Small Hydro

19 january 2013

India’s Assam State planning massive small hydro expansion

A partnership between the Assam Power Project Development Company Ltd. and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd. could create as many as 149 new small hydropower projects, Indian sources report.

APPDCL has already begun construction on several of the projects, including 4.7 MW Bordikorai, 3 MW Pahumara, 9 MW Disang, 3 MW Kalanga I and II, and 1.6 MW Dronpara. A timetable for the development of the other projects was not specified.

Aboitiz Power expanding hydro portfolio with two new facilities

Filipino management and investment group Aboitiz Power Corp. says it plans to construct two run-of-river plants: 16.4 MW Sita and 11.8 MW Simod. The plants will be built on the Sita and Simod rivers near Kitaotao in Bukidnon Province.

The Philippine Information Agency says the company is the country’s largest hydropower producer, with 38.2 MW of capacity at 15 small hydropower sites.

Aboitiz Power Corp. plans to build two hydro projects on the Sita and Simod rivers, such as this one, in the Philippines’ Bukidnon Province.

Design consultant picked for Jamaica’s Black River project

Global development consultancy Mott MacDonald has been selected as designer and technical advisor by Kier Construction Limited for a US$27 million project. The hydro facility, on the Black River in Jamaica’s St. Elizabeth parish, was constructed in the late 1950s with a 6.3 MW capacity that will be doubled during this round of repairs and upgrades.

The project is owned by the Jamaica Public Service Company. Work will include the construction of a new intake, alteration of the existing weir, doubling the number of existing pipelines and construction of a new powerhouse with two horizontal axis Francis turbines.

Mott MacDonald will design all the components in addition to providing hydraulic analysis and flood risk assessment for the expansion. Kier Construction was awarded the project’s development contract in December 2011.

Group to stimulate development with new support program

A program created by the Global Village Energy Partnership International aims to jumpstart small hydroelectric development in Tanzania.

GVEP says one of the biggest obstacles facing hydropower developers in Tanzania is a lack of financing, so the group is collaborating with the World Bank and Tanzania’s Rural Energy Agency to implement its new “Pre-Investment Technical Support” program.

The program will help developers complete feasibility studies, business plans, and environmental and social impact assessments, all of which, GVEP notes, can be costly and time-consuming. GVEP’s support will also enable developers to access subsidies through the REA and secure loans from local banks, the organization says.

GVEP and the REA are collaborating to assist six small hydropower developers. The six projects will have a combined capacity of about 7.5 MW and will be located in Tanzania’s Mbeya, Iringa, Ruvuma, Arusha and Kigoma regions. Most will be isolated mini-grids not connected to the country’s national transmission network.

“This will help more Tanzanians access energy and create economic opportunities,” says GVEP Regional Manager James Wakaba. “In addition, projects will help reduce global warming, earn carbon credits and create sustainable energy businesses with project development capability.”

Minerco to liquidate Honduran hydropower plant

Renewable energy developer Minerco Resources Inc. announces it will sell its 4 MW Iscan plant in Honduras.

Minerco acquired the facility in January 2011 from Energetica de Occidente S.A. de C.V. (Enercosa). In exchange for full control of the then-uncompleted plant, Enercosa received 1 million shares of Minerco stock in two installments.

The Houston-based company says the project will have an estimated annual return of 30% with an initial capital expenditure of $50,000 to $100,000.

Minerco President V. Scott Vanis says the company is selling the Iscan plant to concentrate more on development of the 6 MW Chiligatoro hydro plant.

CAF, Sao Paulo teaming up for small hydropower study

The Andean Development Corporation and the governor of Brazil’s Sao Paulo state have recently signed an agreement that will provide non-reimbursable funds for the research and evaluation of small hydro plants.

The agreement, signed by corporation representative Moira Paz Estenssoro and Sao Paulo Governor Geraldo Alckmin, is meant to determine the potential for expansion at existing sites and to identify others for new development. This information will then be used by state officials in their policymaking decisions, says Estenssoro. ADC says it is specifically researching the expansion and development of small hydroelectric plants because they are the most economically feasible option for Sao Paulo communities and the least environmentally intrusive.

Kemijoki Oy picks Metso for automation system work

Finnish electric utility Kemijoki Oy has selected technology supplier Metso for automation work at two hydro plants. Three turbine automation systems at the 17 MW Inkeroinen facility and one at the 20 MW Anjalankosi plant will be replaced, Metso says.

Inkeroinen was built in the 1920s and renovated last in 1994, while Anjalankoski was built in 1983. Both plants supply power to the national grid.

Kemijoki Oy owns 20 hydropower plants, which combine for a capacity of more than 1,000 MW.

Nicaragua working to advance 2.5 MW Montecristo

Nicaragua’s electric utility plans to hire a consultant to design and to prepare tender documents for construction of the 2.5 MW Montecristo hydro project in San Sabastian de Yali, Jinotega Department.

With funding from international lenders for a national program for sustainable electrification and renewable energy, Nicaragua recruited consultants in February to design and prepare tender documents for five small hydro projects in Nicaragua’s Region Autonoma del Atlantico Norte.