Water Power and Dam Construction. Issue December 2010

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WWW.WATERPOWERMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER 2010 11

INSIGHT

sion on current methodologies and helping

to overcome knowledge gaps.

The project’s main goals were identied as:

r Developing, through a consensus-based,

scientic approach, detailed measurement

guidance for net GHG assessment.

r Promoting scientifically rigorous field

measurement campaigns, and the evalua-

tion of net emissions from a representative

set of freshwater reservoirs throughout the

world.

r Building a standardised, credible set of data

from these representative reservoirs.

r Developing predictive modelling tools to

assess the GHG status of unmonitored

reservoirs and potential sites for new res-

ervoirs.

r Developing guidance and assessment tools

for mitigation of GHG emissions at sites

vulnerable to high net emissions.

The project has beneted from a consensus-

based, scientic approach involving collabo-

ration among many research institutions and

scientists. All the resulting deliverables have

been reviewed by the project’s peer-review

group, which comprises some 160 research-

ers, scientists and professionals working in

this eld, from more than 100 institutions,

including universities, research institutes, spe-

cialist companies, non-governmental organi-

sations and sponsoring agencies. Only after

passing this review process, are the products

approved for publication on the internet

pages of UNESCO and of IHA.

The concept of net

ghg emissions

The concept of net GHG emissions is of fun-

damental importance for the assessment of

the GHG status of freshwater reservoirs.

Net GHG emissions from man-made fresh-

water reservoirs are dened here as the GHG

impact from the creation of these reservoirs (or

the GHG status of freshwater reservoirs). This

means that net GHG emissions are the differ-

ence between the emissions with and without

the reservoir, in the portion of the river basin

affected by the reservoir, including upstream,

downstream and estuarine areas.

Net emissions cannot be measured directly;

the results of eld measurements are consid-

ered to be gross emissions, including effects

from natural and unrelated anthropogenic

sources, both for pre- and post-impound-

ment conditions.

In this study, net GHG emissions are

estimated as the difference between gross

GHG emissions calculated for pre- and

post-impoundment conditions, from the

portion of the river basin inuenced by the

reservoir (both terrestrial and aquatic ecosys-

tems) at the whole watershed level, includ-

ing upstream and downstream. Emissions

associated with land-use change (including

deforestation, agricultural practices, and

urbanisation) have to be approached with

care, as they do not always directly result

from the dam construction. Carbon stock

change should also be assessed, including

carbon buried in sediments. In accordance

with IPCC (2006), the lifecycle assessment

for net GHG emissions is 100 years.

Emissions due to the above-water decay

of ooded trees and other vegetation, as well

as emissions from the construction phase of

the dam, including the use of fossil fuels by

machinery and the production of building

materials such as concrete, steel, fuel, and

others are not considered to be important

for the reservoir’s whole life cycle. However,

they can be accounted by the use of standard

procedures for life-cycle assessments (LCA)

of constructions.

Moving towards standard

measuremen t guidelines: the

ghg measurement guidelines

for freshwater reservoirs

The UNESCO/IHA GHG research project

reached an important milestone with the

publication of the GHG Measurement

Guidelines for Freshwater Reservoirs, a

pioneering document, describing standard-

ised procedures for eld measurements and

estimation of the impact of the creation of a

reservoir over the GHG emissions.

These Guidelines put together the main prod-

ucts developed by the UNESCO/IHA GHG

Research Project, under a consensus-based,

scientic approach, resulting from an intensive

international collaborative initiative, and set the

basis for the next stages of the research, with

the application of the agreed protocols in the

eld. It comprises ve sections:

r Executive Summary.

r Concepts and Processes: provides the

theoretical basis for producing guidance

for standardised measurements to assess

net GHG emissions associated with man-

made freshwater reservoirs, aiming to

ensure objective assessments and to ease

comparison, transferability and the global

use of data.

r Field Manual: provides instructions on the

eld methods and equipment necessary to

estimate GHG emissions, under pre- and

post-impoundment conditions. It provides

qualied technicians and scientists with a

protocol to make GHG emission meas-

urements in the field. More specifically,

the Field Manual includes instructions on

how to conduct GHG measurements in

terrestrial (forest, grass and peatland) and

aquatic (wetland, lake, river and reservoir)

ecosystems in terms of GHG emissions and

carbon and nitrogen stocks.

r Calculation Manual: presents the standard

procedures required to calculate net GHG

emissions resulting from the creation of a

reservoir in a river basin. This manual is

designed to be used with the data obtained

from the procedures described in the com-

panion Field Manual.

r Glossary.

For the rst time, the GHG Measurement

Guidelines provide individuals responsible in

this area with a comprehensive tool to assess

the GHG status of Freshwater reservoirs,

including denitive guidance on measure-

ment and qualication of emissions resulting

from the formation of reservoirs.

With the concept of global application

being at the forefront of the development

of the GHG Measurement Guidelines, IHA

has ensured that the methodology contained

within the publication is applicable to all

climate types and reservoir conditions. By

providing the tools required to determine net

GHG emissions in a selected set of reservoirs,

IHA’s intention is to ensure that the results

gained will be utilised to develop predictive

tools, thereby helping to identify the sites

where measurements are most needed and

thus reducing the necessity of such inten-

sive eld measurements in the future. It is

anticipated that shared results from the use

of these GHG Measurement Guidelines will

contribute to this intention.

IHA would encourage any organisation

that has an interest in GHG emissions from

freshwater reservoirs to utilise the GHG

Measurement Guidelines. The publication is

available in both printed and electronic (pdf)

formats and can be ordered directly from the

IHA website .

The Guidelines are for planning and con-

ducting measurement campaigns to estimate

net GHG emissions from freshwater reservoirs

before and after their construction. They aim

to ensure that assessments are objective, and

to make it easier to compare, transfer and use

data globally (subject to rules of access). They

also aim to promote scientically sound eval-

uation of the GHG exchange resulting from

freshwater reservoir construction.

The GHG Measurement Guidelines are

intended to be applied worldwide, for all

climate types and reservoir conditions, and

for freshwater reservoirs of all types and pur-

poses. As part of the UNESCO/IHA GHG

Research Project, the GHG Measurement

Guidelines are intended for assessing GHG

emissions in a sample of representative sites

throughout the world. Data from this initia-

tive will help improve predictive capacity.

The GHG Measurement Guidelines are

not meant as a general method for routine

Floating Chamber for GHG diffusive emissions

12 DECEMBER 2010 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION

INSIGHT

assessment and monitoring in existing and

future reservoirs. Rather, they propose a

standard method to allow easier compari-

son and transfer of detailed eld data col-

lected from comprehensive research studies

on reservoirs and watersheds, looking at all

the underlying processes and their relative

signicance. So the Project’s ultimate goal

is to develop predictive modelling tools

that can replace the intensive monitoring

described in such data. These modelling

tools would apply to reservoirs in general,

and would thus remove the need to perform

the evaluations proposed in this version of

the Guidelines.

The present version was developed to

provide the standards for assessing net

GHG emissions in a representative set of

reservoirs. At the end of this measurement

programme, the available data may justify

a two-tier approach to assessment in the

future: [1] assessments of key parameters to

check whether there are likely to be signi-

cant emissions; [2] if necessary, more inten-

sive monitoring to quantify the net GHG

emissions.

This tiered approach makes the GHG

Measurement Guidelines relevant in assess-

ing emission estimates for several different

uses including carbon trading mechanisms;

developing national GHG inventories; com-

plying with national environmental require-

ments; assessing the GHG status of new

reservoir sites and of existing unmonitored

reservoirs; planning mitigation; and carry-

ing out scientic research.

The GHG Measurement Guidelines are

being developed as a ‘living document’. As

further experience is gained and uncertain-

ties are reduced, they will be updated with

new information.

The way f orward

The project is pioneering a rst step towards

standardising equipment and procedures to

accurately evaluate the net GHG impact of

freshwater reservoirs. The protocol describes

the required standard procedures, evolved

through a consensus-based approach, that

are now ready to be applied in a range of

reservoirs to help get representative, com-

parable and transferable data that will allow

scientically sound evaluation of the GHG

footprint of these reservoirs.

The next steps include:

r Promotion of eld measuring programmes

in compliance with the proposed method;

r Capacity-building training programmes for

taking such eld measurements;

r Development of predictive modelling tools

to assess the GHG status of unmonitored

reservoirs and potential new reservoir sites;

r Development of guidance and assessment

tools to mitigate GHG emissions at vulner-

able sites.

As the project has progressed, the impor-

tance of a capacity-building training pro-

gramme has been identied. Such training

would ensure a proper understanding and

application of the standard procedures

developed under the Project. This, in turn,

would provide enough data to allow the sci-

ence to move forward and build the neces-

sary predictive modelling capacity.

An essential next step is to develop ade-

quate predictive modelling tools to assess

the GHG status of unmonitored reser-

voirs and potential sites for new reservoirs.

These tools, once validated, could provide

the basis for developing appropriate guid-

ance on national GHG inventories, and to

quantify carbon offsets at the project level,

without the need for specic eld measure-

ment programmes.

It is important to carry forward the

UNESCO/IHA forum process, including

workshops and peer-review evaluation.

The process is costly in time, resources and

money and those who take part mainly

do so as volunteers. It makes a crucial

contribution to reinforcing the strong,

transparent, consistent approach that the

Project needs.

Joel Avruch Goldenfum is a

Professor at the IPH/UFRGS

(Institute of Hydraulic Research of

the Federal University of Rio Grande

do Sul, Brazil), in leave of absence

to work at IHA (International

Hydropower Association), as Project

Manager of the UNESCO/IHA

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Research.

He receives a research grant from

CNPq (Brazilian National Council

for Scientic and Technological

Development)

During the development of this

research, the Project received

sponsorship from CTGPC

(China Three Gorges Corporation),

EDF (Electricité de France),

HEA (Hydro Equipment

Association), IAI (International

Aluminium Institute), SN Power,

Statkraft and the World Bank

IWP& DC

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AFRICA

NuPlanet: a new force in small hydro

Small hydro development remains the sole focus for South African company NuPlanet.

Here project manager Seline van der Wat gives details about the company’s existing

hydro schemes, as well as those in the pipeline for future development

14 DECEMBER 2010 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION

UPLANET is a South Africa based small hydro devel-

oper, owner and operator. In 2009 the company com-

missioned the rst unit of the 7MW Bethlehem Hydro

project, the rst new green eld hydropower project in

South Africa since the 1980s. In 2010 the second unit of Bethlehem

Hydro was commissioned, and NuPlanet secured the exclusive

development rights on a further 16MW of green eld hydro.

NuPlanet is unique in the southern African market in that it is

only focussed on hydropower and had not joined in the rush to large

scale wind and solar projects. Anton-Louis Olivier, the founder and

Managing Director of NuPlanet explains this strategy: “We found

that although there is a lot of commonality in developing independent,

renewable power projects, hydropower development requires a lot of

specialised skills, knowledge of the technology and operational aspects,

which are all unique to hydro. This expertise gives us a competitive

edge and enables us to manage development, construction and opera-

tional risk in a very efcient manner,” he says. “Rather than compete

with the experienced international wind and solar developers, we are

focused on small hydro where we have a denite advantage.”

NuPlanet was established in 2006 in South Africa with investment

from two South African private equity funds. According to Olivier

this investment made it possible to nance and implement a business

strategy that did not rely on grants or donor nancing: “Traditionally

small hydro development was donor funded and once off. We have

not come across any other developers in the market that were able to

move beyond a rst project. Because NuPlanet has its own resources,

it can develop projects at its own risk and under its own control and

move away from the typical impoverished developer model.”

The business model on which NuPlanet functions is based on

active ownership and responsible, sustainable development of

renewable energy. All projects are developed in close co-operation

with all stakeholders: landowners, nancial, governmental and par-

ticularly local communities.

Recently, NuPlanet was awarded an exclusive generation licence

for a 5MW plant at Mtirikwi Dam in Zimbabwe. This is NuPlanet’s

rst secured project outside South Africa. Olivier adds: “We are

very pleased to have been awarded this project and to move inter-

nationally. Although South Africa has got some good small hydro

potential and a strong nancial sector, the potential for projects in

South Africa is very limited, probably to around 300MW, excluding

new dam construction. Our long term growth will therefore come

from outside South Africa.”

Table 1: List of NuPlanet projects

Project Capacity Phase

Existing Bethlehem Hydro (South Africa) Sol Plaatje – 4MW Operational

Merino – 3MW Operational

Under Development Botterkloof Hydro (South Africa) 4.1MW Post feasibility

Boston Hydro (South Africa) 4.1MW Post feasibility

Bivane Hydro (South Africa) 2.7MW Feasibility

Mutirikwi Hydro (Zimbabwe) 5MW Feasibility

Above, left: Workers at the Sol Plaatje project; Above: Merino power plant

WWW.WATERPOWERMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER 2010 15

AFRICA

NuPlanet: a new force in small hydro

SMALL HYDRO MARKET IN AFRICA

The hydropower potential in Southern Africa has traditionally con-

sisted of two market segments:

r Large national or international projects such as the one or two

large hydro projects found in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi,

Namibia and Mozambique and the projects along the Zambezi.

r Small hydro systems dating back to the days before large scale grid

interconnections, but now interconnected and micro systems serv-

ing isolated grids.

These two markets experienced growth in the 1960s to 1970s and

then stagnated, with no new large hydro being constructed until

the recent start of the 250MW Bujugali project in Uganda and a

couple of isolated small hydro projects. Recently however the hydro-

power market has changed. This is due to a number of factors:

r Increased economic growth in sub Sahara Africa has led to

increased demand capacity shortages.

r Increased liberalisation and regulation of the power market ena-

bling private sector participation.

r Growing awareness and acceptance that new generation capacity

will require higher tariffs than existing tariffs.

r Increased willingness of development and commercial banks to

provide project nance type debt on small projects.

r Increased international interest in the Southern African market as

a future growth market and due to climate change issues.

BARRIERS TO DEVELOPMENT

Sub Sahara Africa’s small hydro potential still remains largely

untapped. Hundreds of sites have been identied over the years

but not developed. Despite the growing demand for power in the

region, most small hydro power projects still remain in the con-

cept stage due to a number of factors as outlined below. Small

hydro will, almost by denition, be developed by the private sector.

National utilities in the region do not have the resources or appetite

for small generation projects and are, rightly so, focussed on larger

projects. The private sector will need to overcome the following:

r High cost of grid interconnection as sites are far from the

existing grid.

r Lack of credit worthy off takers to support project

nance structures.

r Lack of debt nancing. This barrier is rapidly diminishing, with

development and commercial nancial institutions increasing their

market penetration into the region.

NUPLANET’S PORTFOLIO

NuPlanet has identied some 300MW of small hydro potential in the

Southern African region, with most projects in the range of 5-20MW.

Table 1 show details of existing projects.

Bethlehem Hydro

Bethlehem Hydro was created to own and operate the two

3MW Sol Plaatje and the 4MW Merino located near Bethlehem,

South Africa.

Both the Merino and Sol Plaatje power stations can operate semi-

autonomously. During normal operations the plants are self-governed

and do not require operator inputs. There is therefore no requirement

for full-time operational staff. Day to day operation of the plants in

Bethlehem Hydro is contracted out to Revolution Energy, which is a

division of NuPlanet.

Sol Plaatje

The Sol Plaatje power station has a generating head of approximately

11m and at a maximum ow of 30m

/sec will generate 3MW. The

power station is located on the right bank of the Sol Plaatje dam

which required an extension of the dam wall. A new intake was con-

structed within the non-overspill ank and the power station was

located immediately downstream of the intake.

Water is returned to the Liebenbergsvlei river downstream of the

dam. One 2.1m diameter double regulated Kaplan turbine, attached

to a generator, is installed in the power station.

Merino

Merino is a run-of-river plant and consists of a diversion weir with a

semi-circular spillway in the river, a 700m long canal to transfer the

water to the power station, a small forebay and the power station

situated in a sandstone bank from where the water is returned to the

As river. The generating head is approximately 14m and the gen-

eration output at the maximum ow will be about 4MW. A single

Kaplan turbine and generator are installed in the power station.

PROJECTS UNDER DEVELOPMENT

NuPlanet has also acquired the rights to develop another 17.5MW

of hydropower in Southern Africa. Altogether these new power sta-

tions will have an estimated capital cost of R350M (US$46M). The

new projects are:

r Botterkloof Hydro: 4.1MW run-of-river located on the As river.

r Boston Hydro: 4.1MW run-of-river located at the As river.

r Bivane Hydro: 2.7MW located at the Bivane dam.

r Mutirikwi Zimbabwe: 5MW located at the wall of the

Mtirikwi dam.

Seline van der Wat, Project Manager at NuPlanet.

Seline @nuplanet.co.za

Table 3: Beneﬁts of Sol

Plaatje project

Labour

Relations

Total Staff employed (60)

Estimated man-days (13,000)

Boost to local

economy

Estimated amount spent on local suppliers (R2.5M)

(US$0.4M), Estimated amount spent on local

sub-contractors R0.4M (US$0.06M), Other amounts

spent in local economy R0.3M (US$0.04M)

Occupational

Health and

Safety

Fatalities on site (0),

Injuries leading to permanent disability (0),

Minor Injuries (12)

Table 2: Sol Plaatje power

station speciﬁcation

Sol Plaatje dam full supply level 1627.26masl

Tailwater level (varies) 1616.50masl

Gross head 10.76m

Rated ow 25m

/sec

Maximum ow 29m

/sec

Rated generator 2.55MW

Annual generation Approx 19GWhr/yr

Load factor (% time plant runs at rated capacity) 80%

Lowest founding level below tailwater 10m

Weight of generator 30t

Diameter of turbine 3.14m

Turbine type Full Kaplan

Construction period 27 months

Total approximated cost R40M (approx

US$5.9M)

IWP& DC

16 DECEMBER 2010 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION

AFRICA

The Ingula legacy

Construction of South African utility Eskom’s Ingula pumped storage plant is well

underway. Following last month’s focus on ve new pumped storage schemes, IWP&DC

was given a further update on the project which is due for completion in 2013

HEN encountering the Ingula pumped storage

project in South Africa, you could be forgiven for

thinking it is an eco-tourism destination rather than

a major construction site. Postcard images of green-

ery and the majestic main mountain form a perfect backdrop to

the construction works. The major works are all underground in

the mountain, with the main underground cavern situated at a

depth of 350m below the surface, along with 9km of tunnels which

will be excavated during construction. The Ingula scheme is one

of Eskom’s projects under a new build programme with the sole

objective of increasing South Africa’s energy capacity.

The quest to nd an appropriate name for Ingula power sta-

tion was inspired by the mountains and the river waters, which

represent the rich cultural symbols and traditions of the indig-

enous people on both sides of the border between Free State and

KwaZulu Natal provinces. The name change from Braamhoek to

Ingula was ofcially announced in March 2007. Ingula is a Zulu

word which refers to the creamy foam on the top of a milk cala-

bash (a fruit used as a bottle).

Ingula PSS aims to add power capability to the nation’s electric-

ity grid during peak hours to prevent power shortages. South Africa

requires 40,000MW of power by 2025 and Ingula is one of the

projects currently being constructed to meet future demand. The

majority of South Africa’s electricity is sourced from traditional coal-

red power stations, and Ingula’s power will act as a back-up during

peak energy consumption to help power up the national grid.

When the Ingula PSS comes online in the later stages of 2013,

adding a capacity of 1332MW and an energy storage capacity of

21,000MWh, Eskom will have made signicant progress towards

achieving its objective of increasing South Africa’s energy capacity by

2025. The estimated cost of the project is R20B (US$2.9B).

Vital statistics

Bedford dam

Full supply level 1738.6m.a.s.l

Minimum level for all machines operating 1720m.a.s.l

Maximum height above lowest foundation 50.905 m

River bed 40.905m

Live volume 19.2Mm3

Maximum storage volume 22.43Mm3

Minimum storage volume (dead volume) 3.23Mm3

Catchment drainage number C81A

River small wilger river tributary

Catchment area at dam 11.53km2

Mean annual precipitation 982mm

Mean annual runoff 1.8Mm2/sec

Concrete volume 73,000m3

Braamhoek dam

Full supply level 1270masl

Minimum level for 4 machines operating 1258masl

Maximum height above lowest foundation 38.6m

River bed 31.m

Live volume 19.2Mm3

Volume allowance for evaporation over and above

active volume

2.72Mm3

Maximum storage volume 26.26Mm3

Minimum storage volume (dead volume) 4, 34Mm3

Catchment drainage number V12A EWR

River braamhoekspruit

Catchment area at dam 60.11km3

Mean annual precipitation 1053mm

Mean annual evaporation 1449mm

Total concrete volume 67,000m3

The conduit at Bedford dam

WWW.WATERPOWERMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER 2010 17

AFRICA

PROJECT DETAILS

The scheme is located about 23km north east of Van Reenen, within

the little Drakensberg mountain range. It comprises an upper reser-

voir in the Free State province, an underground power tunnel com-

plex and power station, and a lower reservoir in KwaZulu Natal

province. The distance between the upper and lower reservoirs is

about 6km and the elevation difference is approximately 470m.

The upper Bedford dam is a concrete faced rockll embankment

dam about 50m high which forms a reservoir of total volume of

22.6Mm

with an active storage of 19.3Mm

. The lower Braamhoek

dam is a 40m high RCC dam forming a 26.3Mm

volume reservoir

with an active storage of 21.9Mm

. Grout enriched roller compact-

ed concrete has been used at Braamhoek dam while sophisticated

hydraulic modelling of the outows from Bedford dam will ensure

minimal impact on the sensitive wetlands downstream.

POWERHOUSE COMPLEX

The underground powerhouse complex consists of the machine hall,

a transformer hall and associated tunnels, shafts and caverns. The

machine hall will house four reversible Francis type pump/turbines,

coupled directly with generator/motors, each with a rated generating

capacity of 333MW and a rated generating head of approximately

434m. The power station contains four Francis type reversible pump-

turbines, coupled to motor-generators.

The generation plant is designed and supplied by Voith Hydro

of Germany; who are using manufacturing companies around the

world to fabricate the various specialist components. The rst items

are now being manufactured in Kenya and are due to be installed

underground during 2011, with the completed generation equipment

commissioned during 2013.

The pump/turbines will be connected to the upper reservoir by twin

concrete lined headrace tunnels and pressure tunnels and shafts which

are steel lined over their lower part. Steel lined extended draft tubes

and a single concrete lined tailrace tunnel will connect the pump/tur-

bines to the lower reservoir. Headrace surge shafts and tailrace surge

chambers will also be provided.

QUARRYING AND CRUSHING OPERATIONS

The initial decision makers adopted a strategy to have a separate

contract set up for carrying out the quarrying and crushing opera-

tions which would be used to feed the other projects within the Ingula

project with their concrete aggregate needs. The quarrying and crush-

ing operations commenced in May 2007 in the Braamhoek dam basin

where the quarry would eventually be underwater after impound-

ment of the Braamhoek dam.

The rock being quarried and crushed is known as Dolerite, which is

an igneous volcanic rock. The crystals in dolerite rock can be viewed

with a handheld lens which indicates it cooled more slowly than

basalt rock. Dolerite is very durable and resistant to weathering and

is commonly used for crushed stone which makes its availability on

site priceless.

The quarrying and crushing was contracted out to B & E

International Quanza Joint Venture. There is an array of old and new

plant purchased specically for this project from the international

market. The contractor has been in the crushing business for decades

and is one of the leading crushing outts in the country. It brought

with it a wealth of knowledge from previous operations.

The quarry contract was recently modied to accommodate the

increase in demand for aggregate by the main underground works.

The original bill quantity required that, under the quarry contract,

1.3M tons of concrete aggregate be produced. However, the latest

figure is 2.7M tons of concrete aggregate. The quarry occupies

approximately 45ha of land for its crushing operations and stockpiles

of nal products. The contractor was set to quarry all virgin rock by

the end of October 2010 before impoundment started in November

2010. Crushing will continue until May 2012 but the contractor will

be loading until October 2013.

ENVIRONMENT

The Ingula PSS project upper reservoir is located in an environmen-

tally sensitive area and considerable emphasis has been placed on

environmental management in the design, construction and operation

of the Ingula pumped storage scheme.

A partnership between BirdLife South Africa (BLSA), Eskom and

the Middlepunt Wetland Trust (MWT), was launched in March

2004. The partnership aims to offset the negative impacts of the con-

struction and operation of the pumped storage scheme. This will be

done effectively by managing environmental impacts related to the

area impacted by the Ingula project.

The majority of construction is underground. The dams and associ-

ated structures are built of locally quarried materials and are designed

to be sympathetic to the landscape. The only other visible structures

on the surface will be an administration building, a visitor’s centre

and the switchyard.

Care has been taken to ensure that structures blend in with the

surrounding landscape and are visually pleasing. There will be no

elaborate landscaping done around the buildings. Materials from the

area will be used to further soften any visual impact. All construc-

tion of temporary works areas will be restored to its natural habitat,

which is primarily indigenous grassland.

As part of the conditions of the environmental authorisation,

Eskom manages the areas surrounding the upper dam and con-

struction sites as a conservation area. This area, in both the Free

State and KwaZulu Natal, is of signicant value as a source of

Below, left: Construction underway at the lower Braamhoek dam;

Below, right: Viewing progress at Ingula construction site in April 2010.

The project is due for completion in 2013

Powerful statistics

Maximum power for pumping per machine 360MW

Range of net head of generation 433.6m to 465.8m

Head range for pumping 462.0m to 489.7m

Rated generating ow per machine 84.9m

/sec

Maximum permissible pressure in penstocks 7.22MPa

Rated speed for both directions of rotation 428.6rpm

Type of control local and remote

MPa= Megapascals

18 DECEMBER 2010 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION

AFRICA

water for the Highveld, and serves as habitat for a variety of

plants, birds and animals, some critically endangered. The area

includes high altitude grass lands, several wetland areas and

indigenous escarpment forest. A team of full time professional

environmentalists monitor all activities on site, ensuring all legal

requirements are met, and that the project operates within the

terms of the government authorisation.

Eskom is also working with palaeontologists in the area. They were

brought in after the discovery of fossilised remains of prehistoric ani-

mals and plant life. Well preserved specimens are being sent to aca-

demic institutions, while other fossils are stored on site for display in

the visitor centre on site or in a museum at a later date. The site aims

to be an internationally sustainable conservation area and all activi-

ties on site are carried out with this long term objective in mind.

As part of the conservation programme a network of walking and

hiking trails will be developed and other ecotourism opportunities

investigated and implemented. These include campsites river trails

and cycling. Marketing of the area may lead to an increased demand

for accommodation, an opportunity for surrounding landowners and

members of the conservancy.

INGULA LEGACY

Eskom, through the Eskom Development Foundation (ESDEF),

has set aside funds and has planned for socio-economic develop-

ment initiatives that include upgrading local schools, resettling fami-

lies to better homes and provide assistance in agricultural training.

Currently, Eskom has spent approximately R3M (US$0.4M) on

local schools in the areas of Driefontein, Besters and Zaaifontein in

KwaZulu Natal and Hamilberg Farm in the Free State.

Eskom will install electricity as well as provide access to water,

roads, electricity and tenureship for all families who will be relocated

and resettled. Furthermore, partnerships formed, through stakeholder

forums, will incorporate departments of rural development and land

reform, department of agriculture and relevant municipalities who

will assist in providing services to the communities who reside within

30 kilometres from the Ingula project.

Ingula contracts:

t The main access tunnel contract was awarded to CMC Mavundla, a joint

venture of Italian and South African companies.

t The contract for the construction of the Braamhoek and Bedford dams has

been awarded to WBHO, Concor, Edwin construction and Silver Rock.

t B & E Quanza group was awarded the contract for the quarrying and crushing

of 3M tonnes of aggregate.

t The contract for roads was awarded to Grinaker LTA. The building of new

surfaced roads began in January 2007.

t Afriscan was awarded the contract for water supply, sewage treatment, small

access roads and building of temporary Eskom ofces.

t The building of the 1.2km exploratory tunnel was carried out by Concor

Mining (later by Murray and Roberts) and began in 2005 with completion in

June 2007.

IWP& DC

Above: Over 9km of tunnels have to be excavated for the Ingula pumped

storage project

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20 DECEMBER 2010 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION

PLANNING & PROJECTS

Top 5 developments in hydro

As we come to the end of yet another eventful year for the ever-changing hydro industry,

IWP&DC suggests ve developments and projects that are likely to have to the biggest

impact on the industry in the near future

HYDROPOWER SUSTAINABILITY GUIDELINES AND

SSESSMENT PROTOCOL

The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Forum is a collaboration

of representatives from different sectors who aim to develop an

enhanced sustainability assessment tool to measure and guide

performance in the hydropower sector, based on the Hydropower

Sustainability Guidelines and Assessment Protocol developed by

the International Hydropower Association (IHA); that the Forum

would recommend for adoption by IHA and endorsement by

HSAF members.

The Forum’s work centres around the IHA’s Sustainability

Assessment Protocol. The nal version of the protocol was released

in November 2010, and is a sustainability assessment framework for

hydropower development and operation. It enables the production

of a sustainability prole for a project through the assessment of per-

formance within important sustainability topics.

To reect the different stages of hydropower development, the

Protocol includes four sections, which have been designed to be used as

standalone documents. Through an evaluation of basic and advanced

expectations, the Early Stage tool may be used for risk assessment and

for dialogue prior to advancing into detailed planning. The remaining

three documents, Preparation, Implementation and Operation, set

out a graded spectrum of practice calibrated against statements of

basic good practice and proven best practice. The graded perform-

ance within each sustainability topic also provides the opportunity to

promote structured, continuous improvement.

Assessments rely on objective evidence to support a score for each

topic, which is factual, reproducible, objective and veriable. The

Protocol will be most effective when it is imbedded into business sys-

tems and processes. Assessment results may be used to inform deci-

sions, to prioritize future work and/or to assist in external dialogue.

According to the IHA, a wide application of the Protocol is desired;

it should be applied in a collaborative way, to ensure the best avail-

ability of information and points of view. The development and

evaluation of a hydropower project will involve many actors with

different roles and responsibilities. It is recognized that both develop-

ment and operation may involve public entities, private companies or

combined partnerships, and responsibilities may change as the project

progresses through its life cycle.

The need for a simple measurement tool, that is practical, objec-

tive, and able to be implemented across a range of contexts has been

an objective in development of the IHA Sustainability Assessment

Protocol and is a key consideration in the work of the Forum.

There is little doubt that the protocol will have a major impact

on the industry in the coming years, and has been developed to be

one the most comprehensive certication standards for hydro power

projects, taking into account not only environmental considerations

but also critical social and economic issues in a sound, sustainable

development approach.

Below: Forum members meet with resettled villagers at the Shuibuya

Hydropower Project, China, October 2008