Water Power and Dam Construction. Issue August 2010
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INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION AUGUST 2010
AUGUST 2010
Serving the hydro industry for over 60 years
Earthquakes and dam safety
The rise in multi-purpose projects
Restoration scheme
Replacing post-tensioned anchors at Catagunya Dam
INTERNATIONAL
& DAM CONSTRUCTION
WWW.WATERPOWERMAGAZINE.COM
AUGUST 2010
& DAM CONSTRUCTION
WWW.WATERPOWERMAGAZINE.COM
Water Power
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INTERNATIONAL
& DAM CONSTRUCTION
Water Power
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CONTENTS
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DAM
ENGINEERING
ModernPowerSystems
COMMUNICATING POWER TECHNOLOGY WORLDWIDE
COVER: Ageing post-tensioned
anchors have been replaced at
Hydro Tasmania’s Catagunya Dam
In Australia. See p24 for details
26
30
16
12
46
PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
48
WORLD MARKETPLACE
REGULARS
4
WORLD NEWS
8
DIARY
FEATURES
COMMENT
10
The resurgence of hydropower
Dr Peter Mason of MWH explains why he thinks
hydropower in now back in fashion
DAM SAFETY
12
Dam safety and earthquakes
We present a position paper on earthquakes and dam
safety prepared by the International Commission on
Large Dams
AUSTRALASIA
16
Wyaralong Dam design and construction
Details on the design of the Wyaralong roller compacted
concrete dam, currently under constriction in south-east
Queensland, Australia
20
The key link in the Waitaki chain
Refurbishment work is well underway on the Benmore
hydropower station on New Zealand’s South Island.
Johan Hendriks from Meridian Energy provides details
on this important project
24
Catagunya Dam restoration
The stability of the Catagunya Dam has been restored
over the past two years using modern, large diameter
and corrosion protected post-tensioned anchors
MULTI-PURPOSE PROJECTS
26
Multiple benefits
A number of multi-purpose projects are being
developed in Ethiopia. Patrick Reynolds details some
of the largest schemes
GATES
28
On-site machining at Markland
A portable milling machine will be used at the
Markland locks and dam in the US
NEW HYDRO DEVELOPMENTS
30
Sudanese development
New hydro plants, both large and small, will have a
role to play in meeting Sudan’s energy demands
33
Watershed analysis
An analysis of conventional and in-stream hydropower
in the Yukon River watershed
4 AUGUST 2010 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION
WORLD NEWS
T
HE FIRST REVENUES FROM
the Nam Theun 2 hydropower
project in Laos have started to
ow into the country, with the money
being spent on education, health,
rural roads and electrification and
environmental programs, an annual
joint report to the boards of the World
Bank and the Asian Development
Bank has found.
The report also notes that the
project’s environment protection
and social development program in
Nakai Plateau, Nam Theun and Xe
Bang Fai Downstream Areas and the
NT2 Watershed are overcoming sev-
eral implementation challenges and
making good progress.
With the commencement of com-
mercial operations of the Nam Theun
2 facility in April, Laos received the
first revenues of US$600,000 in
June from the sale of electricity to
Thailand. By late September 2010,
this is expected to go up to around
$US6.5M in additional revenues
from the project to nance poverty
reduction and development pro-
grams in Laos – the central tenet
of the World Bank’s involvement in
the project. Over the 25-year conces-
sion period, the country will receive
nearly US$2B in revenues from the
project.
“With close to three quarters of
the population of Laos still living
on less than $2 a day, the money
generated by Nam Theun 2 is provid-
ing a signicant boost to the coun-
try’s economy and helping improve
people’s lives,” said John Roome,
World Bank Director for Sustainable
Development in the East Asia &
Pacic Region.
The World Bank’s recent l y
released Economic Monitor for Lao
PDR showed that over 3 percentage
points of the expected 7.8% growth
rate expected in 2010 comes from
Nam Theun 2.
In its Update on progress with
the Nam Theun 2 project, the World
Bank and ADB report that on the
Nakai Plateau – where resettlement
of around 6200 people was com-
pleted in 2008 – villagers greatly
appreciate their new surroundings,
with the majority (over 80%) report-
ing they are now “much better off”.
The report says people’s yearly
incomes have almost doubled,
rising from a baseline of about
US$140 a year in 1998 to about
US$260 a year. It says villagers in
the resettled area are taking advan-
tage of improved education, health
and transportation facilities. The
median value of household assets
increased from $US120 in August
2006 to $480 by May 2009.
Along with the successes how-
ever, a number of challenges remain,
the Update says. Chief among them
is safeguarding the area’s natural
resources for the benet of resettlers.
The report warns that pressure on nat-
ural resources has been growing as a
result of local population growth and
extraction of timber, mineral and sh
resources by outside commercial inter-
ests. These issues are receiving the
careful attention of the Government of
Lao PDR, the report says.
Over the past year, the Government
stepped up action to stop mining and
logging in the national protected area
– a conservation area on the Nakai
Plateau, nearly seven times the size
of Singapore – which was set aside
as a requirement for Nam Theun 2’s
approval. But, the report says, close
attention to outside encroachment
will need to continue.
In the downstream area on the
Xe Bang Fai river, the report says
most of the impacts from increased
water ow (such as erosion, chang-
es in water quality and loss of
some riverbank gardens) had been
anticipated well in advance and
mitigation measures put in place. A
downstream program which started
several years ago with strong com-
munity participation was acceler-
ated in 2008 and 2009. This has
resulted in good progress with fund-
ing for villages, compensation for
lost riverbank gardens, and water
sanitation and hygiene programs.
The monitoring program continues
to watch for unanticipated impacts
downstream.
The report says the project has
helped Laos put in place tools for
transparent and accountable manage-
ment of public resources. It has also
helped build the capacity of the govern-
ment to manage large infrastructure
projects and has helped to strengthen
the country’s investment climate.
First Revenues from Nam Theun 2
benefits communities, says report
OPT in new groundbreaking
agreement for Oregon wave project
O
CEAN POWER TECHNOLOGIES,
Inc (OPT) has signed a his-
toric settlement agreement
with 11 federal and state agen-
cies and three non-governmental
stakeholders for its utility-scale
wave power project at Reedsport,
Oregon, representing a major step
towards the granting of the first
ever license issued by the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC) for a commercial-scale wave
power project in the US.
The settlement agreement sup-
ports the phased development by OPT
of a 10-PowerBuoy, 1.5MW capacity
wave energy station. Manufacturing
of the rst 150kW PB150 PowerBuoy
is already underway at Oregon Iron
Works under its contract with OPT.
The 10-buoy wave farm is expected
to be connected to the grid after
receipt of the FERC license and addi-
tional funding.
This rst-ever wave energy settle-
ment agreement was reached after
extensive technical, policy, and
legal discussions regarding appro-
priate prevention, mitigation and
enhancement measures, and study
requirements. It covers a broad
array of resource areas including
aquatic resources, water quality,
recreation, public safety, crabbing
and shing, terrestrial resources,
and cultural resources.
The agreement includes an inno-
vative Adaptive Management Plan
that will be used to identify and
implement environmental studies
that may be required, and to provide
a blueprint for the application of this
new information as the wave power
station develops.
“The Settlement Agreement is a
groundbreaking document that dem-
onstrates the State’s commitment
to partnering with the private sector
and coastal communities to explore
how we can tap into the renewable
resource of ocean waves to power our
communities,” said Oregon Governor,
Ted Kulongoski. “The manufacture of
the first buoy has already created
dozens of green-energy jobs in Oregon
and when the 10-buoy wave power
project is built, a whole new industry
will be created to benet our coastal
communities.”
Dr. George W. Taylor, Executive
Chairman of OPT, added: “This
agreement shows how the private
sector can work together effectively
with federal, state, municipal and
local groups to attain important
common goals of sustainable devel-
opment. I commend the State of
Oregon, the City of Reedsport, and
all of the stakeholders for support-
ing the use of OPT’s innovative wave
power technology as it transitions to
a fully commercial product.”
Unit 4 online at
Russian plant
R
USHYDRO HAS ANNOUNCED
that the 640MW turbine unit
no 4 has begun operations at
the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelec-
tric project, almost a year after a fatal
accident caused extensive damage to
the plant.
Unit no 4 is the third unit to be con-
nected to the grid, with units 5 and 6
having been launched into operation
earlier this year, giving the project a
current capacity of 1920MW.
Turbine unit no 3 will be launched
at the end of the this year, giving
the project an installed capacity of
2560MW. This will enable the project
to operate during the 2010-2011 fall-
winter period without usage of the
operational spillway.
Restoration work is currently on
schedule and the project is expected
to be fully operational in 2014.
The plant was damaged during an
incident on 17 August 2009, in which
75 people were killed.
WWW.WATERPOWERMAGAZINE.COM AUGUST 2010 5
WORLD NEWS
DBP signs emission agreement
for three mini hydro plants
T
HE DEVELOPMENT BANK OF THE
Philippines (DBP) has signed an
emissions reduction purchase
agreement with Tricorona Carbon
Asset Management of Singapore for
the sale of certied emission reduc-
tion (CER) credits to be generated by
three mini hydro power plants funded
by the Bank.
President & CEO Reynaldo G.
David said the agreement represents
a major step in the Bank’s Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM)
activities and underlines its key role
in the global Climate Change Program
initiative.
The three projects are the Cantingas
plant which is owned and operated by
Romblon Electric Cooperative Inc; the
Hinubasan power plant owned and
operated by the municipality of Loreto,
Dinagat Island; and Sevilla mini-hydro
power plant owned and operated by
Bohol Electric Cooperative (BOHECO)
I, with the municipality of Sevilla,
Bohol as co-owner. The three projects
are expected to reduce emission of
about 111,000 tons of carbon diox-
ide during the rst seven-year credit-
ing period.
The emission reduction pur-
chase agreement was facilitated by
CarbonAided, Ltd. of London, which
DBP tapped in 2008 as nancial man-
ager and agent in the sale of carbon
credits of the three projects.
The development bank is cur-
rently working on the registration of
the projects with the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate
Change CDM Executive Board in
Bonn, Germany.
P
RE-FEASIBIL I TY STUDIES
carried out for Reservoir Capital
Corporation’s Brodarevo 1 and
Brodarevo 2 hydroelectric plants on
the River Lim in southwest Serbia
have recommend an increase in the
projects planned capacity.
The studies, carried out by
Energoprojekt Hidroinzenjering Co.
Ltd (EHC), recommended a capacity
increase from the original application
case of 48MW to 58.4MW, with a cor-
responding increase in output from
189GWh/yr to 232GWh/yr. The study
has also dened dam sites, provided
recommendations for the design of
the hydroelectric power plants and
calculated preliminary cost estimates
for their construction, as summarized
in the table opposite.
The estimated construction costs
are budgeted into three areas:
EUR46.3M for construction works;
EUR51.2M for equipment purchases;
and EUR42.4M for other investments
related to the hydroelectric power
plant. EUR33.7M of the EUR42.4M
that is anticipated to go into other
investments is related to deviation
of 7.31km of the state road M21, on
the section Prijepolje - Bijelo Polje.
The Company is currently working
with local authorities for the permits
required for the relocation of parts of
the road along the River Lim, acquisi-
tion of surface rights affected by the
project and construction of the hydro-
electric installations.
The Italian and Serbian govern-
ments have signed a bilateral agree-
ment whereby Serbia may export
green energy into Italy and be issued
green certicates (the cost of which
are paid by consumers not govern-
ment) for each kilowatt hour of
electricity sold. The market price for
electricity in Italy is presently approxi-
mately 5.5 Euro cents per kilowatt
hour (EURcent/kWh) and the green
certicates 8.5EURcent/kWh, imply-
ing a combined price for renewable
energy of approximately 14EURcent/
kWh. The electricity price and the
green certicate price fell during the
recent global recession, but these
prices are expected to recover in the
coming years with increased econom-
ic activity. From the Pre-Feasibility
Studies EHC has determined that the
breakeven price of electricity for the
Brodarevo project is 7.65EURcent/
kWh over a 25-year exploitation period
using a discount rate of 8%. Reservoir
continues discussions with various
groups with the intent of securing cer-
tication and indicative agreements
for the transmission and sale of elec-
tricity into the Italian market.
The EHC report also determined
that the planned construction of
Brodarevo 1 & 2 would bring a
number of benets, including posi-
tive environmental, development and
economic effects.
Capacity increases for
Serbian schemes
From the Editor
Dear readers,
At the recent Hydrovision International conference and
exhibition in Charlotte, North Carolina, the major discus-
sion amongst the majority of delegates was the role
that hydro has to play in the renewable energy sector.
At the event’s keynote presentation, delegates were
given information on the immense potential for develop-
ment, with Andrew Munro of the National Hydropower
Association in particular detailing the results from a
study by Navigant Consulting (commissioned by the
NHA) which suggests that the US hydro power industry
could install 60,000MW of new capacity by 2025, creat-
ing up to 700,000 new jobs.
Much of this new potential can be found at existing
dams - with only 3% of the country’s dams currently
producing hydroelectric power, delegates were told. A
session at the show which I found particularly interest-
ing dealt with the subject of building hydro at non-hydro
dams. Here the panellists explored the technical and
regulatory concerns with regards to energy production at
existing assets, and addressed the role of state agencies
in encouraging such development.
A major incentive to encourage such development is
hydro’s ability to work with other renewable energy sec-
tors. There is little doubt that hydro (particularly pumped
storage hydro) is a perfect fit with wind, with pumped
storage plants key players for future grid stability. I
once heard the relationship between wind and hydro
described as being ‘symbiotic’, and this is certainly an
fitting description, with wind benefitting from the opera-
tional benefits of hydro, and hydro in turn benefitting
from the good PR of wind.
But what about the challenges to new hydro develop-
ment? This issue was also addressed at the Hydrovision
conference in the session ‘New Hydro Development’.
Here the panellists - Linda Church Ciocci (NHA), Richard
Taylor (International Hydropower Association), Jacob
Irving (Canadian Hydropower Association) and Alexandra
McCann ( Export-Import Bank of the US) - discussed what
they thought were the biggest risks to development.
Though many were highlighted, some of the major risks
seemed to be regulatory uncertainty (would the project
get a licence?), the country market risk for finance
(export issues), and time (difiiculty it developing the
project withing a competitive time frame). However, the
risk discussed most often was the actual perception of
hydro - both by policymakers and the public. All panel-
lists agreed there was a need for greater communica-
tion of the benefits of hydropower, and a need to let the
policymakers know that hydro can be developed in a
sustainable way. Only then can hydro really start playing
a major role in the renewable energy mix!
Best wishes
Carrieann Stocks
Editor
Email: carrieannstocks@globaltrademedia.com
6 AUGUST 2010 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION
WORLD NEWS
Contracts
NORWEGIAN FIRM
Rainpower has won a
NOK140M contract from
Swiss hydro power compa-
ny Ofcine Idroelettriche
della Maggia (OFIMA)
for delivery of equipment
to the Robiei power plant.
The company will provide
complete replacement of
the plant’s electromechani-
cal equipment, mainly
consisting of four revers-
ible pump turbines with a
head of 284 to 395m, and
maximum performance of
41MW, and one Francis
turbine with a head of 270
to 390m and maximum
performance of 27MW.
The deliveries are com-
plete with inlet and outlet
valves and oil pressure
units. The total project
will be carried out by a
consortium of Rainpower
and Alstom Switzerland,
with Alstom supplying the
generators/motors and the
inlet valves for the pump
turbines.
SCOTTISH AND
Southern Energy (SSE)
has appointed MWH to
provide engineering and
technical consultancy
services in connection with
delivering the feasibility
and outline design for two
proposed pumped storage
hydropower schemes in
Scotland. MWH services
will include outline design
of dams and intakes, geo-
technical and underground
works, power station, elec-
trical / hydro-mechanical
equipment and substa-
tions, as well as health,
safety, environmental,
cost, and quality manage-
ment services. In addition
to providing hydropower
expertise, MWH will
deliver engineering design
and project management
skills from the UK.
Marine projects share funds
from Scottish Government
F
iVE INNOVATIVE MARINE ENERGY
projects are to share £13M in
support from a Scottish govern-
ment fund that aims to help develop
emerging energy technologies.
The five successful companies
have been awarded funding from
WATERS, a collaboration between
the Scottish government, Scottish
Enterprise and the Highlands and
Islands Enterprise.
They include RWE npower renewa-
bles, which has been awarded £6M
to support construction of the 4MW
Siadar wave power station off the
Western Isles, and Aquamarine Power,
which will receive £3.15M to support
the demonstration of its Oyster 3
project at the European Marine Energy
Centre in Orkney.
The projects will ‘help to put
Scotland on the map as the world’s
leading centre for marine renewable
energy’, says Scotland’s energy min-
ister Jim Mather.
‘Our seas have unrivalled potential
to generate clean, green energy and
bring jobs, investment and know-how
to Scotland,’ said Mather. ‘We have
a quarter of Europe’s potential tidal
energy resource and a tenth of the
wave capacity.’
Around £1.85M of the funds will go to
OpenHydro to support development of
a power conversion and control system
that connects marine energy devices in
tidal arrays. AWS Ocean Energy is to get
£1.39M to support tests in Loch Ness
and the Cromarty Firth of a doughnut-
shaped wave energy converter.
Ocean Flow Energy will build and
deploy its ‘Evopod’, a 35kW oating
tidal energy turbine at Sanda Sound
with £560,000 of funding.
‘Initial costs for marine energy are
high and capital is needed - these
grants will help attract further private
investment,’ added Mather. ‘Our sup-
port will ensure a continuous stream
of ideas and technologies can be
tested, developed and rened at our
world class testing centre on Orkney
and elsewhere around Scotland.’
Mather continued: ‘Scotland is one
of the most attractive markets for
investment in wave and tidal power
anywhere. Working with our enterprise
agencies and other partners to develop
our full potential, we will make Scotland
a global leader in marine energy.’
New turbines for Jocassee PS plant
U
S UTILITY DUKE ENERGY HAS
announced that its Jocassee
pumped storage project will
receive two new turbines for units 1 and
2 in August and September, increasing
the project’s capacity by 50MW.
Following a seven-day trek, the
first turbine will arrive near Salem
on August 9, with the second turbine
expected to arrive at this location in
early September.
The turbines, manufactured by
Voith Hydro, are approximately 23ft in
diameter and weigh nearly 150 tons.
They will be transported via interstate
highways on 20-axle, dual-lane trailers
about 250ft long.
Guy M. Turner, Inc. will manage the
delivery, and the units will travel with
police escort to help manage trafc
along the route. Once near the town of
Salem, the rst turbine will be parked
temporarily until the second arrives.
Then both will make the slow and
winding seven-mile journey to the facil-
ity on a hydraulic platform trailer while
escort personnel walk alongside.
“Essentially, we’re improving the
output of the facility and making it
more efficient with state-of-the-art
design technology,” said Greg Lewis,
technical manager - Hydro Fleet. “This
extends the life of the station and
helps our system respond to peak cus-
tomer demands with a fast, exible,
clean and efcient energy resource.”
These will be the rst upgrades
to Jocassee units 1 and 2 since
they began commercial operation
in 1973. Replacing the turbines
will enhance hydro generation from
the current maximum capability of
170MW to 195MW each. They will
also increase pumping capacity by
37MW each. Units 3 and 4 were
upgraded in 2006 and 2007. Lake
Jocassee will be operated at least
four feet below full pond during the
upgrades to units 1 and 2, which
are planned for September 2010
through May 2011.
T
HE WORLD BANK HAS APPROVED
a $200M loan to the People’s
Republic of China to support the
Huai River Basin Flood Management
and Drainage Improvement Project.
The loan will nance construction or
rehabilitation of dikes, ood control
works, waterways and other infra-
structure, enhancement of disaster
assessment and support systems.
The Huai River Basin is one of the
seven large river basins in China, and
covers 270,000km
2
in ve provinces
of Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu and
Shandong with a total population of
165 million. However, major ood and
water-logging disasters occur every
three to ve years, causing huge eco-
nomic losses in the ood plains of the
Huai River Basin. Following the disas-
trous 2003 oods which caused direct
economic losses equivalent to $4.5B
and made thousands of people home-
less, the Government of China gave pri-
ority to the development of ood control
and drainage infrastructure in the basin
and has carried out a number of major
programs with an aim to upgrade the
ood control standards from the cur-
rent once in less than ve to 50 years
to once in 20 to 100 years.
The Huai River Basin Flood
M a n a g e m e n t a n d D r a i n a g e
Improvement Project will supplement
the Government’s efforts and focus on
relatively medium and small size works
on the lesser tributaries in the poorer
rural areas in the Huai River Basin in
the provinces of Jiangsu, Shandong,
Anhui and Henan to provide the local
population with better and more secure
protection against oods and water log-
ging, increase farmland productivity,
and reduce property losses.
“Rather than focusing on infrastruc-
ture construction only, we will adopt a
new approach for integrated ood man-
agement and drainage improvement for
this project. The new approach will focus
on integration of structural and non-struc-
tural measures at both river-basin level
and local level, and involve greater rural
community participation in the design,
construction and management of the
lower-level works,” said Jiang Liping,
World Bank Senior Irrigation Specialist
and task team leader for the project.
Finance approved for flood project
Let IWP&DC’s readers know about your forthcoming conferences and events.
For publication in a future issue, send your diary dates to: Carrieann Stocks, IWP&DC, Global Trade Media Ltd, Progressive House, 2 Maidstone Road,
Foots Cray, Sidcup, Kent, DA14 5HZ, UK. Alternatively, email: carrieannstocks@globaltrademedia.com, or fax:+44 208 269 7804
DIARY OF EVENTS
8 AUGUST 2010 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION
DIARY
September
12-16 September
21st World Energy Congress
Quebec, Canada
CONTACT: Organsing Committee,
740 Notre-Dame Street West,
8th Floor, Montréal, Québec,
Canada H3C 3X6.
Tel: + 1 (514) 397-1474.
www.wecmontreal2010.ca.
14-15 September
Power Plant and Heavy Lifting
Conference
London, UK
CONTACT: Arena International
Events Group, Brunel House, 55-57
North Wharf Road, Paddington,
London W2 1LA.
events@arena-international.com.
www.arena-international.com.
15-17 September
African Hydro Symposium
Arusha, Tanzania
CONTACT: African Hydro
Symposium, PO Box 32774,
Lusaka 10101, Zambia.
Tel: 260 211 371 007.
Email:
hbmmakungo@kgrtc.org.zm
www.africanhydrosymposium.org.
19-24 September
IWA World Water Congress &
Exhibition
Montreal, Canada
CONTACT: International Water
Association (IWA), Koningin
Julianaplein 2, NL-2595 AA Den
Haag, The Netherlands.
Tel: +31 703 150 785.
Fax: +31 703 150 799.
Email: 2010montreal@iwahq.org.
www.iwa2010montreal.org.
19-23 September
Dam Safety 2010
Seattle, WA, US
CONTACT: Association of State
Dam Safety Ofcials (ASDSO), 450
Old Vine Street, Lexington KY 40507,
US.
Tel: +1 859 257 5140.
Fax: +1 859 323 1958.
Email: info@damsafety.org.
www.damsafety.org.
22-23 September
8 t h I C O L D Euo p e a n Cl u b
S y m p o s i u m : D a m S a f e t y -
Sustainability in a Changing
Environment
Innsbruck, Austria
CONTACT: IECS2010 Organizing
Committee, Stremayrgasse 10/II,
A-8010 Graz, Austria.
Fax: +43 316 873 8357.
IECS2010@TUGraz.at.
www.iecs2010.tugraz.at.
23-24 September
W a t e r M a n a g e m e n t 2 0 1 0 :
Integrating Renewable Energy
Sources
Stockholm, Sweden
CONTACT: CEATI International,
1010 Sherbrooke Street West, Suite
2500, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H3A 2R7.
Fax: +1 514 904 5038.
Email: workshops@ceati.com.
www.ceati.com/meetings/WM2010.
27-29 September
Hydro 2010
Lisbon, Portugal
CONTACT: Hydropower & Dams,
Aqua~Media International Ltd, PO
Box 285, Wallington, Surrey
SM6 6AN, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)20 8773 7244.
edit@hydropower-dams.com.
www.hydropower-dams.com.
27 September - 2 October
Small Hydro Resources
Trondheim, Norway
CONTACT: International Centre for
Hydropower (ICH), Klaebuveien 153,
N-7465 Trondheim, Norway.
Tel: +47 73 59 0780.
Email: mail@ich.no.
28-30 September
2nd International Congress on Dam
Maintenance and Rehabilitation
Zaragoza, Spain
CONTACT: Daniel Ariza, TILESA
OPC, Londres, 17 - 28028 Madrid.
Tel: +34 91 361 2600
Fax: +34 91 355 9208
sepremzaragoza2010@tilesa.es
http://www.damrehabilitationcon-
gress2010.com
October
3-7 October
Canadian Dam Association 2010
Annual Conference
Niagara Falls, Canada
CONTACT: CDA, PO Box 2281,
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada,
S6H 7W6.
www.cda.ca/2010conference.
13-14 October
British Hydropower Association
Annual Conference 2010
Glasgow, UK
CONTACT: Ellan Long, British
Hydropower Association, Unit 6B
Manor Farm Business Centre, Gussage
St Michael, Dorset, BH21 5HT UK
Tel: + 44 (0)1258 840934.
Email: info@british-hydro.org.
www.british-hydro.org.
17-22 October
14th Hydro Power Engineering
Exchange 2010
Snowy Mountains, Australia
CONTACT: Snowy Hydro, Level 37,
AMP Centre, 50 Bridge Street, Sydney,
NSW 2000, Australia.
Email: hpee@snowyhydro.com.au.
18-21 October
Rotordynamics and Bearings
Technologies
Cologne, Germany
CONTACT: ARLA Maschinentechnik
GmbH, Hansestr 2, D-51688
Wipperfuerth, Germany.
www.arla.de.
19-21 October
European Future Energy Forum
London, UK
CONTACT: Turret Middle East,
ADNEC House, PO Box 94891, Abu
Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
www.europeanfutureenergyforum.
com
25-29 October
Risk Management in Hydropower
Development
Trondheim, Norway
CONTACT: International Centre
for Hydropower (ICH), Klaebuveien
153, N-7465 Trondheim, Norway.
Tel: +47 73 59 0780.
Email: mail@ich.no.
www.ich.no.
November
2-3 November
Forum on Hydropower 2010
Ontario, Canada
CONTACT: Canadian Hydropower
Association.
Tel: +1 613 751 6655.
Email: info@can-hydropower.org.
www.can-hydropower.org.
2-5 November
Hydro 2010
Rostock-Warnemunde, Germany
CONTACT: DHyG, c/o Sabine
Muller, Schutower Ringstr 4,
D-18069 Rostock, Germany.
Email: info@hydro2010.com.
16-17 November
Flood Management 2010
London, UK
CONTACT: Flood Management
Conference Registration,
Emap Networks, First Floor,
Greater London House,
Hampstead Road, London,
NW1 7EJ.
Tel: +44 0845 056 8069.
Fax: +44 20 7728 5299.
constructconferences@emap.com.
www.nceoodmanagement.com
24-26 November
16th International Conference on
Hydropower Plants
Vienna, Austria
CONTACT: Dr. Eduard Doujak,
Institute for Waterpower and
Pumps, Karlsplatz 13/305, Vienna
Austria, A-1040.
eduard.doujak@tuwien.ac.at.
www.viennahydro.com.
25-27 November
RENEXPO Austria
Salzburg, Austria
CONTACT: REECO Austria
Gmbh, Josef-Schwer-Gasse 9, A -
5020 Salzburg, Austria.
Let IWP&DC’s readers know about your forthcoming conferences and events.
For publication in a future issue, send your diary dates to: Carrieann Stocks, IWP&DC, Global Trade Media Ltd, Progressive House, 2 Maidstone Road,
Foots Cray, Sidcup, Kent, DA14 5HZ, UK. Alternatively, email: carrieannstocks@globaltrademedia.com, or fax:+44 208 269 7804
DIARY OF EVENTS
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Tel: +43 (0) 662 8226 - 3.
www.renexpo-austria.at
26-28 November
Workshop on Optimization of
Construction Method for CFRDs
Yichang, China
CONTACT: HydrOu China, No.
41-210 Three Gorges Community,
Zhenping Road, Yichang city, Hubei
443002, China
Tel: +86717 672-1379
Fax: +86717 672-1379
Email: mail.chenqian@gmail.com
http://www.hydrou.com/index.
php?option=com_content&task=vi
ew&id=166&Itemid=1.
February 2011
15-17 February
6th International Conference on
Dam Engineering
Lisbon, Portugal
CONTACT: Eliane Portela , LNEC,
Concrete Dams Department,
LNEC, Av. Brasil 101, 1700-066,
Lisbon, Portugal.
Tel: (351) 218443361.
Fax: (351) 218443026.
Email: eliane@lnec.pt.
http://dam11.lnec.pt.
April 2011
15-17 February
Energy Efciency and Renewable
Energy Sources for South-East
Europe
Soa, Bulgaria
CONTACT: Via Expo Ltd, 3
Chehov Square, Plovdiv 4003,
Bulgaria.
Fax: +359 32 945 459.
Email: ofce@viaexpo.com.
http://viaexpo.com.
May 2011
16-20 June
2 5 t h E u r o p e a n R e g i o n a l
Conference of ICID
Groningen, The Netherlands
CONTACT: Bert Toussaint, Chairman
of the Organizing Committee, Ministry
of Transport, Public Works & Water
Management, Rijkswaterstaat Centre
for Corporate Services, PO Box 2232,
NL-3500 GE Utrecht, Netherlands
Tel: +31 62 079 1372
Email: bert.toussaint@rws.nl.
www.nethcid.nl.
29 May - 3 June
79th Annual Meeting of ICOLD
Lucerne, Switzerland
CONTACT: Swiss Committee
on Dams, c/o Stucky Consulting
Engineers.
Email: swissdams@stucky.ch
http://www.swissdams.ch
14-17 June
IHA’s 2011 World Congress
Iguassu Falls, Brazil
C O N T A C T : I n t e r n a t i o n a l
Hydropower Association , Nine
Sutton Court Road, Sutton, Surrey,
SM1 4SZ, UK.
Tel: +44 20 8652 5290.
Email: congress@hydropower.org.
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10 AUGUST 2010 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION
COMMENT
S
O, hydropower is back in fashion
and business is booming, but why?
Well there are two obvious reasons.
Firstly it is fashionably renewable
and secondly it is the oldest tried and tested
form of large-scale renewable energy.
Earliest accounts of water wheels in Roman
and Chinese literature date back about 2000
years. A 4th Century our mill in Barbegal,
near Arles, in France featured 16 overshot
water wheels. Accounts of using water to
power mills and hammers for crushing ore
abound in mediaeval literature with the 1086
Doomsday book listing almost 6000 water-
mills in England alone. However, mechani-
cal transmission meant that power had to be
used close to the mills.
The development of electrical genera-
tors and transmission lines enabled us to
use water power hundreds of miles from
its source. So it is not surprising that today
almost 20% of the world’s energy currently
comes from hydropower.
The Carter administration in the US cat-
egorised hydropower as solar energy on the
basis that solar evaporation leads to rain and
hence the rivers which feed hydropower.
Indeed research by myself and many others is
showing that variations in rainfall and runoff
often correspond to variations in solar energy
levels. But of course the denition of hydro-
power is much wider. Mills driven by the tide
also date back to Roman times. A tidal mill
was located at Killoteran in Ireland in the 6th
Century and by the 18th Century there were
76 tide miles in London alone. Wave energy
is also a form of hydropower. Perhaps we
should be looking at the complete mix as
ultimately solar and lunar power.
Given waterpower has such
a good pe digree, what went
wrong?
The 1980s and 1990s saw what can best be
described as some quasi-political mischief
making. Under a banner of environmen-
talism a number of pressure groups sought
inuence by attacking anything from nucle-
ar power and pesticides to GM crops, with
dams in there too. Additionally, the waves
caused by the World Commission of Dams
are still being felt.
The resulting pressure caused funders like
the World Bank to withdraw from fund-
ing dams until they realised that only the
very poorest in the world, who it was their
prime mandate to help, were being affected
by the moratorium. Realising that not all
the World Commission on Dams guidelines
were achievable they looked back at their
internal guidelines for project approval.
Noting these were entirely compatible with
the Commission’s, they simply reverted back
to their own. Organisations such as the IHA
are now also bringing much needed clar-
ity to the debate with their Sustainability
Assessment Protocol.
Recent years have seen all the major
funders return to funding dams and hydro-
power. However, a rear-guard action is still
being fought in Europe with arbitrarily low
limits to what capacity of new hydropower
is seen as acceptable.
The same pressure groups raised the spec-
tre of greenhouse gases and in particular C02
in an attempt to stie fossil fuel use. While
ultimately this is almost certainly a good
idea, the same groups’ attempts to claim
reservoirs are similarly damaging seem to be
ill founded. Submerged land cannot release
more carbon than is already trapped on it. It
follows a natural pattern of release as plants
die and sequestration as they grow. A mature
stable forest is carbon neutral.
To some extent the focus on greenhouse
gases almost certainly helped the prospects of
both hydropower and nuclear power, some-
thing unintended by those who raised the
spectre in the rst place. In fact the need for
an increased use of pumped storage plants to
offset the natural variation in forms of other
renewable energy such as wind, waves and
solar power have also given a welcome boost
to hydropower.
Many governments are now encouraging
small hydropower developments by promis-
ing to buy subsidised electricity from those
connected to their grids. Many large grids
such as those in America were originally
formed by simply connecting a multitude of
small, home-grown schemes. Many of these
were later abandoned in favour of larger
and cheaper central generating centres. The
latest changes are seeing the benecial re-es-
tablishment of many of those smaller, diverse
installations as well as developing a feeling in
many of increased self-reliance.
But all this has come together at an interest-
ing time. The last few years have seen easy
credit and an expansion of speculative fund-
ing. Some of this has helped hydropower.
We are now moving into a period of austerity
and lower interest rates. But low interest rates
in particular can also help investment into
projects like hydropower which require ini-
tial up-front funding but then a relatively low
annual investment thereafter. The longer the
realistic discount period the more favourable
it is to hydropower. It has always seemed irra-
tional to many in the industry, including me,
that conventional nancial analyses of projects
pay little regard to benets accruing beyond
about 20 to 30 years, whereas a well main-
tained and refurbished hydropower project
can still be operational after 100 years.
It is also now being realised that hydro-
power cannot always be nanced solely by
the sale of electricity. Many schemes will have
strategic signicance for the country involved
and, where a dam and reservoir are featured,
there may be supplementary benets such
as; water supply, irrigation, navigation and
ood control. These warrant supplementary
funding and an analysis based on economic
value as well as nancial return. In that sense
perhaps we are returning to earlier days of
multilateral, or multi-stakeholder, funding
but hopefully without the excesses which
tended to see the largest possible scheme
being built in each case.
If properly managed the future is indeed
rosy for hydropower in all its forms, but it will
need concurrent support from affected parties
and that may in turn need public education by
those involved in the industry.
Dr Peter J Mason can be contacted at
Peter.j.mason@mwhglobal.com
If you would like to submit a comment
for inclusion in International Water
Power & Dam Construction,
please contact the editor,
Carrieann Stocks, via email:
carrieannstocks@globaltrademedia.com
The resurgence of hydropower
Dr Peter Mason, Technical Director of International Dams and Hydropower at global envi-
ronment and water specialists MWH explains why he thinks hydropower is back in favour
IWP& DC