Water Power and Dam Construction - Issue December 2009

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DECEMBER 2009

Serving the hydro industry for 60 years: 1949-2009

Focus on pumped storage

Sonar imaging at dams

Small hydro

award winner

F o c u s o n pu m p e d st o r a ge

3URÀOH RI WKH &DQHGR K\GUR SURMHFW

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

& DAM CONSTRUCTION

Water Power

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CONTENTS

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).4%2.!4)/.!,7!4%20/7%2$!-#/.3425#4)/.s)33.86olumeNumbersDECEMBER 2009 3

DAM

ENGINEERING

ModernPowerSystems

COMMUNICATING POWER TECHNOLOGY WORLDWIDE

COVER: Read more about the

award-winning Canedo hydro plant

in Portugal on p33

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

WORLD MARKETPLACE

R E G U L A R S

WORLD NEWS

DIARY

F E A T U R E S

AUSTRALASIA

Focused on the future

An insight into the hydro power and dam

activities of Australian water company SunWater

Investigating cloud-seeding

Is this the way forward for future water resource planning?

PUMPED STORAGE

Variable solutions

The advantages of variable speed energy production,

with a focus on European projects

Vital statistics - pumped storage in 2009

A round-up of important developments this year

Investigating Aquabank

Patrick Reynolds reports on Aquabank,

a variation on pumped storage technology

developed by Riverbank Power

INSPECTION

Making sense of underwater acoustics

Underwater acoustic remote sensing has been

utilised on substructure inspection projects

PLANNING AND PROJECTS

Taking on the challenges

Structural modification has been successfully

completed at the Urra Dam in Colombia

Clean up act for coal

Assessing the integrity of coal ash impoundments

SMALL HYDRO

Canedo hydro plant - an award winning design

A detailed profile of the winner of IWP&DC’s

first small hydro award

4 DECEMBER 2009 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION

WORLD NEWS

U S T R A L I A ’ S F E D E R A L

Environment Minister Peter

Garrett has rejected the

Traveston Crossing Dam project in

South East Queensland, after decid-

ing the impacts on threatened spe-

cies would be too great.

In early November, the minister had

proposed to reject plans for the dam,

giving the dam proponent and relevant

federal ministers 10 days to com-

ment. After considering these sub-

missions, Garret has now concluded

that the dam cannot go ahead without

unacceptable impacts on matters of

national environmental significance.

“As I stated when I made my pro-

posed decision on this project...the

science is very clear about the adverse

impacts this project would have on

the nationally protected Australian

lungfish, Mary River turtle and Mary

River cod,” he said, pointing out that

independent expert advice, and advice

from his department, showed the dam

proposal would lead to serious and

irreversible consequences for these

species and most likely, would lead

to their further decline.

Garrett said dams could play a val-

uable role in terms of water supply,

when well located and carefully

designed.

“For the Traveston Dam proposal,

however, the species’ breeding and

their ability to maintain their population

numbers would be seriously affected

by the flooding of their habitat and by

the fragmentation of significant popu-

lations, and I was not satisfied that

adequate measures were proposed to

mitigate these impacts.

“While I acknowledge that the

proponent did a great deal of work

trying to devise measures to mitigate

the impact of the dam on threatened

species, and the Coordinator-General

proposed some 1,200 conditions of

approval, the reality is that the effec-

tiveness of the measures being pro-

posed was highly uncertain, a number

of these measures couldn’t be tested

until the dam was operational and the

impacts were already being felt.”

The dam had been proposed by

Queensland Water Infrastructure Pty

and had been scheduled for comple-

tion by 2016/2017, It would have

been located on the Mary River sup-

plying up to 70,000ML per year.

In early October, the first stage

of the dam had been approved by

Queensland’s Co-ordinator General,

dependent on a number of environ-

mental conditions. In a statement

released at that time, Queensland

Premier Anna Bligh said the dam was

the best and cheapest water supply

option, and would create 770 con-

struction jobs for the region

Australian minister says no

to Traveston dam proposal

WORLD

NEWS

WORLD

NEWS

www.waterpowermagazine.com

IDB agrees loan for Bolivian project

HE INTER-AMERICAN Development

Bank has approved $106M in

loans to help fund development

of the Misicuni hydroelectric scheme

and watershed environmental manage-

ment project in Bolivia.

The Misicuni project will increase

the supply of water for domestic use

and irrigation to the Cochabamba

Valley while generating electricity for

Bolivia’s National Interconnected

System. The Cochabamba region

has been increasingly suffering from

a scarcity of water both for human

consumption and for agriculture, and

Bolivia needs to expand its electricity

generation capacity to meet the grow-

ing demand.

A total of $101M in IDB loans will

be used to build the hydroelectric

component of the project, includ-

ing electric power transmission and

related works, which will contribute

up to 80MW of power to the national

grid. Construction of the dam on the

Misicuni River, which began in June

2009, is expected to cost $85M and

is being financed by the Government

of Italy, the Prefecture of Cochabamba,

Bolivia’s National Treasury, and the

Andean Development Corporation.

An additional $5M in IDB financing

will be used to finance the Watershed

Environmental Management Project.

This project will supplement and

strengthen measures to mitigate

the indirect impacts of the Misicuni

Project on the environment and popu-

lation in the main dam’s watershed.

Specifically, these funds will be

used to reduce susceptibility to ero-

sion, enhance water management,

and protect priority habitats in the

areas of the watershed most exposed

to such risks. They will also be used

to promote soil and water conser-

vation measures and sustainable,

income-generating alternatives to

subsistence farming within the com-

munities resettled due to construction

of the dam.

The IDB financed project will also

help the affected communities to

develop agricultural activities that will

compensate for productive losses

associated with the construction of

the main dam.

Waneta expansion to be restructured

ANETA EXPANSION POWER

Corporation (WEPC), a sub-

sidiary of Columbia Power

Corporation and Columbia Basin

Trust, will not be moving forward

with the proposed Waneta Expansion

project as it is currently configured,

but will instead be pursuing oppor-

tunities to restructure and enhance

the viability of the project, which is

located in the Canadian province of

British Columbia.

“We will be exploring other avenues

and identifying other potential partners

to improve the viability of the project.

We are hopeful that in the coming

months we can move this project to

a point where it can proceed,” said

Lee Doney, Board Chair of Columbia

Power Corporation.

The Waneta Expansion project

is a proposed second powerhouse

located adjacent to Teck Cominco’s

existing Waneta Dam on the Pend

d’Oreille River south of Trail. The

Province acquired expansion rights to

the Waneta Dam in 1994 from Teck

Cominco. The rights were transferred

to Columbia Power Corporation in

1995 and are now held by Waneta

Expansion Power Corporation.

“A considerable amount of work

has already been done and Columbia

Basin Trust is committed to explor-

ing alternatives with Columbia Power

Corporation to move this project for-

ward,” said Garry Merkel, Board Chair,

Columbia Basin Trust.

Columbia Power Corporation is

wholly owned and controlled by the

Province of BC. Columbia Power

Corporation and Columbia Basin Trust,

through subsidiaries, owns the Arrow

Lakes Generating Station, the Brilliant

Dam and the Brilliant Expansion.

Clean power

call advances

HIRTEEN HYDRO AND WIND

projects will proceed through the

next stage of BC Hydro’s Clean

Power Call, with proponents of a fur-

ther 34 projects given extra time to

improve their submissions.

The Canadian utility had received

68 proposals to its call for clean,

renewable and cost effective elec-

tricity, released in June 2008. Out of

those, 21 proposals were eliminated

either because proponents withdrew

their proposals; the proposals did not

meet the requirements of the request

for proposals, or they were considered

to have too high a level of risk.

Discussions aimed at securing

electricity purchase agreements will

now proceed with the proponents of

the 13 proposals that have been iden-

tified as the most cost-effective. In

addition, proponents of the remaining

34 proposals have been given time

to make their proposals more cost-

effective. Proposals remaining in the

Clean Power Call include hydro, wind

and waste heat.

BC Hydro intends to begin award-

ing contracts for the Clean Power

Call this month and plans to file the

agreements with the British Columbia

Utilities Commission early next year.

For a list of proposals please visit:

http://www.bchydro.com/planning_

regulatory/acquiring_power/clean_

power_call/Proposals.html.

WWW.WATERPOWERMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER 2009 5

WORLD NEWS

In brief

UP TO 310 NEW HYDRO

power plants could be

developed in the Indian state

of Jammu and Kashmir to

meet the regions power needs

over the next 20 years. A first

phase would involve con-

structing 64 hydro projects,

with these schemes expected

to be finalised at the end of

this month.

EMPLOYEE-OWNED

science and engineering con-

sulting ﬁrm Kleinfelder has

acquired S E A Consultants

Inc., a full-service engineering,

architecture and planning

ﬁrm, following a due diligence

process, respective board

approvals and integration

planning involving employees

from each ﬁrm.

THE GOVERNMENTS

of Norway and the

Philippines have entered

into an agreement to

improve the flood

forecasting and warn-

ing system for Magat

Dam. This project, sup-

ported by the Norwegian

Agency for Development

Cooperations (NORAD),

will improve downstream

communities’ prepared-

ness for floods by building

on expertise from the

Norwegian Water

Resources and Energy

Directorate (NVE).

SPANISH FIRM FERSA

has set up a JV with Saran

Energy Group for the

development of renewable

energy projects, including

hydro, in Turkey. Both

companies will have a

50% holding in the JV, to

be known as Fersar. The

JV currently has plans for

projects totalling 252MW,

with licences already in

place for projects with total

capacity of 52MW.

EVEN HYDRO POWER PROJECTS

in the US will benefit from up

to $30.6M in Recovery Act

funding, US Energy Secretary Steven

Chu has announced. The funds will

help increase power generation and

reduce environmental impacts at

existing facilities through the deploy-

ment of innovative technologies such

as high-efficiency, fish-friendly tur-

bines, improved water intakes, and

advanced control systems.

“One of the best opportunities we

have to increase our supply of clean

energy is by bringing our hydro power

systems into the 21st Century,” said

Secretary Chu. “With this investment,

we can create jobs, help our environ-

ment and give more renewable power

to our economy without building a

single new dam.”

The US Department of Energy (DOE)

sought cost-shared projects that

upgrade existing hydro power facili-

ties without requiring significant civil

works modifications to dams, allow-

ing for them to be developed quickly

to help create jobs and stimulate the

local economy. The solicitation sought

two classes of projects: those larger

than 50MW of installed capacity and

those of 50MW and under. The follow-

ing projects have been selected for

negotiation of funding awards:

Projects larger than 50MW

s !LABAMA 0OWER #OMPANY n UP

to $6M for a project in Mitchell,

Alabama that will increase efficiency

and upgrade four units at three hydro-

electric plants on the Coosa River by

replacing 1940s to 1960s vintage tur-

bines with new high-efficiency stain-

less steel turbines and runners that

maximize each unit’s ability to utilize

the limited available water. Generation

will increase by 36,087MWh annually

(7.3% increase).

s!LCOA)NCnUPTO-FORAPROJECT

in Robbinsville, NC, to replace four

90-year-old Francis Turbines with four

new high-efficiency stainless steel

turbines, generators, and transform-

ers, providing an additional 22MW

of generating capacity at Alcoa’s

Tapoco Cheoah plant. Annual genera-

tion would increase by 95,000MWh

(23% increase), and the project would

reduce the likelihood of an oil spill

into the river with the replacement of

water cooled transformers and remov-

al of lead and asbestos from all four

generating units.

s #ITY OF 4ACOMA $EPARTMENT OF

Public Utilities - up to $4.67M for a

project in Potlatch, WA to add two

1.8MW Francis Turbines to the exist-

ing 81MW Cushman No. 2 Dam,

adding 23,500MWh of annual gen-

eration (14% increase) and 3.6MW of

CAPACITY)NADDITIONTHEPROJECTWILL

incorporate an upstream fish collec-

tion pool to enable reintroduction of

native fish above the dam for the first

time since the 1920s.

Projects less than or equal to 50MW

s 4HE#ITY OF"OULDER #/n UPTO

$1.18M for a project in Boulder, CO,

to upgrade the 100-year-old Boulder

Canyon Hydroelectric Project by

replacing two older turbines with a

single, high-efficiency unit. The new

turbine would operate at a wider

range of flows and higher efficiency

ranges, resulting in an increase in

annual generation of 11,000MWh

(30% increase). Upgrades to wiring

and removal of asbestos would

reduce environmental hazards and

improve safety.

s%NERGY.ORTHWESTUPTO

for a project in Packwood, WA, to

design, manufacture, and install a new

state-of-the-art Pelton Wheel Turbine

at the Packwood Lake Hydroelectric

facility. The new turbine will have

greater efficiency at low power opera-

tions, increasing annual generation

by 5868MWh (6% increase), and will

benefit the local fish population and

create more sustainable habitat con-

ditions downstream.

s)NCORPORATED#OUNTYOF,OS!LAMOS

NM - up to $4.56M for a project in Los

Alamos, NM, to add a low flow tur-

bine/generator to the 13.8MW hydro-

electric plant in Abiquiu, New Mexico,

increasing the total plant capacity by

3MW and allowing the dam to operate

when releases are below or above the

capacity of the two existing turbines.

The upgrade will increase annual gen-

eration by 6462MWh (22% increase).

The project’s environmental ben-

efits include higher dissolved oxygen

content in downstream water and

increased minimum flows.

s .ORTH ,ITTLE 2OCK  % L E C TRIC

Department - up to $450,000 for a

project in Little Rock, AR, to install an

automated intake maintenance device

at its 39MW hydroelectric facility on

the Arkansas River to clear debris cur-

rently obstructing the intake and allow

the facility to operate consistently at

near peak efficiency and significantly

reduce the high cost of dredging. Air

pollution would be reduced in a non-

attainment air basin as the debris has

been previously burned for removal.

Following negotiation of final fund-

ing amounts, projects are expected to

begin in 2010.

Hydro schemes to benefit from

investment funds, says US DOE

Neptune to deploy Proteus demonstrator

K-BASED NEPTUNE RENEWABLE

Energy Ltd (NREL) is to deploy

the first full-scale demonstra-

tor of its Proteus tidal stream power

plant in the Humber Estuary at Hull in

early January 2010.

0ROTEUSnDESIGNEDTOWORKEQUALLY

well in ebb and flow currents - is cur-

rently in the final stages of construc-

tion by Wear Dock and Engineering

in Sunderland, UK. The unit consists

of a steel hull, vertically mounted tur-

bine, and buoyancy chambers.

Created specifically for estuarine

sites, NREL believes that the Proteus

offers a number of practical advan-

tages including: the proximity of the

generating capacity to the grid or dis-

tribution supply points; the fact that it

can be moored in relatively sheltered

locations means that waves are not

IMPACTINGONTHESTRUCTUREnWITHTHE

POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGE nANDBEING

close to land simplifies the installa-

tion and maintenance process.

Neptune Renewable Energy Ltd

selected the Humber Estuary for the

first deployment of Proteus as, given

its depth and tidal flow, it is consid-

ered one of the best locations in the

"RITISH)SLESFORTIDALSTREAMPOWER

Once in situ the advanced Neptune

Proteus NP1000 should generate at

least 1000 MWh/year.

“This is very much the culmination

of a long-term research and develop-

ment programme; in fact the demon-

strator will be commissioned almost

three years to the day after the first

10th and 40th scale models of the

Proteus were tested by the University

of Hull, said Nigel Petrie, NREL.

Upon completion of the demonstra-

tor trials, the company aims to have

the world’s first tidal stream power

array, consisting of advanced Proteus

designs, up and running close to The

Deep in the Humber during 2011-12.

6 DECEMBER 2009 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION

WORLD NEWS

In brief

INDIA’S NATIONAL

Hydro Power Corporation

(NHPC) and state-owned

power company Orissa

Hydro Power Corporation

(OHPC) are planning to

develop hydro projects with

a combined capacity of up

to 2000MW in Orissa State.

The companies are expected

to create a JV led by NHPC

with 51% to develop a

number of multi-purpose

projects with capacities

above 25MW. The projects

reportedly include the

Sindol-I, Middle Kolba,

Lower Vansadhara, Balijori,

Salki and Baramul schemes.

THE INTER-AMERICAN

Development Bank and the

China Development Bank

have agreed to help ﬁnance the

$500M Amaila Falls hydro

project in Guyana.According

to Reuters, the banks agreed

to back the project at a recent

meeting in Washington. The

terms of financing are still

to be agreed. Work on the

project – being developed

by Sithe Global Power - is

expected to start in the middle

of next year.

RWE HAS SIGNED

a Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU)

with the Serbian gov-

ernment and utility JP

Elektroprivreda Srbije

(EPS) to develop hydro

power plants with a total

capacity of 3000MW.

RWE says it is looking at

three potential sites on

the Danube, Morava and

Drina rivers. The Drina

site is located in Republika

Srpska, an entity of

Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Republika Srpska is also

supporting the project as it

is of cross-border signifi-

cance for energy supply in

the whole region.

N £8M (US$13M) PROJECT

designed to produce tools capa-

ble of predicting the energy yield

of major wave and tidal stream energy

has been approved by the UK’s Energy

Technologies Institute (ETI).

Performance Assessment of Wave

and Tidal Array Systems (PerAWaT),

a project led by Garrad Hassan,

and including EDF Energy, EON, the

University of Edinburgh, the University

of Oxford, Queen’s University Belfast

and the University of Manchester, will

develop a series of models to predict

the performance of wave and tidal

stream generator arrays.

“Although the UK has huge marine

potential, investment is being held

back by uncertainty about the overall

costs involved and the potential returns

on investment in wave and tidal tech-

nologies,” said ETI Chief Executive Dr

David Clarke. “This project will deliver

greatly improved modelling tools to

provide more accurate forecasting of

energy yields and reduce the uncertain-

ty and investment risk faced by project

developers when planning large scale

wave and tidal energy schemes.”

Garrad Hassan Marine Renewables

Group Leader Dr Robert Rawlinson-

Smith added: “Deployment of large

scale arrays of marine energy conver-

sion devices will only occur when project

developers have sufficient confidence

in the return on their investment.

“This project will both establish

and validate numerical models

capable of predicting the perform-

ance of wave & tidal energy convert-

ers (WECs and TECs) when operating

in arrays. Once established, the

models will enhance levels of confi-

dence in the design of WEC and TEC

arrays and therefore accelerate their

large scale deployment. “

There is currently no software pack-

age or validated method of estimating

the average annual energy production

of a wave or tidal stream energy farm.

ETI OK’s marine project

ER ROYAL HIGHNESS CROWN

Princess Mette-Marit of

Norway officially opened

Statkraft’s first osmotic power pro-

totype on 24 November.

Statkraft has been researching

osmotic power since 1997 and has

developed this prototype in coop-

eration with R&D organisations from

many countries. This world-first pro-

totype generates power by exploiting

the energy available when fresh water

and seawater are mixed.

“This new technology generates

electricity simply by mixing water. New

solutions to meet the climate chal-

lenges might be closer than we expect,

which makes me confident that the

future looks bright,” said Statkraft CEO

and President, Bård Mikkelsen.

At the osmotic plant, fresh water

and salt water are guided into sepa-

rate chambers, divided by an artifi-

cial membrane. The salt molecules

in the sea water pulls the freshwater

through the membrane, increasing

the pressure on the sea water side.

The pressure equals a 120m water

column, or a significant waterfall,

and can be utilized in a power gener-

ating turbine.

The prototype will have a limited

production capacity and is intended

primarily for testing and development

purposes. The aim is to be capable

of constructing a commercial osmotic

power plant within a few years’ time.

The global potential of osmotic

power is estimated to be 1600-1700

TWh per annum, equivalent to 50%

of the EU’s total power production.

Osmotic power plants can, in princi-

ple, be located wherever fresh water

runs into the sea; they produce no

noise or polluting emissions and they

can be integrated into existing indus-

trial zones, for example, in the base-

ments of industrial buildings.

Statkraft opens world’s first osmotic prototype

H E W O RLD B A N K HAS

approved an additional US$60M

in funding for a project that will

increase the installed capacity at

Dnipro Hydropower Cascase in the

Ukraine by a further 400MW.

An original US$106M loan was

approved by the Bank back in June

2005 for a project to improve the

reliability, efficiency, and safety of

UkrHydroEnergo hydraulic structures

and equipment, as well as improving

their environmental performance.

The latter will be achieved through

the reduction in emissions of green-

house gases, the installation of non-

polluting turbine runners, and the

elimination of oil leaks into Dnipro

and Dnister Rivers.

The project will eventually add a

further 400MW capacity to the Dnipro

Hydropower Cascade, increasing its

production by about 500GWh. The

project also pioneered the concept

of Carbon Financing in the Ukraine as

it was the first Joint Implementation

Project under the Kyoto Protocol in

the country. The additional financing

approved at the end of November

supports the rehabilitation of three

hydroelectric units in the Dniprovska

2 hydro plant and three hydroelectric

units in the Kremenchug hydro plant.

“The reform and modernization

of the energy sector is a key pillar

of Ukraine’s sustainable economic

development,” said Martin Raiser,

World Bank Country Director for

Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. “We

are very pleased to be able to con-

tinue to support UkrHydroEnergo in

its efforts to increase the efficiency

of the unique Dnipro cascade and

thereby ensure Ukraine has access

to cheap, reliable, and clean power.”

More funds for

Ukraine rehab

ORDIC INVESTMENT BANK

(NIB) and Finnish firm PVO-

Vesivoima have signed a

loan agreement totalling EUR 30M

(US$44.7M) for upgrade work at hydro

power plants in northern Finland, as

part of PVO-Vesivoima’s investment

programme for 2009–2015.

The programme includes the

refurbishment of five hydro power

plants on the river Iijoki, in Raasakka,

Maalismaa, Kierikki, Pahkakoski and

Haapakoski, built in the 1960s. The

power plants will be equipped with

new turbines and generators, as well

as modernised automation systems.

The renovation of the Kierikki and

Haapakoski plants was completed in

2007–2009.

The effort will allow the company to

increase the capacity of the plants by

40MW, an increase of 22% from the

current level. The larger output capac-

ity will also help improve balancing of

the Finnish power distribution grid.

“We see this project as a substan-

tial contribution to the more efficient

use of renewable resources in the

production of energy and as having

the potential to help phase out coal-

fired power generation,” said Johnny

Åkerholm, President and CEO of NIB.

Earlier this year, NIB extended a

loan for the modernisation of three

hydro power plants run by Kemijoki

Oy in northern Finland.

NIB finances Finnish upgrade

WWW.WATERPOWERMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER 2009 7

WORLD NEWS

Conference highlights interest in RCC

HE INTEREST IN ROLLER COMPACTED

Concrete (RCC) dam design and construction

continues at a high level as 158 attended

RCC 2009 held 16-17 September 2009 in St.

Louis, MO, US. The program consisted of a one-

day short course and a one-day tour to the Taum

Sauk Upper Reservoir Replacement Dam where

construction is nearing completion. The attend-

ees came from nine foreign countries with India,

Australia and Pakistan leading the way and from

27 US states.

Sponsoring the program were the dam’s contrac-

tor Ozark Constructors, LLC., a joint venture consist-

ing of ASI Constructors, Inc. and Fred Weber, Inc. as

well as Paul C. Rizzo Associates, Inc., who designed

the replacement dam and serves as construction

manager for the owner, AmerenUE.

The highlight of the program was the tour

to see the Taum Sauk Dam Construction. The

existing concrete faced rockfill dam breached

in December 2005 after being overtopped. The

new FERC compliant dam consists of a 30 to

42m high RCC dam, with 0.6H:1.0V slopes

on each side. A sloping face of conventional

concrete covers the RCC upstream face, while

the downstream face consists of formed concrete

steps. Kidney shaped in plan, the 2060m long ‘ring

dike’ meets itself and thus has no abutments.

At the time of the tour, approximately 2Mm

had

been placed out of a total 2.3Mm

of RCC. It is the

largest volume RCC dam in the US by a factor of two.

Because of the size of the tour, the attend-

ees were broken into three groups. They could

view the RCC conveyor delivery system, RCC

placement, the finished gallery, the RCC test

section, a quality control demonstration by Fall

Line Testing, as well as the finished product.

The RCC Short Course portion of the program

consisted of both lectures by internationally recog-

nized RCC consultants and those involved with the

Taum Sauk Replacement Dam. Tom Hollenkamp,

Manager of Dam Safety for AmerenUE, described

the cause of the failure and the procedures put

into place in order not to have a reoccurrence of an

event that has cost his utility in the neighborhood of

$500M when all costs are included. Dr. Paul Rizzo,

President of Paul C. Rizzo Associates, described

the design features of the dam, while John Bowen,

President of ASI Constructors, described the con-

struction process, which sometimes occurred under

not so favorable weather conditions.

Consultant Ken Hansen, who served as the

Course Director, spoke on RCC for replacement

dams and also on RCC for dam rehabilitations.

He noted that more than one-third of the 50 new

RCC dams in the US greater than 15m in height

replaced failed or hydraulically deficient existing

dams of another type. In his talk on RCC dam

rehabilitations, it was noted that RCC had been

used to hydraulically upgrade more than 90 exist-

ing embankment dams in the US by allowing safe

overtopping during a flood by armoring the down-

stream slope with RCC. Another ten existing con-

crete dams had their seismic stability improved by

adding an RCC buttress on the downstream side.

Brian Forbes, of GHD of Brisbane, Australia,

spoke mainly on new developments using grout

enriched RCC (GERCC), but also noted the advan-

tages of the sloping layer method of RCC place-

ment to improve cohesion between successive

layers of RCC by eliminating cold joints. Forbes

discussed the history of the GERCC development

to replace conventional concrete faces and pre-

sented the quality control results from Tannur

Dam in Jordan, Kinta Dam in Malaysia and the

recently completed Wadi Dayqah Dam in Oman.

Randy Bass, of Schnabel Engineering, dis-

cussed the lessons learned from the design and

construction of two recent RCC dams in the US

by his firm. They were the 51m high Hickory Log

Creek Dam in the State of Georgia and the 23m

high Deep Creek No. 5D Dam in North Carolina.

A hydraulic model aided with the design of the

converging stepped spillway for the Hickory Log

Creek Dam. GERCC was used for the non-overflow

downstream face for Hickory Log, while GERCC is

being used for both faces of the Deep Creek Dam.

Both are firsts in the US, where design engineers

have been concerned with the freeze-thaw resist-

ance of GERCC faces. ASI Constructors is placing

the RCC for both the dams.

“When do Lean RCC Mixes Work?” was the

title of the presentation by Consultant Dr. Ernie

Schrader. He provided a list of when to consider

lean mixes and when to avoid them. His talk

also included the current state-of-the practice

with respect to lean RCC mixes. A lean mix

consisting of 59kg/m

of portland cement and

59kg/m

recycled Class F fly is ash is being

used for the RCC at Taum Sauk.

The conduct of RCC 2009 is a fine example of a

consulting dam design engineer and dam contract-

ing team cooperating to present an educational

program on RCC dams now that the Portland

Cement Association (PCA) has decided to with-

draw from promoting this cement using market.

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 DECEMBER 2009 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION

DIARY

January

20-21 January

Cameroon International Energy

and Water Conference

Yaoundé, Cameroon

CONTACT: Sergio Silva / Audrey

Solvar, AME Trade Ltd – Africa

and Middle East Trade Ltd, Unit

204, Omnibus Business Centre,

39-41 North Road, London, UK

N7 9DP.

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7681 3120.

Sergio@ametrade.org or Audrey@

ametrade.org.

February

1-3 February

Hydropower ‘10

Tromso, Norway

CONTACT: International Centre

for Hydropower.

Tel: +47 73 59 07 80.

www.hydropower10.org.

16-17 February

4th Renewable Energy Finance Forum

- Central and Eastern Europe

Prague, Czech Republic

CONTACT: Euromoney Energy

Events Ltd, Nestor House, Playhouse

Yard, London, UK, EC4V 5EX.

Fax: +44 20 7779 8946.

Email: energyevents@euromoney-

energy.com.

23-25 February

IAM10 (Infrastructure Asset

Management Exchange 2010)

London, UK

CONTACT: IQPC Ltd, Anchor

House, 15-19 Britten Street,

London, UK SW3 3QL.

Tel: +44 20 7368 9300.

Email: enquire@iqpc.co.uk.

25-28 February

International Power Summit 2010

London, UK

CONTACT: Arena International,

Brunel House, 55-57 North Wharf

Road, London, W2 1LA.

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7915 9717.

events@arena-international.com

www.internationalpowersummit.com

March

24-26 March

HydroVision Russia

Moscow, Russia

CONTACT: Mathilde Sueur,

Conference Manager, PennWell.

Tel: +44 1992 656 634.

Fax: +44 1992 656 735.

Email: mathildes@pennwell.com.

www.hydrovision-russia.com.

April

5-9 April

13th Annual Power and Electricity

World Asia

Singapore

CONTACT: Ya Ling Ng ,

Terrapinn Asia, Singapore.

Tel: +65 6322 2771.

Fax: +65 6223 3554.

yaling.ng@terrapinn.com.

7-9 April

3rd International Conference on

Problematic Soils

Adelaide, Australia

CONTACT: Conference Secretariat,

CI-Premier Pte Ltd, 150 Orchard

Road, #07-14, Orchard Plaza,

Singapore 238841,

Tel: +65 6733 2922.

Fax: +65 6235 3530.

Email: cipremie@singnet.com.sg.

www.cipremier.com.

15-16 April

Small Hydro 2010

Montreal, Canada

CONTACT: Frances Parker,

Arena International, Brunel

House, 55-57 North Wharf Road,

London, W2 1LA.

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7915 9642.

francesparker@arena-internati-

onal.com.

21-23 April

Power-Gen India & Central Asia

New Delhi, India

CONTACT: Kelvin Marlow,

PennWell.

Tel: +44 1992 656 610.

Fax: +44 1992 656 700.

exhibitpgica@pennwell.com.

www.power-genindia.com.

23-25 April

R e p a i r s , A p p r a i s a l a n d

Maintenance of Buildings and

Structures and Fibre Reinforced

Materials

Yantai, China

CONTACT: Conference Secretariat,

CI-Premier Pte Ltd, 150 Orchard

Road, #07-14, Orchard Plaza,

Singapore 238841,

Tel: +65 6733 2922.

Fax: +65 6235 3530.

Email: cipremie@singnet.com.sg.

www.cipremier.com.

May

11-12 May

5th Renewable Energy Finance

Forum - China

Beijing, China

CONTACT: uromoney Energy

Events Ltd, Nestor House, Playhouse

Yard, London, UK, EC4V 5EX.

Fax: +44 20 7779 8946.

energyevents@euromoneyenergy.

com.

23-29 May

Recent Advances in Geotechnical

Earthquake Engineering and Soil

Dynamics

California, US

CONTACT: Conference Secretariat,

CI-Premier Pte Ltd, 150 Orchard

Road, #07-14, Orchard Plaza,

Singapore 238841,

Tel: +65 6733 2922.

Fax: +65 6235 3530.

Email: cipremie@singnet.com.sg.

www.cipremier.com.

June

8-10 June

Power-Gen Europe 2010

Amsterdam, Netherlands

CON T A C T : Emi l y Pry o r ,

Conference Manager, Power-Gen

Europe.

Tel: +44 1992 656 614.

Fax: +44 1992 656 735.

Email: paperspg@pennwell.com.

www.powergeneurope.com.

8-10 June

R e n e w a b l e E n e r g y W o r l d

Europe 2010

Amsterdam, Netherlands

C O N T A C T : A m y N a s h ,

Conference Manager, Renewable

Energy World Europe.

Tel: +44 1992 656 621.

Fax: +44 1992 656 735.

Email: amyn@pennwell.com.

www.renewableenergyworld-eu-

rope.com.

23-25 June

International Conferences on

Green Ocean Construction and 7th

Ground Improvement Techniques

Seoul, Republic of Korea

C O N T A C T : C o n f e r e n c e

Secretariat, CI-Premier Pte Ltd, 150

Orchard Road, #07-14, Orchard

Plaza, Singapore 238841,

Tel: +65 6733 2922.

Fax: +65 6235 3530.

Email: cipremie@singnet.com.sg.

www.cipremier.com.

July

27-30 July

Hydrovision International

North Carolina, US

CO N T A CT: Lib b y S mith ,

PennWell.

Tel: +1 (918) 831-9560.

Email: LibbyS@PennWell.com.

www.hydroevent.com.

August

25-27 August

35th Conference on Our World in

Concrete and Structures

Singapore

C O N T A C T : C o n f e r e n c e

Secretariat, CI-Premier Pte Ltd.

Tel: +65 6733 2922.

Email: cipremie@singnet.com.sg.

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.

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10 DECEMBER 2009 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION

AUSTRALASIA

Focused on

the future

SunWater’s most recent investment into hydro

power was with a mini station at Paradise Dam

near Bundaberg in the State’s south

Securing future water supplies is top of

the agenda for Australian water provider,

SunWater. Here the company gives IWP&DC

an insight into its hydro and dam activities