity outputto Egypt and Sudan. The principlesalso cover areas such as: fair andappropriate use of water resources;the first filling of the reservoir anddam operation; exchange of informa-tion and data; dam security; sover-eignty, unity and territorial integrityof the three states; regional co-opera-tion, development, integration andsustainability; as well as a mecha-nism for the peaceful settlement ofdisputes. The principle of not causingsignificant damage cites the possibil-ity of compensation, if damage wereto be caused by the actions of one ofthe three countries.

The agreement offers significantconcessions to the downstream coun-tries of Egypt and Sudan, stating thatthe “purpose of the Renaissance damis to generate power”, implicitly rul-ing out any possibility of siphoningwater for irrigation, which wouldresult in a permanent decrease inwater flow into Egypt. The principlesalso give Sudan and Egypt “priorityto purchase energy generated by theGrand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam(GERD)”.

Ethiopia receives recognition of itssovereign right to develop projectswithin its territory and to promote“cooperation in understanding thewater needs of upstream and down-stream countries across all their lands”.Past treaties on the use of the Nilesigned in 1929 and 1959 agreed to splitnearly the entire flow of the Nilebetween Sudan (18.5 ¥ 109 m3/year)

and Egypt (55.5 ¥ 109 m3/year) withouttaking Ethiopia into account. The prin-ciples enshrine the idea of “fair andappropriate use” of common waterresources by all three countries,although adherence to “the principlesof international law” is referred to. Thedeclaration concludes with a commit-ment to “settle any dispute resultingfrom the interpretation or applicationof the declaration of principles throughtalks or negotiations based on the goodwill principle”.

An important role is attributed tothe Tripartite National TechnicalCommittee and International Tech -nical Experts Committee. The threecountries commit to applying theCommittees’ recommendations ateach stage of the project, includingan agreement on the guidelines fordifferent scenarios for filling the damas construction is ongoing, andguidelines and annual operation poli-cies for the dam, which may beadjusted. Ethiopia must informEgypt and Sudan of any urgent cir-cumstances which might require achange in the operation of the dam.A mechanism will be established forthis between the ministries of waterand irrigation. The timeframe forestablishing these guidelines andmechanisms is set at 15 months fromthe start of two studies by theInternational Technical Committee.

Ethiopia also commits to continu-ing to implement “in good will” allrecommendations of the Committeeon the dam’s security.

Construction of the US$ 4.7 billionproject, in the western region ofBenishangul-Gumuz, by Italy’sSalini Impregilo began in April 2011,and is currently scheduled to be com-pleted in mid-2017. The scheme fea-tures a 170 m-high, 1800 m-longgravity, RCC dam, as well as twopowerhouses equipped with a totalof sixteen 375 MW generating units.Its reservoir will have a storagecapacity of 74 ¥ 109 m3, representingnearly the Nile’s entire annual flow.

An artist’s impressionof the 6000 MWGrand Renaissancedam in Ethiopia.Completion is scheduled for mid-2017.

Chile has identified a hydroelectricpotential of 11 000 MW between theMaipo and Yelcho rivers, in the coun-try’s central southern zone, as part ofongoing studies of its river basins inline with the national energy strategy.The first phase of studies, conductedwith the Catholic University of Chileand private partners, were presentedby the Ministry of Energy in lateApril. The studies assessed technical,

economic, social, cultural and envi-ronmental feasibility, to improve theterritorial planning for hydropowerprojects. The second phase of thestudy, which is to be carried out up toJune 2016, will focus on the basinsof the rivers Bueno, Valdivia, Puelo,Tolten, Maule, Yelcho and Bio Bio,which represent 8200 MW of thetotal 11 GW identified in the firstphase.

Chile identifies 11 GW of hydropower potentialH&D newsObservant readers may havenoticed a new name on ourjournal’s masthead. HeatherLambert is not a new Sub-Editor! We are delighted toannounce that Heather Gordonwas married on 9 May toMatthew Lambert, and we wishthem a long and happy futuretogether.


Dagachhu begins full commercial service in BhutanThe 126 MW Dagachhu run-of-riverhydro plant in Bhutan began full ser-vice on 15 March, with the commis-sioning of the second unit. The first63 MW unit was commissioned inFebruary 2015 (H&D Issue 2, 2015).

The Dagachhu project, which islocated in Dagana Dzongkhag insouthwestern Bhutan, on the riverDagachhu upstream of its confluencewith the Punatsangchhu, was devel-oped and is owned and operated by ajoint venture between Tata Power,India’s largest integrated power com-pany, Druk Green Power Corp -oration, owned by the RoyalGovernment of Bhutan, and theNational Pension & Provident Fundof Bhutan. Dagachhu is the firstcross-border project registered underthe Clean Development Mechanism(CDM) of the UN FrameworkConvention on Climate Change(UNFCCC), Bhutan’s first public-private partnership in infrastructure,and the first hydro project completedunder Bhutanese management.

Funding for the US$ 240 millionproject was provided by the AsianDevelopment Bank, the NationalPension & Provident Fund ofBhutan and Austria’s export creditagency Österreichische Kontroll-bank. A consortium of AndritzHydro and Alstom Hydro suppliedthe electro-mechanical equipment,and India’s Hindustan ConstructionCompany carried out the civil worksincluding a diversion weir, a 7.7 km-long headrace tunnel and power-house.

Power from the plant is to be soldto Tata Power Trading Company Ltd(TPTCL) under a 25-year PPA forexport to the Indian power market.The run-of-river scheme is projectedto generate average annual output of515 GWh.

Equipment ordered for La Mina project in Chile Russia’s Power Machines has signeda contract for the supply of electro-mechanical equipment for the 34MW La Mina run-of-river plant inChile.

Under the contract signed withColbun, Chile’s third largest powerproducer, the company will design,manufacture, install and commissiontwo 17 MW units, each comprising aradial-flow Francis turbine and gen-erator, as well as electromechanicalauxiliaries, the company announcedin March.

La Mina, in San Clemente in thecentral region of Maule, is scheduledto be commissioned in 2016, PowerMachines said, adding that the plantis the first in a series of plantsplanned to be developed as part of theGualquivilo-Melado cascade, with atotal capacity of more than 400 MW.

Zublin Chile, which is a subsidiaryof Austria’s Strabag SE, was award-ed last November a €36 million con-tract for the civil works, includingthe intake structures, an open-chan-nel waterway, the powerhouse

and a stilling basin.It is Power Machines’ third contract

in Chile’s hydropower sector and itssecond with Colbun. The Russiancompany equipped Colbun’s 70 MWQuilleco run-of-river plant in theBiobio region, which began opera-tion in June 2007. It also suppliedtwo 77.5 MW units to a joint ventureof Australia’s Pacific Hydro andNorway’s Statkraft for the 155 MWLa Higuera run-of-river plant in theTinguiririca Valley, which was com-missioned in October 2010.

Cemig GT increases stake in Brazil’s Belo Monte projectCemig Geração e Transmissão(Cemig GT) of Brazil has increasedits stake in Norte Energia, the devel-oper and future owner-operator of the11.2 GW Belo Monte hydropowercomplex in northeastern Brazil, to11.64 per cent. Vale, the country’smajor multinational mining company,announced on 1 April that it had sold4.41 per cent of its 9 per cent interestin Norte Energia to Cemig GT in acash deal worth around R$ 305 mil-lion (US$ 100 million).

Cemig GT already held a 74.05per interest in the holding AmazôniaEnergia, with the part-public elec-tricity supplier Light, which hadpurchased 9.77 per cent of theshares of Norte Energia in October2011.

Vale’s share in the equity of NorteEnergia has, as a result, beenreduced to 4.59 per cent, though itretains the rights to acquire 9 percent of the energy generated by theplant, through a long-term contract

signed in 2012. The transaction,which will allow Vale to reduce itsguarantees related to the debt financ-ing of Belo Monte, is part of a widerstrategy by the metals and miningcompany in the context of decreas-ing global iron ore prices to boostshareholders’ value by reducing cap-ital expenditure on non-core assetsand improve flexibility for manag-ing these assets in the future.

The transaction is a part of anagreement signed in December 2013between the two companies, whichincluded the establishment inFebruary of Aliança Geração deEnergia, comprising Vale’s andCemig GT’s stakes in sevenhydropower plants (the 112 MWPorto Estrela, 231 MW Igarapava,180 MW Funil, 240 MW CapimBranco I, 210 MW Capim Branco II,330 MW Aimorés and 140 MWCandonga plants) with an attribut-able installed capacity of 1158 MWand assured capacity of 652 MW.

Vale and Cemig GT hold 55 per centand 45 per cent, respectively, of thetotal capital of the new company,with power supply to Vale’s miningoperations secured under long-termcontracts.

Eletrobras holds a 49.98 per centshare in Norte Energia through adirect 15 per cent stake and throughits wholly owned subsidiaries, Chesfand Eletronorte, which own 15 percent and 19.98 per cent, respective-ly.

Brazilian pension funds, Petrosand Funcef, each hold 10 per cent,with a further 10 per cent ownedthrough Belo Monte Participaçõesby Neoenergia.

When commissioned in 2019, the11 233 MW Belo Monte scheme onthe Xingu river will become the sec-ond largest hydro station in Brazil interms of installed capacity, and thethird largest in the world after ThreeGorges in China and Itaipu on theBrazilian-Paraguayan border.

The US$ 240 millionDagachhu scheme inBhutan, now fullycommissioned with atotal installed capacity of 126 MW.


Innergex closes financing for Upper LillooetInnergex Renewable Energy ofCanada announced in mid-March theclosing of its largest project-levelfinancing for the Upper Lillooethydro project in British Columbia,comprising the 81.4 MW UpperLillooet river and 25.3 MW Boulder(Pebble) Creek facilities. The inde-pendent renewable power producerannounced on 17 March that BoulderCreek Power Limited Partnershipand Upper Lillooet River PowerLimited Partnership had jointlyclosed a C$ 491.6 million non-recourse construction and term pro-ject financing for the two run-of-river projects. The developer of theseprojects is Creek Power, a joint ven-ture between Innergex (which owns66.67 per cent) and Ledcor PowerGroup (which owns 33.33 per cent).

The financing, which comprisesthree loans, with fixed interest ratesof between 4.22 and 4.46 per centand varying terms to maturity, wasarranged by The Manufacturers LifeInsurance Company as agent andlead lender, with the Caisse de Dépôtet Placement du Québec and TheCanada Life Assurance Company aslenders. It will be used to pay forconstruction costs, as well as a lossof around C$ 68 million realizedupon settlement of the bond forwardcontracts used to fix the interest rateon the loans prior to closing. Thiswill also protect the two projects’expected returns.

Michel Letellier, President andChief Executive Officer of Innergexsaid that construction of the projectsremains “on time and on budget”.

Both projects, which are locatedon Crown land, around 70 kmnorthwest of Pemberton, are sched-uled to being commercial operationin mid-2016. Power will be soldunder 40-year fixed-price PPAswith BC Hydro. It is estimated thatBoulder Creek will have averageannual production of 92.5 GWh,while Upper Lillooet will haveaverage annual production of 334GWh. Innergex announced inMarch 2014 that it had reachedagreement with BC Hydro toincrease the installed capacity ofthe Upper Lillooet River andBoulder Creek projects to 106.7MW from 97 MW, while cancellinga planned third project, the 16 MWNorth Creek scheme (see H&DIssue Three, 2014).

Snare Falls resumes service after repairsCanada’s Northwest TerritoriesPower Corporation (NTPC) an -nounced on 17 March that its 7.4MW Snare Falls hydropower planthad been returned to service afteremergency repairs to its turbine.Repair work, which is currently esti-mated at C$ 505 000, included

repairs to turbine blades and replace-ment of both upper and lower bear-ings, after which the unit was re-aligned and re-watered, NTPC said.The failure of the turbine on 15February also cost an estimated US$1.16 million in additional fuel usedby the province’s diesel generators to

offset loss of output at Snare Falls.NTPC said that an initial investiga-

tion pointed to a damaged bearing,but a thorough inspection of the tur-bine, following first partial and thencomplete de-watering, revealedcracks in some of the turbine bladesand identified an additional bearingin the lower chamber as requiringreplacement. A complete overhaul ofthe unit is scheduled later this springwhen electricity demand is lower, itadded.

Snare Falls is the second in a four-plant system on the river Snare thatalso includes the 8.5 MW SnareRapids, 4.3 MW Snare Cascades and10 MW Snare Forks plants, andwhich provides power to the commu-nities of Yellowknife, Behchoko andDettah, north of Great Slave Lake.The utility also owns and operatesthe two-plant Bluefish Hydro systemon the Yellowknife river, with a com-bined capacity of 7.5 MW, as well asthe 18 MW Taltson station on theTaltson river. NTPC’s hydropowerplants generate around 75 per cent ofall power that the utility generates.

Swaziland seeks study of Ngwempisi cascade The Kingdom of Swaziland is reviv-ing plans to develop the Ngwempisihydropower cascade in the west of thecountry. The Ministry of NaturalResources and Energy invited expres-sions of interest in late March fromconsultants to carry out a pre-feasibil-ity study of the scheme, bids were dueby 15 April. The contract is to befinanced from a $990 000 grant by theAfrican Development Bank to theGovern ment for an Energy Sector

Support Project aimed at improvingenergy supply security and enhancingelectricity access rates. In 2009 theSwazi land Electricity Company(SEC) invited bids for a full feasibilitystudy of a three-plant cascade on theriver Ngwempisi, with a total installedcapacity of around 120 MW.

Swaziland currently has fourhydro stations, with a total capacityof 61 MW: the 20 MW Maguga, 20MW Ezulwini, 21 MW Dwaleni

and 0.05 Mbabane plants.All four plants, as well as some 9

MW of diesel generation, of a totalnational installed capacity of around150 MW, are operated by SEC. Theremaining 80 MW is thermal genera-tion, based on bagasse, waste prod-ucts, coal and diesel, and owned andoperated by sugar and paper and pulpproducers. Swaziland imports most ofits electricity from its neighbours,South Africa and Mozambique.

The 7.4 MW SnareFalls plant inCanada, where turbine repairs havenow been completed.


KFAED supplements loan for Kandadji, NigerThe Kuwait Fund for Arab EconomicDevelopment (KFAED) agreed on 15March an additional Kuwaiti Dinar2.94 million (US$ 9.8 million) infunding to the Government of Nigerfor the 130 MW Kandadji hydropow-er and dam project. KFAED said ithad previously disbursed a loan ofKWD 5.7 million (US$ 19 million)and that the now consolidated 24-year loan package, bearing an interestrate of 1.5 per cent, including admin-istrative charges, would represent 2.7per cent of the estimated project costof US$ 1 billion.

In addition to power generation, theproject aims to regulate the flow of

the Niger river during the dry seasonto enable downstream irrigation.

The project, to be developed inthree stages, will involve the con-struction of a 26 m-high, 8.4 km-long earthfill dam to impound areservoir with storage capacity ofabout 1.6 ¥ 109m3, a powerhousewith four units, a 132 kV, 188 km-long line to connect to the capitalNiamey, resettlement of around40 000 people, and, in a first phase,the irrigated agricultural develop-ment of 6000 ha, mainly for theresettled communities. Le HautCommissariat à l’Aménagement dela Vallée du Niger, which is the

implementing agency, invited bidsfor a new contractor to build the pro-ject in mid-2014.

Additional financing has been pro-vided by the Islamic DevelopmentBank, acting as lead arranger, theWorld Bank, the Arab Bank forEconomic Development in Africa,the West African DevelopmentBank, the Saudi Fund forDevelopment, the Abu Dhabi Fundfor Development, the AfricanDevelop ment Bank, the OPEC Fundfor International Development, theECOWAS Bank for Investment andDevelopment and the FrenchDevelopment Agency.

Russian generator supplied for Kygy, TurkeyPower Machines of Russia an-nounced on 6 April that it hadshipped the first of three generators itis to supply for the 140 MW Kygyhydro project being built in Turkey’scentral eastern province of Elazig.

The company is to supply three 46.6MW turbines and generators each,with pre-turbine gates, as part of acontract signed in December 2013with the Directorate for StateHydraulic Works (DSI). The turnkey

contract also includes the manufac-ture and supply of all electro-mechanical equipment for themachine hall and the switchgear.

The three units are scheduled to becommissioned in 2016.

Riga plant in Latvia to be upgradedLatvenergo, Latvia’s state-ownedpower producer, has awarded a €100million contract to Alstom to refur-bish the 402 MW Riga hydropowerplant on the river Daugauva. Thecontract includes refurbishment ofthe plant’s six 69 MW Kaplan tur-bines, generators, a new control sys-tem and auxiliary equipment. Therenovation, which is due to be com-pleted in 2022, will increase annualproduction by at least 20 GWh andextend its life by at least 40 years.The plant, which was commissionedin 1974-1975, is the most modern of

the three Daugava hydropowerplants, which account for more than50 per cent of Latvia’s annual elec-tricity production.

Sweco of Sweden will act asowner’s engineer for the rehabilita-tion of the Riga plant. It had previ-ously won a contract worth morethan €3 million in February 2012, toassist Latvenergo with the modern-ization of the Plavinas and Kegums 2plants.

The project is part of a €200 mil-lion investment programme byLatvenergo to reconstruct the Riga,

Plavinas and Kegums plants, withthe aim of extending their operatinglives and increasing their operationalsafety and efficiency. When complet-ed in 2022, their combined output isexpected to be increased by between2 and 4 per cent. The first stage ofthe programme is underway, withalmost €20 million having beeninvested during 2014.

With an installed capacity of 894MW, Plavinas is the largest hydroplant in the Baltics and the secondlargest in the EU. The station, whichis located at the head of the riverDaugava in central Latvia, comprisesten units, which were commissionedin 1965-66. Six of the units wereoverhauled between 1991 and 2001,and a further three between 2007 and2010. The 264 MW Kegums station,which lies directly downstream fromPlavinas, comprises two plants:Kegums 1, which was built in 1939and refurbished between 1998 and2011, and Kegums 2, which wascommissioned in 1979.

In 2014, the Riga, Plavinas andKegums plants generated a total of1925 GWh, or 53 per cent of the total3625 GWh produced by Latv -energo’s power plants. Their annualoutput fell by 926 GWh or 32 percent year-on-year, as a result of thelowest water inflows in the DaugavaRiver since 1976.

The 402 MW Rigascheme on the riverDaugauva in Latvia,which is to be refurbished shortly.


GVK synchronizes first unit at SrinagarThe first unit at the 330 MW Srinagarhydro project on the river Alaknandain the northeastern Indian state ofUttarakhand was synchronized withthe grid on 10 April. The remainingthree 82.5 MW units are scheduled tobe commissioned in stages up to fulloperation by the end of June, owner-operator GVK of India announced on12 April.

The Rs. 4750 crore (US$ 744.8 mil-lion) project, which is GVK’s firsthydropower plant, was originallyscheduled to be commissioned in mid-2013. However, in June of that year,the Alaknanda, a tributary of theGanga, swollen by several days of tor-rential rain, caused temporaryembankments in front of the sluicegates to collapse and breached the

powerhouse, burying under mud andsilt the first three units, which wereready for operation.

The project comprises a 90 m-high,248 m-long concrete gravity diversiondam with 12 spillway bays, a power-house accommodating four 82.5 MWvertical Francis turbines, two 1 km-long headrace tunnels, a 3.05 km-longconcrete-lined power channel and four114 m-long penstocks. The projectwill use the net head of around 66 mbetween the diversion dam and thepowerhouse to generate electricity.Output is to be supplied to the UttarPradesh Power Corporation under along-term power purchase agreementsigned with the state of Uttar Pradesh,with 12 per cent of the plant’s outputto be supplied for free of charge to the

State Government of Uttarakhand. India’s Bharat Heavy Electricals

(BHEL) supplied, installed and com-missioned the project’s electro-mechanical equipment comprisingfour Francis turbines, generators, stat-ic excitation system, the generator,unit and station transformers, the maininlet valve, digital governors, the con-trol and monitoring system, associatedstation auxiliaries, as well as the 400kV switchyard and electrical andmechanical balance of plant.

Civil works were undertaken by theIndian multinational organisationLarsen & Toubro (L&T), India’slargest engineering and constructioncompany.

GVK expects to commission its sec-ond major hydropower plant by theend of 2018. Construction of the 850MW Ratle run-of-river project on theriver Chenab, in the northern state ofJammu & Kashmir, was launched in2013. It is being implemented on aBuild, Own, Operate and Transfer(BOOT) basis under a concessionawarded by the Jammu and KashmirState Power Develop ment Corp-oration, following a tariff-based com-petitive tender in May 2010.

The project, which will cost an esti-mated Rs 6300 crores (US$ 987.9 mil-lion), includes a 133 m-high gravitydam and two powerhouses adjacent toone another. The main power stationwill be equipped with four 205 MWFrancis turbines. The auxiliary stationwill contain one 30 MW Francis tur-bine. Water will be diverted to thepower stations through four intaketunnels.

Construction begins at Yellow Falls, OntarioThe Canadian developer and opera-tor Boralex, based in Québec,announced in mid-April that it hadstarted construction of its first hydrostation in the province of Ontario.

The 16 MW Yellow Falls run-of-river project, on the Mattagamiriver, in the District of Cochrane,northeastern Ontario, is expected tobegin commercial service in the firstquarter of 2017. Construction ofYellow Falls, which is 75 per centowned by Boralex, will require aninvestment of up to C$ 95 million(US$ 75.55 million).

The project is expected to generateaverage annual output of 67 GWh,to be sold under an initial 20-yearpower purchase agreement withOntario Power Generation. Thecompany has the option to renewthe offtake contract by up to a fur-ther 20 years, in four, five-year peri-ods.

The project will comprise a power-house containing two 8 MW Kaplanturbines, intake works involving ashort penstock contained within thepowerhouse, a concrete retainingwall forming an upstream headpond,spillway facilities, and related infra-structure across the river Mattagami.

The project dates back to the 1980sand was initially developed by YellowFalls Power Ltd Partnership (YFP)through the Carlex Corporation, inwhich Canadian Hydro Dev elopersthen held a 50 per cent stake.Environmental reviews were under-taken by Canadian Hydro Devel opersbetween 2005 and 2009. The private-ly owned power producer TransAlta,in Calgary, acquired Canadian HydroDevelopers in December 2009 beforeselling the project rights to Boralex in2013. Boralex completed the environ-mental screening process, includingan Environmental Impact Assess-

ment, in October 2013. In October2014 it published minor modifica-tions to the project design, includingthe decision to replace a planned 15-gated spillway with two inflatabledams with diameters of 4.1 m andlengths of 20 m and 40 m. The tworubber dams will replace all of thegates except for one low-level outletand one small debris sluice to evacu-ate floating debris. The rubber damcan be deflated in high flow eventsand, allows for a large quantity ofwater to be evacuated, with the onegate to throttle for a precise flow tokeep the head pond level constant.The dimensions and thus the capacityof the rubber dam were carefully cho-sen to be used sequentially with thegates, and to maintain the head pondlevel at its minimum during high flowevents, so as not to affect OntarioPower Generation’s hydropower plantupstream.

The 330 MWSrinagar project inIndia, where the firstunit is now commissioned,despite a set-backduring constructionin 2013, when alarge landslidecaused significantdamage to the powerhouse.


RusHydro and CTG plan JV to complete and operate Nizhne-BureyskayaRusHydro, Russia’s state-controlledhydropower producer, announced on8 May the signing of a cooperationagreement with China Three GorgesCorporation (CTG) with a view toestablishing a joint venture to final-ize construction and operate the 320MW Nizhne-Bureyskaya storagehydro plant on the river Bureya, atributary of the river Amur, in the FarEast of Russia.

The agreement is the latest in aseries signed by the Russian andChinese companies since 2013regarding joint development andoperation of storage facilities on thetributaries of the Amur to generatepower for the two neighbours, butalso to reduce the risk of furthermajor floods in the Far East ofRussia and in northeastern China.

Technical, economical and legaldue diligence of the Nizhne-Bureyskaya project will be carriedout to prepare for the setting up ofthe joint venture. RusHydro saidthat agreement had been reached onan approach to evaluate the project,taking into account constructioncosts to date and the present valueof future cash flows. Constructionof the Nizhne-Bureyskaya project

began in 2010 and is set to be com-missioned in 2016.

In addition to estimated averageannual output of 1.65 TWh, thescheme will act as a regulatingfacility for the upstream 2010 MWBureyskaya storage scheme, as wellas help to prevent flooding. As ofthe beginning of 2015, 60 per centof the total estimated volume ofconcrete has been poured at themain facilities. During 2015, con-struction of the spillway dam andpowerhouse will continue and con-struction of the switchyard willbegin, RusHydro reported, as wellas the installation of the four unitsand hydromechanical equipment. InMarch, Russia’s Power Machinesannounced that it had supplied thefirst of four 80 MW units. A signif-icant volume of preparatory workfor the damming of the Bureya isalso planned for 2015-2016, withthe damming of the river currentlyscheduled for March 2016.

The two state-controlled compa-nies signed a first agreement inOctober 2013 to study potentialcooperation on the construction ofnew storage plants, as well ascounter-regulator dams in the tail-

races of existing large hydro plants(see H&D Issue Six, 2013). Thisfollowed the worst flooding onrecord earlier in 2013 in the basinof the Amur river, covering all thebasin’s rivers in Russia and China,following heavy rainfall. The flood-ing in Khabarovsk was exacerbatedby high flows of the Ussuri andSungary rivers, most of this floworiginating in China.

In November 2014, RusHydro andCTG signed a preliminary agree-ment to build, finance and operatejointly up to 2 GW of storagehydropower capacity in the Amurand Khabarovsk regions of Russia’sFar East, including Nizhne-Bureyskaya, the 400 MW Nizhne-Zeyskaya, a counter-regulator forthe existing Zeyskaya; the 300 MWSelem dzhinskaya, the 462 MWGiluyskaya and the 600 MWNizhne-Nimanskaya (see H&DIssue Six, 2014). The joint ventureplans to raise at least 70 per cent ofthe estimated cost of Rb 230 billion(US$ 4.89 billion) as projectfinancing from Chinese andRussian institutions, backed bylong-term power purchase agree-ments.

Generators to be modernized at ViandenVoith has been commissioned tomodernize four motor-generators atthe Vianden pumped-storage plant in

Luxemburg. The project includes thedesign, construction, delivery andinstallation of four rotors of themotor-generators of the horizontalpumped-storage units. The plant atVianden is located close to the bor-der between Luxemburg and Ger -many, and feeds directly into theGerman power network. This meansthat it can be employed as a flexiblepower store and for network regula-tion to support energy transitions.The plant is owned by SocietéElectrique de l’Our SA, and is mar-keted and used by RWE Generation.

The objective of this modernizationproject is to ensure continued safe,

stable operation of the highly flexi-ble machines.

For the Vianden plant, Voith isemploying a new hammerheadgroove construction instead of thepreviously used comb pole design.This way, the poles can more easilybe exchanged, and inspections canalso be carried out easily.

The Vianden pumped-storage plantwas first commissioned in 1964.After expansions in 1976 and 2014,with its current total of 11 units, theplant has a generator capacity of1495 MVA and a turbine capacity of1290 MW. The total installed pump-ing capacity is 1045 MW.

Norway and UK plan world’s longest subsea cableHydro-rich Norway is to linkup withthe UK’s electricity system through anew agreement between the coun-tries’ grid operators, Statnett andNational Grid, to build the world’slongest undersea power cable.

Statnett and National Grid havesigned an agreement to build a1400MW ‘NSN’ subsea intercon-nector along a 730 km route acrossthe North Sea between the twocountries. The cable is to run from

northeast England to southwestNorway, and will come into opera-tion from 2021.

The budget for the scheme, to befunded jointly by the companies, hasbeen estimated at approximately€1.5-2 billion.

The companies said the cable linkwas a strategic step to help capitalizeon Norway’s hydro resources, toincrease support for the developmentof renewable, low-carbon resources.

Norway is also studying a ‘GreenBattery’ strategy that could see muchof the hydro resources in the south ofthe country used as a macro-pumpedstorage system to support renewablesexpansion in mainland Europe, espe-cially Germany. A key driver is theneed to provide grid support servicesas well as storage, and speedy gener-ation, in an era of greater investmentin unpredictable power resources,such as wind and solar.

The 1045 MWVianden pumped-storage plant inLuxemburg, whichwill undergo modernization worksshortly.


Land lease secured for pumped storage in WalesThe Crown Estate, UK, has agreedto lease 13 ha of land in NorthWales to Snowdonia PumpedHydro (SPH), the developer of the£160 million, 100 MW GlynRhonwy pumped-storage project onthe slopes of Cefn-Du nearLlanberis.

The plant will be Britain’s firstgrid-scale electricity storage facili-ty for more than 30 years, whencommissioned as scheduled by2019. The lease agreement, signedin April, will contribute to a secureand sustainable energy supply forBritain, according to QuarryBattery Company, SPH’s parentcompany. “By continuing to utiliseunconventional sites such as theabandoned quarry on The CrownEstate’s land, Britain can realise anadditional 15 GW of grid-scalestorage using pumped hydro tech-

nology alone. This agreement is animportant first step in the UK meet-ing its storage needs,” said PeterTaylor, Chairman of Quarry BatteryCom pany.

In March, SPH notified the UK’sPlanning Inspectorate that it intend-ed to submit an application in thesecond quarter of 2015 to converttwo disused slate quarries on theedge of the Snowdonia NationalPark in North Wales into a pumped-storage plant with capacity of up to99.9 MW. The developer was grant-ed planning permission in February2014 by Gywnedd Council todevelop a 49.9 MW pumped-stor-age facility, at the Glyn Rhonwyand Chwarel Fawr quarries, butafter a subsequent review in thecontext of the capacity market,recently introduced under the UK’sElectricity Market Reform, decided

that it would be more commerciallyand economically viable to increasecapacity to 99.9 MW. With a grosselectrical output in excess of 50MW, the project now falls withinthe definition of a “NationallySignificant Infra structure Project”under the Planning Act 2008 and asa result, SPH is required to apply tothe UK’s Secretary of State fordevelopment consent to construct,operate and maintain the project.Increasing the capacity by 50 MWwill result in another year of per-mitting and additional costs ofaround £1 million, according to thedeveloper. QBC said in March thatit was looking for partners to buildand operate the facility, whichwould include a 20 m-high dam onthe upper reservoir at Chwarel Fawrand a 15 m-high dam on the lowerreservoir at Glyn Rhonwy.

Polpitiya upgraded in Sri LankaThe Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB),Sri Lanka, has recently awarded acontract to Voith for the moderniza-tion of the Polpitiya hydro plant. Bymid-2017, Voith is to supply electro-mechanical equipment for Polpitiya'stwo 37.5 MW units and the accompa-nying spherical valves, overhaul thespiral casings and draft tubes, as wellas oversee the erection and commis-sioning of the plant. Voith FinancialServices has structured the financingof the project.

This modernization will signifi-

cantly increase the performance ofPolpitiya, which was first connectedto the grid in 1969. Sri Lanka’s econ-omy is growing steadily and thecountry’s electricity demands areincreasing accordingly, by about 6 to8 per cent per year.

CEB is the main energy provider inthe country with a total capacity of3.4 GW. CEB is the sole transmis-sion licensee in the country, whilealso being responsible for most of thegeneration and distribution of elec-tricity.

Zambia inaugurates the uprated Lunzua plantZambia’s President Edgar Lunguinaugurated on 9 April the upratedLunzua hydro plant on the riverLunzua in Mpulungu District. TheUS$ 52 million modernization andrepowering project, which was car-ried out by China National ElectricalEquipment Corp, increased the plant’scapacity from 0.75 MW to 14.8 MW.The plant, which began commercialservice in late 2014, supplies power to

the communities of Mbala, Mpulunguand Kasama, in the country’sNorthern Province. The project is partof a US$ 650 million programme tomeet the province’s growing electric-ity demand being carried out by theLunzua Power Authority (LPA) inpartnership with Zambia ElectricitySupply Company (ZESCO), Zam-bia’s national power company.

Among the major generation pro-

jects planned in the province are the93 MW Kabwelume Falls and 151MW Kundabwika Falls hydroschemes on the river Kalungwishi inthe Northern and Luapula provinces.This will also involve the construc-tion of two transmission lines con-necting the plants to ZESCO’snational grid: a 300 km-long, 330 kVtransmission line from the two plantsto connect to the Kawambwa substa-tion in Luapula Province, and a66 kV line to connect to the grid atthe Kawambwa substation inLuapula Province. Knight Piésold isacting as owner’s engineer.

ZESCO, working with the RuralElectrification Authority (REA), alsoplans to increase installed capacity atthe 6 MW Chishimba Falls hydropower station on the river Luombe inKasama District to 15 MW, at the 12MW Lusiwasi station in Serenje to 27MW and the 5 MW Musonda Falls to10 MW.

GMR upgrades its Proctorpowerplant US utility Green Mountain Power(GMR) has been refurbishing its 34.5MW Proctor hydropower plant, inVermont. The modernization projectincluded renovating the power andcontrol systems, which was undertak-en and recently completed by Eaton.The plant has five units, each with acapacity of 6.9 MW, and was con-structed early last century. The pro-ject will help GMR manage the plantremotely, improve reliability andreduce costs.

President EdgarLungu tours therecently upratedLuanza scheme inZambia, during theinauguration ceremony in April.


Uganda’s parliament approves borrowing for Karuma Construction work at the 600 MWKaruma hydro project on theVictoria Nile can resume, it hasbeen announced, as Uganda’sParliament has voted in favour ofallowing the Government to borrowUS$ 1.4 billion from the Export-Import Bank of China. The loan willcover 85 per cent of the US$ 1.6 bil-lion cost of the project, with the bal-ance to be provided by theGovernment. Approval of the loanby Parliament on 25 March wasrequired to allow the project’s EPCcontractor, Sinohydro, to proceedwith the next stage of construction.The issue had been the subject of

debate in Parliament, in the contextof growing concerns that the signif-icant borrowing for Karuma and the183 MW Isimba Falls project,which also has concessionaryfinancing from China Ex-Im Bank,will render the Government’s exter-nal debt burden unsustainable.

Construction work on two 1400m-long underground access tunnels,which began in April 2014, is now95 per cent complete, according tothe Ministry of Energy, while adiversion channel is under construc-tion on the right bank of the river.Karuma is scheduled to be complet-ed within four years.

Alstom announced in March that ithad been awarded a €58 million(US$ 65 million) contract bySinohydro to supply, install andcommission electro-mechanicalequipment including six 100 MWFrancis turbine generating sets.

Karuma, which will be the coun-try’s largest hydro plant, is expectedto provide 40 per cent of Uganda’selectricity, and will allow the countryto meet demand, which is increasingby about 50 MW per year.

The 183 MW Isimba Falls project,being built by China InternationalWater and Electric Corporation, isscheduled to come online in 2016.

Sedimentation problem tackled at NurekHR Wallingford, UK, is leading aproject to analyse, map and modelthe scale of sedimentation in theNurek reservoir, Tajikistan, to helpthe national power company, BarqiTojik, to develop its long-term man-agement strategy for the reservoir.The work will help to maximise thelife of the nationally importantpower station and secure its effectiveoperation for the long term.

The 300 m-high Nurek dam, on theVakhsh river, is the second highestdam in the world. Built during the1960s, it impounds a 70 km-longreservoir with a capacity of 10 500 ¥106m3. The plant is strategicallyimportant for Tajikistan, as it sup-plies around 98 per cent of Tajik -istan’s annual electricity require -ments. Sedi ment ation in the reser-voir has significantly reduced itscapacity and, without intervention,has the potential to reduce or stopenergy production entirely.

HR Wallingford is leading a WorldBank-funded project to helpTajikistan develop effective manage-ment strategies for the Nurek reser-voir. Titan Environmental Surveysand Wallingford EnvironmentalSurveys will help HR Wallingfordestablish the current capacity of theNurek reservoir, using bathymetricsurveys, sediment sampling and on-site laboratory analysis. These datawill be used to produce a detailed 3Dmap of the reservoir bed, and toassess the level and type of sedimen-tation.

HR Wallingford will use the surveydata to build a detailed numericalmodel of the reservoir system inRESASS, its specialist sedimenta-tion modelling software. RESASScan simulate long-term depositionpatterns in a reservoir and predict theeffect of various different interven-tion techniques on reservoir storagecapacity.

Craig Goff, Dams and ReservoirsBusiness Manager at HR Walling ford,said: “The RESASS model willenable the dam’s operations team toassess the impact on sediment flow onvarious environmental conditions andoperating scenarios. We will deliverthe tools and training they need todevelop long-term managementstrategies, allowing them to maximizepower production and extend the lifeof the Nurek reservoir.”

The knowledge and understandingdeveloped on this project will alsobe invaluable to the Tajik Govern-ment in its future operation of the330 m-high Rogun dam, currentlyunder construction upstream ofNurek.

EBRD considers stake in Turkish hydro producerThe European Bank for Recon -struction and Development (EBRD)is considering an equity investmentof up to US$ 35 million to acquire astake of up to 20 per cent in a hold-ing company (HoldCo) to be set upto own and operate five run-of-riverhydro plants in northern Turkey,with a combined installed capacityof 114 MW. The EBRD would makethe investment alongside Italy’s sec-ond largest utility, Edison, which ismajority-owned by France’s EDF,and the current owner of the plants,Ronesans Enerji, the power genera-tion division of the Turkish con-

struction, real estate and energycompany, Ronesans (Renaissance)Holding. A final decision is to bemade at a board meeting in June,EBRD has said.

The five plants are the 36.4 MWÖzlüce plant in the province ofErzurum, 29.25 MW Kale and 9MW Osmancik in the province ofAmasya, 21.6 MW Sena on the Arasriver in the province of Kars, and14.43 MW Yalnizca in Karabukprovince.

The EBRD has said that the partic-ipation of Edison, which is consid-ering the investment in parallel,

would increase competition and for-eign direct investment in Turkey, aswell as result in further efficienciesin the way the power market oper-ates and its participants behave. Theproject will also set standards forcorporate governance and businessconduct, as the bank, jointly withEdison, will review the manage-ment systems and permitting proce-dures including the existing stake-holder engagement plans andthrough the implementation of anEnvironmental and Social ActionPlan introduce best practice in therunning of the hydropower plants.

Assessments of thelevel and type of sedimentation arebeing conducted atthe site of the 300 m-high Nurek dam, onthe Vakhsh river,Tajikistan.


Toshiba to equip Upper Yeywa plant in MyanmarToshiba Corporation of Japanannounced on 29 March that itsChinese subsidiary, Toshiba HydroPower (Hangzhou) Company Ltd(THPC), has been awarded an orderto supply four 77 MW units for the308 MW Upper Yeywa hydro pro-ject in central-eastern Myanmar, forthe owner-operator, Myanmar Elec-tric Power Enterprise. Toshiba saidthat deliveries to the project’s EPCcontractor, China’s Zhejiang OrientEngineering Company Ltd, wouldstart in March 2016. The contract isbeing financed by China’s Export-Import Bank. It is Toshiba Group’ssecond contract in Myanmar’s

hydropower sector, the companyhaving supplied a turbine for the28.4 MW Sedawgyi powerplant in1989.

The project, in the KyaukmeDistrict in the northern part of ShanState, will comprise a 102 m-highconcrete gravity dam with a crestlength of 272 m, a gated spillwaywith a discharge capacity of 7400m³/s, two intakes and two headracetunnels of 12.5 m diameter, eachfeeding an open-air powerhouse. Aconsortium of Lahmeyer Inter-national and Stucky SA is acting asowner’s engineer under a contractsigned in June 2013.

Upper Yeywa will be the second in acascade being planned on the riverMyitnge, a tributary of the riverAyeyarwady. The 790 MW Yeywastorage scheme, which was built bythe Department of Hydropower Im -plementation, was completed inNovember 2011. It is Myanmar’slargest hydro plant and features thecountry’s first RCC dam, a 197 m-high, 690 m-long gravity dam, as wellas a powerhouse with four units,which were commissioned in 2010.Early stage studies are, meanwhile,being carried out for the proposedMiddle Yeywa and 66 MW Deedokeprojects.

Dredging of Pulangi IV reservoir approvedThe Regional Development Coun-cil of The Philippines region ofNorthern Mindanao (RDC-X) hasendorsed the dredging of the reser-voir serving the Pulangi IV plant, ata budgeted cost of Peso 267 million(about US$ 5.95 million).

At a meeting on 23 March, theRDC-X approved the request forthe Power Sector Assets andLiabilities Management Corp-oration (PSALM) to provide fund-ing for the Pulangi RehabilitationProject Phase 2.

The project aims to improve thedependable capacity of the reser-voir and extend its life, by periodi-

cally flushing sediment through thebottom sluice gates, restoring themaximum stream flows of the riverand preventing the recurrence of amassive sediment accumulation incritical sections of the reservoir. DrModesto Babaylan, co-chairman ofthe RDC Infrastructure Develop-ment Com mittee, said heavy sedi-mentation had reduced the depend-able capacity of the Pulangi IVpowerplant to only 160 MW fromits full capacity of 240 MW. He saidthe high sedimentation rate had sig-nificantly reduced the presentimpounding capacity of the PulangiIV reservoir to only 32 per cent of

its full capacity.The Pulangi IV plant, on the river

Pulangi near Maramag in Bukidnonprovince, generates around 25 percent of the island of Mindanao’shydroelectricity.

The 255 MW run-of-river plant,which is equipped with three unitscommissioned in 1985 and 1986,operates with two reservoirs. Theupper one diverts water into a 9.5km-long headrace tunnel, whichruns parallel to the river until itreaches the lower reservoir (surgepool), where the water is conveyedto the three 85 MW Francis unitsthrough the a penstock.

Sedimentation has posed a majorproblem for the plant’s operation,with the upper and lower reservoirsreceiving an estimated 1.5 ¥ 106 m3

of sediment annually. Of the reser-voirs’ combined active capacity of67 ¥ 106 m3, around 23 ¥ 106 m3 hasbeen filled with silt. Initially theminimum and maximum water lev-els were raised and, in 2007, dredg-ing work was carried out around theheadworks of the upper reservoir.Selective dredging in the upperreservoir was carried out in 2010and 2011, and in the first quarter of2012, the plant’s owner-operator,the state-run National PowerCorporation carried out a repair ofthe plant’s headrace channel andsurge pool aimed at addressing thelarge scouring underneath the con-crete bed of the headrace channelapproaching the surge pool area, aswell as preventive maintenance ser-vicing of the facility’s three gener-ating units.

This was the first time that thePulangi hydropower plant hadundergone major repair works sinceit commissioning in 1986.

The HerrenknechtTBM S-672 break-through in Februaryat Coca CodoSinclair, Ecuador.Photo: SinohydroCorporation.

TBM breakthroughs at Coca Codo SinclairBoth 9.04 m-diameter TBMs com-pleted their tasks in the last fewmonths on the headrace tunnel forthe Coca Codo Sinclair hydro pro-ject, in Ecuador. The Herrenknechtshields performed two drives, 13.8km and 9.6 km, respectively, for the8.2 m-internal diameter headrace at

the 1500 MW run-of-river scheme,which truncates a major bend on theCoca river. With additional tun-nelling being conducted as drill andblast works, the total length of theheadrace is 24.8 km.

Geology along the tunnel align-ment includes basalt, andesitic lava,rhyolite, tuff, siltstone, volcanicrock, sandstone, ignimbrite and slate.Other major underground works onthe project are the powerhouse andtransformer caverns, and the pen-stock tunnels. The project alsoincludes some surface works, not -ably two concrete-faced rockfilldams. Chinese contractor SinohydroCorporation is building the projectunder an EPCcontract for Ecuador’sstate-owned Empresa Publica Estra -tegica Hidroelectrica Coca CodoSinclair EP.

The majority of the scheme is sup-ported by Chinese funding throughthe Export-Import Bank of China.

Hydropower & Dams Issue Three, 2015 25


The 335 MW Waneta Expansionplant on the Pend d’Oreille river inthe Canadian province of BritishColumbia has begun commercial ser-vice, the owner-operator WanetaExpansion Limited Partnership(WELP) announced on 2 April. TheC$ 900 million project, whichinvolved the addition of a secondpowerhouse, immediately down-stream of the Waneta dam, was com-pleted on budget and six weeksahead of schedule, the project man-ager Columbia Power Corporation

announced. Columbia Power Corp -oration managed the project onbehalf of WELP, a limited partner-ship in which the power utility FortisIncorporated has a 51 per cent con-trolling ownership interest. Col -umbia Power Corporation andColumbia Basin Trust hold stakes of32.5 per cent and 16.5 per cent,respectively. The output and capacityof the two-unit plant are to be sold toBC Hydro and Fortis BC, respective-ly, under 40-year contracts. The newpowerhouse will harness the existinghydraulic head and generate powerfrom water that would otherwise bespilled. The project, which is theeighth largest infrastructure projectin British Columbia, included theconstruction of a 10 km-long, 230kV transmission line.

SNC-Lavalin of Canada developedthe project under a C$ 587 millionEngineering, Procurement andConstruction contract signed inOctober 2010. A joint venture ofAecon Constructors and SNCLavalin Pacific carried out the civil

works, while Voith Hydro designed,supplied and installed the water-to-wire equipment, including twoFrancis turbines and generators.

Emil Anderson Construction con-structed a 35 m-long, 24 m-wideintake structure, adjacent to theexisting dam, which connects to two200 m-long, 10 m-wide tunnels, builtby J.S. Redpath and Frontier KemperConstructors.

The existing Waneta dam is locatednear the mouth of the Pend d’Oreilleriver, just before it discharges intothe Columbia river, slightly north ofthe Canadian–US border, 9 kmdownstream from Seven Mile dam.The concrete gravity dam and associ-ated 450 MW powerplant were com-missioned in 1954. BC Hydro has a33 per cent share in the facility.

SNC-Lavalin Group was alsoengaged by Columbia Power Corp -oration to carry out the expansion oftwo other hydropower plants inBritish Columbia: the 185 MWArrow Lakes and the 120 MWBrilliant Expansion projects.

Waneta Expansion online and generating

Energie Baden-Württemberg, Germ -any’s third largest power producerand supplier, is to rehabilitate threeunits at the Iffezheim run-of-riverplant on the Rhine. The plant is oper-

ated by Rheinkraftwerk Iffezheim,which is jointly owned by EnBWKraftwerke and EDF, France. It isequipped with five units. Four 27MW Kaplan turbines with runnerdiameters of 5.8 m were commis-sioned in 1977, and a fifth 38 MWunit came on line in June 2013. Thepowerplant, dam, lock system, andsix-channel weir were built as a com-bined Franco-German project, underan agreement concluded in 1969 con-cerning the widening of the riverRhine.

Bidding recently took place for thecontract to upgrade the first threeKaplan bulb units, with work tobegin in October, for completion byApril 2018. Work on the fourthmachine is already under way, andwill be completed shortly.

ENBW plans rehabilitation of Iffezheim turbines Equipment contracts to beawarded for Metsovitiko Greece’s state-run power utility PublicPower Corporation is constructing the29 MW Metsovitiko hydro plant innorthwestern Greece. The run-of-river/diversion-type project is beingbuilt 43 km from the city of Ioannina, inthe region of Epirus, and will use waterfrom the Metsovitiko river as well asoutflow from the 230 MW Pigai Aoosstorage plant on the Aoos river in thePinde Mountains, which has a 74 m-high, 300 m-long earthfill dam.

Bidding recently closed for thedesign, supply, installation, testingand commissioning of electro-mechanical equipment for the scheme,including two 13.75 MW verticalFrancis turbines and generators speedregulators, valves, as well as an instru-mentation and control system.

The 335 MW WanetaExpansion plant inCanada, developed ata cost of C$ 900 million, which is now generating on thePend d’Oreille river.

The Iffezheim run-of-river plant on theRhine, where four ofthe five Kaplan unitsare to undergo renovation work.

BHEL wins order for Rammam Stage III, IndiaBharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) ofIndia has been awarded a turnkeycontract worth Rs 2250 million (US$36 million) for the supply of eletro-mechanical equipment for the120 MW Rammam Stage III hydroproject in the northeastern Indianstate of West Bengal. The contractwas awarded by the country’s state-controlled National Thermal PowerCorporation (NTPC) following aninternational competitive tender, and

was announced on 19 March. Itentails the design, manufacturing,erection, and commissioning of three40 MW units and associated electro-mechanical equipment for the plant.BHEL expects to complete the pro-ject within 45 months.

The Pelton turbines and generatorswill be manufactured at BHEL’sBhopal unit, the control and monitor-ing system at its electronics divisionin Bangalore; the Company’s Jhansi

factory will supply the transformers.The run-of-river scheme is being

developed on the river Rammam, amajor tributary of the Rangit, in theDarjeeling district of West Bengal.

BHEL noted that it is equipping allfour hydro projects currently beingdeveloped by NTPC. In addition toRammam III, NTPC is supplying the800 MW Koldam, 520 MW TapovanVishnugad and 171 MW LataTapovan projects.

effects of the gorkha earthquake tragedy on nepalese hydro … · effects of the gorkha earthquake...

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