Water Power and Dam Construction. Issue June 2010

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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

WWW.WATERPOWERMAGAZINE.COM JUNE 2010 11

DIARY

SM6 6AN, UK.

Tel: +44 (0)20 8773 7244.

edit@hydropower-dams.com.

www.hydropower-dams.com.

28-30 September

2nd International Congress on Dam

Maintenance and Rehabilitation

Zaragoza, Spain

CONTACT: Daniel Ariza, TILESA

OPC, Londres, 17 - 28028 Madrid,

Spain.

Tel: +34 91 361 2600

Fax: +34 91 355 9208

sepremzaragoza2010@tilesa.es

http://www.damrehabilitationcon-

gress2010.com

October

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.

17-19 October

Power Generation & Water

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

CONTACT: IIR Middle East, Dubai,

United Arab Emirates.

www.powerandwaterme.com.

19-21 October

EFEF 2010 (European Future

Energy Forum)

London, UK

CONTACT: Turret Middle East,

ADNEC House, PO Box 94891, Abu

Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

www.europeanfutureenergyforum.

com/home.

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

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

26-28 November

Workshop on Optimization of

Construction Method for CFRDs

Yichang, China

CONTACT: HydrOu China.

Tel: +86717 672-1379

Email: mail.chenqian@gmail.com

http://www.hydrou.com/index.

php?option=com_content&task=vi

ew&id=166&Itemid=1

LOG & DEBRIS BOOMS

WATERWAY BARRIERS

Where do the World8s Dam Owners

Turn to for Waterway Barriers?

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They turn to Worthington.

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12 JUNE 2010 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION

INSIGHT

T the end of March this year,

the International Hydropower

Association issued a Policy

Statement on hydropower and the

Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

The statement was designed to explain the

workings of the CDM and detail the role of

hydro power projects within it. An initia-

tive of the IHA’s Markets and Investment

Working Group, the Policy Statement was

produced after it was considered there

was a need to let the general membership

know more about carbon markets. The

Association has been monitoring the CDM

market over the past few years and, follow-

ing events during and after the UN Climate

Change Conference held in Copenhagen in

December last year, and the intense scru-

tiny Chinese CDM hydro projects have

recently received, it was felt the time was

now right to disseminate information on

hydro’s role and positioning in the CDM.

The Policy Statement has ve key messages

which are highlighted below:

1. T he CDM remains the main international

mechanism currently in place to directly

mobilise private sector capital for clean

development worldwide;

2. T he CDM also remains an important

way for Developing Countries to avoid

or mitigate greenhouse gases through an

international mechanism;

3. Hydropower is the CDM’s leading

deployed renewable energy: this is likely

to continue. In addition, the sustainabil-

ity of hydropower has been dened and

measuring tools exist to indicate perform-

ance – this brings greater condence to all

parties involved;

4. T here are disincentives to hydropower

reservoir projects in current CDM rules,

which mean signicant missed opportu-

nities for increased climate change miti-

gation and adaptation – these should be

addressed in future CDM reform;

5. T he world’s hydropower sector calls upon

governments to elevate the future of the

CDM post-2012 on their agendas for

Mexico (2010) and South Africa (2011),

and strongly supports the current CDM

reform being implemented by the CDM

Executive Board, as a step in the right

direction.

What is the CDM?

Before looking at hydropower’s role in the

CDM, it is useful to take a look at the his-

tory and development of the credit scheme.

The CDM is one of the three exible mecha-

nisms of the Kyoto Protocol being the rst

global, environmental investment and credit

scheme of its kind. It allows entities based

in developed countries to develop emission-

reducing projects in developing countries,

and generate tradeable carbon credits cor-

responding to the volume of carbon emis-

sion reductions achieved by those projects.

These credits can be counted towards meet-

ing Kyoto targets in developed countries.

The tradable credits are known as Certied

Emission Reductions (CERs) with one CER

equivalent to one metric tonne of carbon

dioxide avoided or reduced.

CDM projects cover a wide array of

sectors and technologies involving energy

consumption or generation, ranging from

the installation of renewable energy genera-

tion plants to landll methane capture, and

from animal waste management to fossil

fuel switching. The rst CDM project – a

landll methane reduction project in Rio

de Janeiro, Brazil – was registered on 18

November 2004. Since then, more than

2200 CDM projects have been registered

worldwide, reducing more than 336M

tonnes of CO

per year.

The mechanism has successfully enabled

developed countries to offset their GHG

emissions, alongside domestic reduction and

avoidance, while enabling cleaner develop-

ment in developing countries.

The role of hydro power

Out of the total 2201 projects registered (as

of 10 May), over 550 are hydro, meaning it

is the CDM’s leading deployed renewable

energy technology. This is likely to continue

in the short, medium and long term, says

IHA, mainly due to the fact that:

r T here is signicant remaining hydro poten-

tial worldwide, particularly in developing

countries;

r Hydropower technology is in an advanced

state of development, leading to greater

Filling the

knowledge gap

on CDM

The International Hydropower

Association (IHA) has

issued a Policy Statement

that explains the workings

of the Clean Development

Mechanism (CDM) and

looks in detail at the current

and potential future role of

hydropower projects within

it. IWP&DC discovers why

the association believes it is

important to raise awareness

of the CDM amongst the

hydro community

WWW.WATERPOWERMAGAZINE.COM JUNE 2010 13

INSIGHT

investor condence;

r The industry has signicant economies of

scale; and

r Hydro projects tend to have a high

energy density, therefore it can off-set

higher amounts of CO2 per unit of cost.

“Hydropower’s prominent position is due

to the comparatively favourable low-car-

bon characteristics of the technology, but

the multiple benets that it provides aside

from just climate change mitigation are

also becoming increasingly important” said

Richard Taylor, IHA Executive Director.

“For example, hydropower’s energy stor-

age and operational flexibility means it’s

enabling the greater use of other renewable

energy technologies, enhancing mitigation

efforts. Also, in the near term, hydropower’s

water management capabilities will become

even more valuable in the context of climate

change adaptation.”

CDM hydropower projects that gain regis-

tration have to demonstrate a high level of

sustainability. Registered hydropower CDM

projects comply with the sustainability laws

and regulations of the project-host countries

they take place in. In addition, a signicant

proportion of registered hydropower CDM

projects also voluntarily impose upon them-

selves international sustainability assessment

frameworks such as IHA’s Sustainability

Assessment Protocol (2006).

The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) is

presently the largest emissions trading scheme

in the world. Hydropower CDM projects

over 20MW that wish their CERS to partici-

pate in the EU ETS must comply with the EU

Harmonised Guidelines and Template for

Hydropower CDM projects (2009), a regional

sustainability assessment framework. Indeed,

leading CDM project developers and auditors

utilise IHA and EU sustainability assessment

frameworks as standard practice.

With the cross sectoral review of IHA’s

Sustainability Assessment Protocol (2006),

being conducted by the Hydropower

Sustainability Assessment Forum, likely to

produce a revised Sustainability Assessment

Protocol in late 2010, the already high sus-

tainability performance of hydropower CDM

projects that gain registration will continue to

improve.

All of these sustainability efforts reect the

substantial progress, over the past two dec-

ades, that hydropower has made in striking

the balance between environmental, social

and economic parameters.

Status of hydro in the CDM

Due to uncertainty regarding the net green-

house (GHG) emissions status of reservoirs,

‘power density criteria’ have been applied to

hydropower projects. The effect of this is that

reservoir hydropower projects of more than

15MW, subject to a few limited exceptions,

may not participate in the CDM.

More than minor GHG emissions from

reservoirs have been detected at a few res-

ervoir sites. However, the actual net GHG

emissions of most of the world’s reservoirs

are likely to be low, especially when com-

pared against other energy technologies.

IHA and the International Hydrological

Programme (IHP) of UNESCO commenced

an international research effort on the GHG

emissions status of reservoirs, in 2008.

As a result of this research reservoir hydro-

power projects could be admitted to the

CDM in the near future, as denitive infor-

mation becomes available on their net GHG

emissions. Until this occurs, IHA says that

signicant opportunities are being missed,

which include:

r Further CO

avoidance and reduction;

r Tapping into the unique ‘energy-side’ char-

acteristics of reservoir hydropower, known

in energy policy as ‘ancillary services’,

which provide support to other variable

and base-load low-carbon power generat-

ing technologies; and

r Tapping into the unique ‘water-side’ char-

acteristics of hydropower, known in cli-

mate change policy as ‘co-benets’ which

increase hydropower’s role in climate

change adaptation at the intersection of

water and energy.

Regions represented

Currently, the Asia Pacic (78%) and Latin

America (18%) regions lead in hydropower

CDM deployment. Only eight countries

(Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Madagascar,

Mali, Nepal, Tanzania, and Uganda) among

those categorised as Least Developed

Countries (LDCs) by the UN have so far

initiated a hydro CDM process – consisting

of only 13 hydro projects, less than 0.9% of

the total hydro projects in the CDM pipeline.

Among those projects, only three are regis-

tered, representing 0.4% of that total. Those

projects are:

r (i) E7 Bhutan 70kW micro hydropower

project in Bhutan;

r (ii) Dagachhu 114MW hydropower project

in Bhutan; and

r (iii) West Nile Electrification Project

(WNEP) in Uganda.

Interestingly, the Dagachhu 114MW hydro-

power project – developed to enable Bhutan

to export clean energy to India – has been

registered as the rst ever cross-border initia-

tive under the CDM.

Part of the Asian Development Bank’s

(ADB) Green Power Development Project for

Bhutan, Dagachhu is expected to reduce CO

emissions by about 500,000 tonnes per year,

especially through exports to India, which

relies heavily on coal-red power plants for

electricity generation. The project will help

mitigate carbon emissions in India while

generating additional revenue from CDM to

make the project viable in Bhutan.

A further notable feature of the Dagachhu

project is participation by multiple

Bhutanese and international stakeholders,

marking it as the rst public-private partner-

ship in infrastructure investment in Bhutan.

The special company established to manage

the project is led by Bhutan’s state-owned

utility, Druk Green Power Corporation

(DGPC) and India’s leading energy com-

pany, Tata Power Company.

The total cost of the project is around

$200M. ADB has committed an $80M loan

to the project, of which $51M from ADB’s

Ordinary Capital Resources is nanced for

debt while the balance of $29M is used

for DGPC’s equity. Co-financing is being

provided by the National Pension and

Provident Fund of Bhutan and the Raiffeisen

Zentralbank Österreich AG (RZB) of Austria

through export credit of Österreichische

Kontrollbank AG (OeKB).

The Austrian government, through the

Austrian Development Agency, has pro-

vided engineering support toward the

project while ADB is providing assistance

with overall capacity development to help

strengthen policy and institutions of the

Bhutan power sector.

“This project will deliver economic and

social benets on wider fronts. The project’s

royalties will contribute to low-cost electric-

ity supply to rural domestic customers in

Bhutan and at the same time provide the gov-

ernment of Bhutan with a long-term revenue

stream to support its development programs

for poverty alleviation,” said Kaoru Ogino,

Senior Energy Specialist of ADB’s South Asia

Department.

The project structuring was promoted

with support from the Japan Special Fund,

established by the government of Japan and

administered by ADB. It has also received

assistance from ADB’s Technical Support

Facility under its Carbon Market Initiative

during the process of the CDM registration.

Developing potential

There are undoubtedly many more projects

like Bhutan’s Dagachhu that would benet

from the CDM. However, LDCs with hydro

potential need extra help to access and better

use carbon nance to catalyse their develop-

ment. These challenges are being highlighted

in the work of IHA’s Markets and Investment

Working Group, but, as IHA points out –

at the moment the CDM remains the main

global, environmental investment and credit

scheme currently in place to directly mobi-

lise private sector capital for clean develop-

ment. For this reason, the Association has

called on the world’s governments to raise

the importance of the CDM in their agen-

das. It is concerned that with no legally

binding international treaty arising from

Copenhagen (2009), the long-term future of

the CDM is uncertain.

For further details please contact: Lau

Saili, Policy Analyst, IHA.

Email: ls@hydropower.org.

www.hydropower.org.

IWP& DC

14 JUNE 2010 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION

NORTH AMERICA

HE past two years have signaled a renewed interest

in the hydro power industry among policymakers at

federal, state and even local levels throughout the US.

From Washington State to Washington, DC, hydro

power’s energy, economic and environmental benefits are

providing policy options that address many of the country’s

highest priorities.

The industry got its rst sense of this increasing interest in hydro

power when then-candidate Barack Obama told employees at

Voith Hydro’s York, Pennsylvania, turbine-manufacturing plant

that he believed in the industry’s potential and its contributions to

a clean energy economy. As president, Obama has led an admin-

istration that recognises the role hydro power can play in serving

national priorities.

Other policymakers have also looked to hydro power as a

resource for high priority issues. The recession, ongoing calls for

climate and energy legislation, and the bipartisan interest in devel-

oping a national energy portfolio with a greater contribution

from renewables, have all amplied attention for hydro power in

Congress and at statehouses across the US.

For example, as Congress and the Obama Administration devel-

oped legislation to stimulate the economy, policymakers turned

to hydro power and other renewables to generate jobs and new

clean-energy resources simultaneously. Measures that support

hydro power development, including extensions of production and

investment tax credits, loans in lieu of tax credits for hydro tech-

nology investment, and expanded funding for Clean Renewable

Energy Bonds, have spurred new hydro projects and created new

jobs throughout the country.

Job growth has been one of the highest priorities for both

Congress and the Obama Administration, so the US hydro power

industry has responded with new data about the potential job

creation under various energy policy scenarios. In April 2010, the

National Hydropower Association (NHA) released the third part of

this study, which outlines potential for direct, indirect and induced

jobs under both current policies and an aggressive national renew-

able energy standard.

The ndings underscored the industry’s role in a clean energy

economy: with the right national policies in place, the US hydro

power industry can generate more than 1.4M cumulative jobs

by 2025.

Most importantly for policymakers around the country, these

family-supporting jobs will occur in every state and in many dif-

ferent disciplines, including skilled, unskilled, and professional

positions. Hydro power growth will also generate considerable

economic activity in communities that host hydro industry

businesses – nearly half of the jobs identied by NHA came in

industries that will enjoy an induced benet from hydro power.

Ofcials understand that hydro power’s benets can stretch from

big steel mills to small local restaurants near manufacturing and

generating facilities.

The capacity projections in NHA’s study also helped bolster

the case for including hydro power in national economic and

environmental policies. The study showed that US hydro power

resources have a theoretical potential to quadruple the current

installed capacity of 100,000MW. Through strong national

policies, the industry can develop more than 60,000MW of this

potential by 2025 – the equivalent in capacity of 50 or 60 nuclear

or coal plants.

A GROWING INDUSTRY

The hydro power industry will also grow as more variable renew-

able energy come onto the grid. The US Department of Energy

(DOE) predicts that growth in wind power alone will require an

additional 50,000MW of energy storage on the grid, creating a

strong opportunity for new pumped storage development.

Policymakers and environmentalists have been particularly inter-

ested to see that much of this growth can come through in technolo-

gies that have a minimal environmental impact. For instance, about

10,000MW of the capacity the industry can develop in the next 15

years can come from projects that convert some of the country’s

80,000 dams, which currently don’t generate electricity, to hydro

generating facilities.

Efciency improvements at existing facilities, small hydro expan-

sion, and development of new hydrokinetic, ocean, and tidal tech-

nologies are also seeing strong support from policymakers. Congress

and the Administration have demonstrated their support for build-

ing these resources by increasing appropriations for DOE’s water

power programme to US$50M – a huge increase considering that

just seven years ago, the federal water power programme had been

zeroed out.

The White House has also shown its commitment to expand-

ing national water power resources by encouraging greater fed-

eral cooperation on hydro power issues. Earlier this year, DOE,

the US Department of the Interior (DOI), and the US Army Corps

of Engineers signed a memorandum of understanding designed to

foster collaboration among the three agencies.

But, as NHA’s study demonstrates, hydro power can only con-

tinue its growth and achieve its potential with the right policies

in place. NHA is calling for long-term extension of tax incentives

and full incentive parity between hydropower and other renewable

resources. That would provide developers with the long-term tax

certainty they need to move forward on key projects.

NHA is also working to ensure that hydro power has a role in

all upcoming national renewable energy standard or climate and

energy legislation. Maintaining and expanding federal support for

hydro power research and development will also be critical for

bringing new technologies on line.

In the coming months, Congress will face mid-term elections,

which may help drive the push for developing the country’s renewa-

ble-energy portfolio. The Obama Administration, which has called

for doubling all renewable resources in the next 15 years, is also likely

to continue its calls for a clean-energy economy with strong job crea-

tion. NHA and the US hydro power industry stand ready to work

with the President and policymakers at all levels to ensure that hydro

power resources will continue to serve national economic, energy and

environmental priorities for generations to come.

For further information on the National Hydropower

Association, please visit: www.hydro.org

A presidential role

The National Hydropower Association is keen to work with US President Obama, encouraged

by his positive recognition of the role hydro power can play in serving national priorities

IWP& DC

16 JUNE 2010 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION

NORTH AMERICA

N the late 1990s, the New York Power Authority (NYPA)

embarked on what was to become one of the largest, most success-

ful collaborative relicensing processes ever undertaken at a hydro-

electric project, for a new 50-year federal operating licence at the St

Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt power project in northern New York.

One of the outcomes of the relicensing collaborative, which led

to the issuance of a new project licence in October 2003, was

the development of 11 habitat improvement projects (HIPs) for

sh and wildlife in the vicinity of the 800MW generating facility.

NYPA committed US$11M to fund the HIPs.

The improvement projects included establishing spawning beds

in the St Lawrence river for an ancient sh – lake sturgeon – which

is listed as a threatened species in New York and other states. The

largest remnant population of lake sturgeon in New York resides

in the St. Lawrence River in the vicinity of the St. Lawrence-FDR

project. One of the more critical factors limiting the restoration of

lake sturgeon has been the lack of quality spawning habitat.

In October 2007, NYPA constructed two spawning beds after a

systematic site selection process supported by detailed study of the

river characteristics and sturgeon activity.

The results have been outstanding. Large numbers of sturgeon

were attracted to the area and high levels of successful reproduc-

tion occurred within the rst season after the beds were in place.

The success of the endeavour was even more apparent in 2009,

the second season, with video observations showing nearly a

fourfold increase in the use of the beds by spawning sturgeon.

The power authority intends to pursue the same deliberative

approach in installing additional sturgeon spawning beds in the St.

Lawrence-FDR project area over the next few years.

GENERAL PROJECT DESCRIPTION

In undertaking the lake sturgeon spawning beds project, NYPA

was mindful of the mixed results experienced by others in conduct-

ing measures to encourage lake sturgeon natural reproduction.

Recognising the importance of undertaking a carefully thought out,

data-based approach, NYPA worked closely with representatives of

the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

(DEC), the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), New York Rivers

United, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and other stakeholders in the

siting and design of the new spawning beds.

The DEC, in trying to restore the remnant population in New

York, put great value on achieving this through natural reproduc-

tion. Improving lake sturgeon spawning opportunities was identied

in NYPA’s collaborative relicensing process as an unmet need, and

became one of the habitat improvement projects incorporated in the

new St. Lawrence-FDR project licence. NYPA agreed to install a total

of six sturgeon spawning beds under this HIP.

NYPA wanted to have a high probability of long-term success for

the new beds. It was agreed that a phased approach would be taken,

so that lessons learned from the rst phase could be incorporated into

later phases. The rst phase would involve the siting and installation

of two beds, and, if successful, the successive beds would follow,

adapting this successful model. NYPA agreed to initiate a rigorous

research programme to identify the optimal site location and charac-

teristics for the beds.

In 2004 and 2005, NYPA conducted a comprehensive survey of the

St. Lawrence-FDR project impoundment – Lake St. Lawrence – using

both underwater video cameras and gill netting to determine where stur-

geon were active during the spawning season. These surveys also includ-

ed characterisation of the riverbed’s structure and substrate. The studies

found few signs of sturgeon activity until they reached the Iroquois con-

trol dam, part of the generating project, at the upper reaches of Lake St.

Lawrence on the St. Lawrence river in the town of Waddington.

Near the control dam, NYPA’s contractors observed and gill netted

several sturgeon. All were males and many were in spawning condi-

Above: The St-Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt power project

A habitat improvement project

to promote lake sturgeon reproduction

in the St Lawrence river has been an

outstanding success. Dr Kevin McGrath

from New York Power Authority explains why

Spawning success

WWW.WATERPOWERMAGAZINE.COM JUNE 2010 17

NORTH AMERICA

tion. Further surveys looked for sturgeon eggs in the near vicinity of

the dam. None were found. NYPA concluded that although the few

sturgeon in the vicinity of the dam appeared ready to spawn, there

was no apparent egg laying activity where it was considering install-

ing the beds. This meant there were opportunities to provide effec-

tive spawning habitat, just upstream and downstream of the dam,

without impacting any existing spawning activity.

Having established a general site location, NYPA set out to under-

stand the specic site characteristics that would optimise long-term

success. Many factors gure into whether an area is attractive to

sturgeon as a spawning bed and whether the bed will stay attrac-

tive in the long term. Many sh species are very selective about the

characteristics of the bottom material where they lay their eggs (the

‘structure’). Lake sturgeon prefer coarse rocky material with open

interstitial spaces between the rocks. These open areas, below the

surface of the rocky material, provide a refuge from predators.

Sturgeon also seek areas with high ow velocities to ensure water

circulates around the eggs, keeping the bed free of sediment while

providing well-oxygenated water. As sturgeon are very powerful

swimmers, they can remain stationary on the bed while releasing eggs

with very little effort.

In the past, some similar projects have addressed site characteris-

tics issues qualitatively, with limited success. The power authority

decided to try to improve the likelihood of success by addressing each

site characteristics factor quantitatively and analytically.

SCIENTIFIC REVIEW

NYPA carefully reviewed the scientic literature for insight on the

importance of spawning bed depth. Staff found conicting reports but

concluded that lake sturgeon can successfully spawn in deeper waters.

Another more difcult characteristic to understand was the effect of

water ow velocities in the areas being considered for the new beds.

The St. Lawrence river is very narrow around Iroquois dam, making

for high velocity currents. The ow velocities were high enough that,

given appropriate designs, they should result in limited sedimentation.

Data on ows, particularly at the level of detail needed for these pur-

poses, were not available, so NYPA initiated a study of the areas of

interest using an acoustic Doppler current proler that produced high

quality data on ow rates throughout the water column and with

great detail near the bottom. With this information, NYPA was able

to determine general areas that had optimal ow characteristics.

NYPA also reviewed the scientic literature for information on the

optimum physical characteristics of the spawning substrate. Again,

the message was mixed, with some studies demonstrating smooth

cobble as preferable, while other studies observed that broken stone

was satisfactory. NYPA selected a relatively uniform size of coarse

crushed gravel in large part because sturgeon had been observed using

similar material for spawning further upstream near an industrial

water intake. The uniform size was selected because stone of simi-

lar size provides the greatest amount of open interstitial space. Also,

NYPA hired a marine engineering rm (Baird Associates of Ottawa,

Ontario) to research the optimal form or shape of the bed that would

prevent sedimentation and eventual clogging of the beds.

Assimilating the information on depth, substrate and velocity, the

power authority decided upon two locations for spawning beds. One

of the sites, upstream of Iroquois dam, had slightly lower velocities,

while the site downstream of the dam had very high velocities. NYPA

reasoned that the high velocities at the downstream site should help to

keep it free of sedimentation while the upstream bed should provide

the more optimum velocity characteristics for spawning.

Next, NYPA faced the challenge of constructing the beds and more

particularly the placement of the coarse gravel on target in an area of high

currents (0.8-1.5m/sec). After considering several options, NYPA hired a

local construction rm (J.E. Sheehan Contracting Corp from Potsdam,

NY) that identied a bottom-opening hopper barge as the most practical

means to place the bed material evenly in the identied areas.

By using global positioning system equipment to precisely locate

the sites, it was possible to deposit multiple loads of the material so

it was well distributed in the area selected. NYPA’s contractor then

built a heavy steel rake by welding metal ‘teeth’ onto a heavy steel

I-beam that could be lowered from a work boat with a small crane

and dragged along the bed to level the piles of gravel deposited from

the barge hoppers. Divers were used to inspect the beds and identify

areas that needed to be further leveled or required additional gravel.

WILL THEY COME?

With the bed material in place in the fall of 2007, the next step was

to see if the sturgeon would be receptive. In other words, we built

it – now will they come?

Come they did. In spring 2008, another NYPA consultant

(Environnement Illimite of Montreal, Quebec) conducted video

monitoring of the two beds to check for the presence of sh. Though

hopeful, NYPA was prepared for several years of study to determine

if the beds were successful in attracting sh, whether spawning was

taking place, and whether larvae were being successfully hatched. It

turned out that was over-preparation.

On the very rst day of video monitoring, numerous sturgeon were

observed on and near the beds. Continued monitoring showed that

their numbers gradually increased and then dramatically so. This sharp

peak was believed to be the result of the dynamic of the males gathering

slowly and then the females arriving in greater numbers as conditions

(water temperature, in particular) became optimal for spawning.

After the sturgeon were observed, egg traps were put out and

quickly conrmed the presence of sturgeon eggs. After an appropriate

incubation period, drift ichthyoplankton nets were put out and the

sampling conrmed that larvae had successfully hatched. Production

levels approached those found at very productive natural spawning

beds. The beds had succeeded in their rst year of use.

The second season, in 2009, video monitoring alone was conduct-

ed on the spawning beds. The same pattern was observed, with many

sturgeon being observed on and near the beds prior to the optimum

spawning temperature. Then, as the optimum temperature was reached,

there was again a substantial increase of sturgeon on the spawning beds.

Based upon semi-quantitative estimates, using video monitoring, it was

estimated that the number of sturgeon on the beds had increased almost

fourfold, compared to 2008, to approximately 1000. Further, the video

monitoring demonstrated that the beds remained sediment free.

REMARKABLE SUCCESS

Given that no sturgeon were spawning at these specic sites prior

to the installation of the beds, this demonstrates that the sturgeon

spawning habitat was likely limited, and that the installation of the

beds provided the needed substrate to allow the species to naturally

reproduce, thus contributing to its restoration.

The experience with the new spawning beds has been a remarkable

success. It was unexpected that the sturgeon would accept the beds so

quickly and completely. NYPA and its relicensing collaborators have

opened a new door for the recovery of the lake sturgeon.

Dr Kevin McGrath, manager, environmental studies and

remediation, New York Power Authority

IWP& DC

Video monitoring was conducted on the spawning beds

The latest issue of

Dam Engineering

is on its way to subscribers.

This issue contains the following papers:

•

Design procedure for a spiral casing for hydraulic turbines with a numerical ﬂow study by Ahmed

Alnaga & Jean-Louis Kueny.

A smart design procedure for a spiral casing for hydraulic

turbines has been developed and described.

•

Dynamic analysis of anchored concrete linings of plunge pools loaded by high velocity jet

impacts issuing from dam spillways by Maziar Mahzari & Anton J Schleiss.

A theoretical stochastic

approach for the structural analysis of plunge pool liners dynamically loaded by the impact of free-falling jets.

•

Investigation of compaction methods of embankment cores in high rainfall regions by J Jalili & M Jahanandish.

In this paper a

literature review of trends applied in the construction of embankment dam cores in wet regions is presented, followed by an

experimental procedure, as a rule for choosing the best compaction method for such soils.

•

Performance evaluation of a vortex-type sediment extractor with diaphragm by Nayan Sharma, D Das & Gopal Das Singhal.

The

study reported in this paper investigates the effect of the variation of key components of a vortex extractor.

•

Shape optimisation of the new section in raising existing concrete gravity dams using genetic algorithm by Mahmoud R Maheri & M

Ranjbarzadeh.

A simple genetic algorithm (GA) is adopted to optimise the shape of the new section in a raised gravity dam.

Dam Engineering is an academic journal, published quarterly. It contains refereed papers on subjects related to all areas of

dams and hydro power. At present there is no restriction on the length of submitted papers.

For information on submitting papers, or for more details about subscribing to

Dam Engineering

, contact: Tracey Honney,

Dam Engineering, Progressive House, 2 Maidstone Road, Foots Cray, Sidcup, Kent DA14 5HZ

tel: +44 20 8269 7767 , fax: +44 208 269 7804, email: thonney@progressivemediagroup.com

New Issue of

Dam Engineering

WWW.WATERPOWERMAGAZINE.COM JUNE 2010 19

NORTH AMERICA

Visions of hydro

IWP&DC features a selection of companies who will be exhibiting at the HydroVision

2010 conference, to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina in the US from 27-30 July 2010.

Accusonic Technologies supplies the hydro-

electric industry with multiple-path, ultra-

sonic transit-time owmeters. The products

(models 7700, 7720 and 7510+) are in use

worldwide at major hydroelectric projects,

including pumped storage facilities, helping

operators to obtain better unit performance

data via continuous on-line high accuracy

ow monitoring, says the company.

Hydro consultants and project owners

also use Accusonic ow measurements and

hydro turbine performance test services to

evaluate turbine condition and performance,

including before and after unit rehabilitation

performance assessment, and for demon-

strating new turbine performance as part of

contractual turbine acceptance procedures.

Accusonic projects include 18-path,

unit flow measurements at the Three

Gorges project in China (12.4m diam-

eter penstock). These were installed and

commissioned in Unit G18 penstock

of the right bank powerhouse. Other

projects include the US Army Corps of

Engineers’ Carters dam powerhouse in

Georgia (5.5m diameter penstock) and

the US Bureau of Reclamation’s Grand

Coulee hydro project (4.5m diameter

penstock) in Washington.

Flow engineering and measurement

experts from Accusonic have also helped

design and implement a test measure-

ment programme commissioned by Three

Gorges Power Corporation (TGP). Earlier

this year, Accusonic received orders for an

additional two 18-path owmeter systems

from TGP for installation in their newest

underground power house.

Accusonic has also been working on a

ow measurement inter-comparison pro-

gramme for low head hydro applications.

The tests were carried out in October

2009 and were sponsored by the Canadian

Electrical Association Technologies

Inc (CEATI) and the ASME PTC-18

Committee. An eight-path flowmeter

conguration was used in the penstock at

Kootenay Canal hydro plant in Canada

as a ducial reference. The results essen-

tially showed close agreement between the

eight-path ow measurements taken in the

unit penstock and the 18-path congura-

tion installed in the unit intake. The full

results are to be presented at the Hydro

2010 conference in Portugal.

www.accusonic.com

American Governor is a full service gov-

ernor company, offering parts, service,

training and technical support for legacy

governors as well as custom-engineered

digital governor upgrade packages.

For legacy governors the company offers

new and refurbished parts, experienced

field service and expert

training. It offers com-

plete factory repair and

overhaul services for

many types of governors,

oil pumps and permanent

magnet generators.

American Governor

also offers a wide range

of retrofit kits for gov-

ernors and pumps to

extend their useful life

or provide enhanced

functionality. Two examples: a ballhead

drive simulator that allows simulated on-

line testing of mechanical governors, and

solenoid-operated pilot unloader kits for

Herringbone gear pumps.

The company has already commis-

sioned or have orders for over 275 digital

governor systems. Some

of its recent digital gover-

nor conversion projects or

awards include:

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Two four-needle Impulse

un it s wi th P el to n

mechanical governors.

r-"%814*T $BTUBJD

plant : Si x Fra ncis

pumped storage units

with Woodward and

Voith digital governors.

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Bulb unit with GE digital governor.

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with Voith digital governors.

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Three Francis units with Allis-Chalmers

mechanical governors.

r(FPSHJB1PXFST&TUBUPBIQMBOU*NQVMTF

unit with Woodward digital governor.

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Impulse unit with Woodward mechani-

cal governor.

r64"$&T8FCCFST'BMMTQMBOU5ISFF

slant-axis Kaplan units with Pelton

mechanical governors.

r64"$&T/83FHJPOVOJUT'SBODJT

and Kaplan, with various mechanical

and analog governors.

www.americangovernor.com

ACCUSONIC TECHNOLOGIES Booth 420

MERICAN GOVERNOR COMPANY Booth 525

Australian Winders USA has been formed

to meet the growing demand for skilled

rewinding technicians in the US market.

Based in New York, Australian Winders

USA is a subsidiary of its Australia based

parent company.

Specialising in hydro generation in the

US, it has a team of experienced winders

ready to respond to outage needs. These

highly skilled technicians can take on any

part of a generation project from a simple

repair or testing to an entire restack and

rewind, says the company.

http://australianwinders.com.au/

AUSTRALIAN WINDERS USA Booth 1028

20 JUNE 2010 INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER & DAM CONSTRUCTION

NORTH AMERICA

Canyon Hydro manufactures utility-grade

hydro systems to 25MW. Building tur-

bines for more than 30 years, the company

has gained industry-wide recognition and

produces custom-designed turbine systems

and complete water-to-wire packages for

utilities, IPPs and municipalities worldwide.

With the recent addition of a seven-axis

CNC milling system, Canyon Hydro says

it is the only turbine manufacturer in North

America able to fully machine one-piece

Pelton runners up to 5m in diameter.

In addition to manufacturing new hydro

systems, Canyon Hydro offers extensive

repair and refurbishment services. Worn

runners can be remanufactured to meet

Canyon’s newest design specifications,

with all surfaces CNC-machined to match

precise computer models. “

Canyon Hydro has recently completed

several noteworthy hydro projects includ-

ing Tyson Creek in British Columbia, a

10MW project with the highest head in

North America at 865m. In Honduras, the

La Esperanza project uses twin Canyon

Pelton-type turbines to produce 12MW.

Canyon Hydro is also currently near-

ing completion of a Pelton turbine for

Lower Valley Energy in Wyoming, US. It

is the third turbine of a series built for the

Swift Creek project, following Francis and

Kaplan units supplied by Canyon Hydro.

www.canyonhydro.com

CANYON HYDRO Booth 645

The Tyson Creek project in British Columbia is the

highest head system in North America at 865m. This

Canyon Hydro Pelton turbine generates about 10MW

CEATI International Inc combines inter-

utility information exchange, informal

benchmarking, and technology trans-

fer opportunities with the development

of highly leveraged, collaborative R&D

projects for utilities. These are initiated on

issues raised by participating organisations

and are typically short term, resulting in

practical deliverables that impact day-to-

day operations and strategic planning.

The CEATI conventional programme is

comprised of a Hydraulic Plant Life Interest

Group (HPLIG), Water Management

Interest Group (WMIG) and Dam Safety

Interest Group (DSIG).

HPLIG is designed to assist hydroelec-

tric utilities and has active programmes

in areas such as electrical and mechanical

overhaul, generator stator rewinds, reli-

ability of discharge facilities, plus a dis-

solved oxygen working group.

WMIG is designed to assist hydroe-

lectric utilities in their efforts to improve

water utilisation and station efciency,

meet regulatory obligations, and foster

acceptance of hydroelectric projects and

operations. The programme focuses on

developing improvements to water man-

agement, water utilisation decision proc-

ess and inow forecasting techniques.

DSIG is designed to assist dam owners

in their efforts to improve the safety of

dams. This includes public and asset

protection as well as meeting regula-

tory requirements. DSIG has active pro-

grammes in the following areas:

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analysis management – best practices.

r1FPQMFUFDIOPMPHZBOEPSHBOJTBUJPO

application to emergency action/ pre-

paredness plans.

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including gauging the effectiveness of

dam safety programmes.

r$PNQBSJTPOPGáPPEIB[BSEFTUJNBUJPO

methods for dam safety.

Other DSIG initiatives include the 2009

industry workshop called Learning from

International Dam Incidents and Failures.

www.ceati.com

CEATI INTERNATIONAL INC. Booth 117

Columbia Industrial Products (CIP)

is the manufacturer of CIP Hydro – a

dependable and high quality composite

bushing material designed to help elimi-

nate undesired maintenance and grease

while optimising the friction, wear and

bearing functions in hydro power plants,

says the company.

CIP Hydro is a non-toxic laminate com-

posite material made by impregnating tex-

tiles with thermo setting resins and solid

lubricants. Columbia Industrial Products

offers this hydro composite material for

bearings, wear pads, sleeve and flange

bearings, and thrust washers.

As a composite material, CIP Hydro

has high load, high impact capabilities

while remaining lightweight and corro-

sion resistant. These composites offer low

coefcient of friction (tested by Power

Tech Labs), negligible moisture absorp-

tion and great dimensional stability in

wet and dry environments. As a bearing

functioning completely submerged under

water, CIP Hydro performs excellently,

says the company. This hydro composite

material is easy to machine and can be

press or freeze tted with the ability to

machine in place while remaining stable

when misalignment is present.

CIP Hydro is custom designed to speci-

fications, and can be utilised as wicket

gate bearings, pump bearings, main oper-

ating ring wear pads, servo valve wear

rings, sh screen and ladder bushings. As

a general guide, it can be used as replace-

ments for existing bronze or urethane

based wear and bearing materials.

A few of the projects that Columbia

Industrial Products has manufactured

and machined bearings for in the US

are: John Day dam (Oregon/Washington

State); Foster dam (Oregon); Twin Cities

Assembly Plant dam (Minnesota).

www.cipcomposites.com

COLUMBIA INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS Booth 944

Top: Foster dam radial spillway gate trunnion

bushings; Bottom: Turbine 16 wicket gates

with CIP Hydro.