World news | The San Vicente project would create a small
upper reservoir above the existing, City-owned San Vicente Reservoir, along with a tunnel system and an underground powerhouse to connect the two reservoirs. As planned, the powerhouse would contain four reversible pump turbines. San Vicente Reservoir is near major electricity transmission interconnection facilities, which would allow the project to play a central role in integrating solar and wind energy from across the Southwest for use in San Diego County.
Switzerland
Swiss Govt consults on plans to speed up hydro approval The approval process for hydropower projects in Switzerland could be simplified and streamlined under plans put forward by the country’s government. The current approval procedures for the construction of new plants and the expansion and conversion of existing plants is lengthy, with some projects taking more than 20 years, ministers were told in a meeting on 2 February. The Federal Council wants to speed up the procedures for hydropower and wind turbines, but without making any concessions in terms of nature, environmental protection and monument protection. There is currently no planning for water and wind energy that takes the whole of Switzerland into account. In addition, there are no federal regulations for efficient and comprehensively coordinated cantonal planning and approval procedures for the construction of such plants. The Federal Council proposes that the Confederation draw up a concept with the locations of the most important projects, to serve as a guide for cantonal structural planning. A concentrated planning approval procedure is to be introduced at cantonal level for the approval of these plants. In addition to the building permit, it should include all other permits such as clearance or water protection permits and the right of expropriation. In this way, the Federal Council wants to prevent a project being divided into several stages at different times and the project being able to be challenged in each stage up to the Federal Supreme Court. In the future, there will only be one appeal that will clarify all legal issues. The consultation will last until May 23, 2022.
Europe vgbe publishes note on EU taxonomy and hydropower vgbe energy has announced the publication of an Interpretation Note on Hydropower & the EU Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act (C/2021/4987 final) as a step within the dialogue process with the European Commission and several other affected stakeholders. vgbe says its hydropower members and experts fully support the ambition to become
6 | March 2022 |
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the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and are ready to invest into and further develop sustainable hydropower generation and storage across Europe. The EU Taxonomy is seen as a crucial instrument in this regard, helping to scale up sustainable investment and to implement the Green Deal.
vgbe says that the technical criteria for
hydropower generation and storage are inadequate as they are not as clear and specific as they should be in order to be ready for immediate use and implementation, and as a result it initiated in-depth discussions across the sector to reach both a common understanding as well as aligned interpretations. The result is the Interpretation Note, providing commonly agreed as well as feasible definitions and pre-senting possible solutions, mainly related to current shortcomings and potential misunderstandings. vgbe says the key messages and motivation for the publication of the Interpretation Note were as follows: ● The EU Taxonomy does not provide a level playing field for either renewable electricity generation technologies nor for storage technologies.
● Hydropower is the only renewable technology that is split into different economic activities that all have to fulfil a long list of requirements, marked by unspecific and unclear terminology, hindering a direct, immediate and swift application.
● EU Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act does not take into account the complexity and multipurpose use of hydropower generation and storage facilities, and simultaneously introduces new terms that have not been previously defined in existing EU legislation or in valid technical standards.
● The EU Taxonomy criteria use similar but not the original wording of EU legislation, which might lead to legal uncertainty.
● Numerous requirements and documentation duties are imposed to manufacturers as well as to operators, which may still apply in cases where they are not in charge of fulfilling the requirements or do not have a specific mandate to do so.
Portugal
First unit connected at Gouvães plant Iberdrola, in collaboration with the Portuguese administration, has synchronised the first 220MW turbine at the Gouvães hydroelectric power plant – part of the Tâmega giga battery – delivering clean power to the grid for the first time. The Tâmega complex is one of Europe’s
largest energy storage facilities with an investment of more than €1.5 billion. It comprises three reservoirs (Gouvães, Daivões and Alto Tâmega) and three hydroelectric power plants with 1158MW capacity on the
Tâmega river, a tributary of the Douro. After eight years of construction work, the Gouvães and Daivões plants have now been completed and all of the generating units are currently undergoing commissioning tests, with the plants expected to be fully operational in the middle of this year. Tâmega will be able to produce 1,766 GWh per year, enough to meet the energy needs of neighbouring municipalities and the cities of Braga and Guimarães (440,000 households). In 2024, with the commissioning of Alto Tâmega, the facility will be fully completed. The project development is boosting economic activity and employment in the region. Throughout the construction phase, 3500 direct jobs and 10,000 indirect jobs have been created, 20 % of which from neighbouring municipalities.
US
Kleinschmidt to work on Orr Ditch hydro project Kleinschmidt Associates is to support the Orr Ditch Hydroelectric Project in Nevada, US, as it moves forward to final design and construction after being selected by Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) to provide engineering services. TMWA and Kleinschmidt have worked
together over the last four years to study and advance the project that will generate renewable hydropower for use at TMWA’s largest water treatment plant. This project will save TMWA energy costs and provide clean power to a key part of TMWA’s water treatment and delivery system. “It’s so exciting to be able to use existing infrastructure to bring renewable hydropower onto the grid efficiently,” said Mike Parker, Engineering Market Leader at Kleinschmidt, “Systems like TMWA’s Orr Ditch Hydroelectric Project are part of a more significant trend of bringing hydropower online at existing nonpowered dams and conduits. These systems can have attractive project economics and have a streamlined permitting process through FERC’s Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility program. This combination of great value and simplified development makes this project a great opportunity and long-term value for water authorities and other owners. Kleinschmidt was first approached by
Brent Eisert, TMWA Hydroelectric Generation Manager back in 2018 with the concept of this project. “The project will utilize existing infrastructure and unused canal capacity for driving two new generators located below TMWA’s Chalk Bluff Water Treatment Plant.”, said Eisert, “Kleinschmidt was instrumental with their guidance through the approval process for the Qualifying Conduit Facility program and are continuing as a consultant assisting with the design of the new facility. Not only will this project provide for a reduction in annual energy costs, but it will also serve as a clean renewable
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