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Tractebel and national experts from its local partner are now constantly present to oversee the construction project. Upper Trishuli 1 will be built on the Trishuli River in the Rasuwa region in a remote rural area where there is a need for infrastructure and economic development. The project will feature a 29.5m high diversion weir with spillway; a 9.7km long headwater tunnel with a diameter of around 6.5m and a discharge capacity of 76m3
/
sec with surge tank and a vertical pressure shaft over 300m long; an underground powerhouse with three Francis turbines (3 x 72MW) with a production of 1456GWh/year; a transformer cavern and 220kV outdoor switchgear as well as 1.10km of transmission line. Nepal Water & Energy Development Company Pvt. ltd (NWEDC), which also includes international investors, is developing the project on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis, with the project development agreement signed with the government in December 2016. Since then, the project has gone through an extensive consultation process that ended in an intensive, three-phase Broad Community Support (BCS) process. The local population was comprehensively involved in this project. Plans are to complete the project by December 2026.
Bulgaria
Akuo refinances Bulgarian hydro plants
A portfolio of five operational hydroelectric power plants in Bulgaria with a capacity of 15.5MW have successfully been refinanced, France-based power producer Akuo has announced, with RGREEN INVEST through its INFRAGREEN IV fund on board as a 49% joint shareholder of the assets. This deal follows the acquisition in March 2021 of PVB Power Bulgaria, operator of the hydroelectric plants which have been operational since 2010-2013 and are located on the Iskar river near Svoghe. Bridge funding from Eiffel Energy Transition Fund made the acquisition possible while the banking refinancing was undertaken by the EBRD and UniCredit Bulbank. The refinancing operation enables Akuo to free up financial resources that will be used to develop other greenfield renewable projects in the EBRD’s countries of operation.
Bulgaria has set a target of increasing the
share of renewable energy in its electricity mix to over 30% by 2030. This target includes a 2.6GW increase in the country’s renewable electricity capacity to reach almost 7GW by that time. The Svoghe portfolio will significantly bolster national efforts to meet this objective. “Today more than ever, the EBRD and
UniCredit’s involvement in this renewable energy project sends a strong signal for Bulgaria’s energy independence. We could not have dreamt of better partners in 2022 to accompany this project,” said Eric Scotto,
Chairman and co-founder of Akuo. “This operation breaks new ground for RGREEN INVEST, confirming our strategic ambition with INFRAGREEN IV to support our partners through equity financing, as well as expand our investments in partially merchant energy projects that optimize the profitability of renewable assets,” added Nicolas Rochon, CEO of RGREEN INVEST. “This promising incursion in Bulgaria is paving the way for future ones in the region. The trust and resiliency underpinning our relationship with Akuo, our historical partner, are driving its success every step of the way.”
France Eiffage launches new hydro construction in France France’s Eiffage has announced it is expanding its hydropower portfolio by building a new micro hydropower plant in Terrasson- Lavilledieu, The new plant will be Eiffage’s 11th micro
hydropower plant, following its acquisition of 10 other projects over the last two years. It is being built by Eiffage Énergie Systèmes and Eiffage Génie Civil teams on the Vézère river, and will be carried out in two stages, starting with the reinforcement and raising of the existing dam. This will be followed by the construction of a 499kW micro power station, currently in the design phase.
Eiffage Génie Civil’s teams will manage the earthworks, factory building construction and modifications to the dam, while Eiffage Énergie Systèmes’ teams have been entrusted with designing, manufacturing and installing the hydromechanical, electrical and gates and valves equipment. Environmental factors will also be incorporated including construction of a fish-friendly water intake, downstream channel and fish pass..
US
Nicholson working on El Vado Dam rehabilitation project Geotechnical specialty engineering and construction contractor, Nicholson Construction, is to perform several techniques as part of a project to rehabilitate El Vado dam in New Mexico, US. The 92-year-old, 230ft (70m) high dam is one of the only steel faceplated dams in the country. It is currently undergoing an extensive repair program to improve dam safety and reduce water losses by the US Bureau of Reclamation. Nicholson was subcontracted by Carpi USA
to perform the backfill grouting of voids beneath the existing steel liner plate covering the upstream face of the dam’s embankment. The scope of work also includes the construction of a two-line grout curtain on the dam’s left abutment. The dam stores water for irrigation in the Middle Rio Grand Conservancy District, which includes six pueblos, and provides critical
flood protection for downstream residents. The reservoir also, at times, provides additional drinking water for the cities of Santa Fe and Albuquerque. “We’re very proud to join projects like El Vado Dam,” said Nigel Miller, Regional Manager of Nicholson’s Rocky Mountain Group. “Being part of the process of ensuring that communities have reliable irrigation and drinking water is extremely important to us as at every level of our company.”
Nicholson’s work on the project will be completed in the Fall of 2023.
Mali
Unit 1 at Mariguina hydro plant enters trial operation The 140MW Mariguina hydropower station on the Senegal River in Mali is under trial operation, ready to be officially connected to the grid. Constructed by the 16th Bureau of
Hydropower, the large-scale infrastructure construction project is considered a landmark project for Chinese firms operating in West Africa. It is being developed by the Organization for the Development of the Senegal River Basin (OMVS), with China Power Construction as EPC general contracor. Funds for the project include a loan from the Chinese government. The project features 3x×49MW Kaplan-
type hydro-generator units. It is Unit 1 that has been successfully placed into operation, with work continuing on the installation and commissioning of Units 2 and 3. The construction of the Maliguina
hydropower station has helped drive economic development in Mali and surrounding countries, providing more than 1000 local jobs in total. Once fully commissioned, the plant will transmit electricity to Mali, Senegal, Mauritania and West Africa through the regional power grid.
Ecuador Solaris and CELEC in MOU for hydro supply Solaris Resources Inc and its subsidiary Lowell Mineral Exploration Ecuador S.A. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Electric Corporation of Ecuador (CELEC) for the supply of low-cost, locally sourced hydroelectric power to Solaris’ Warintza copper project in southeastern Ecuador. The hydroelectric power provided by CELEC
from the National Transmission System in Ecuador is expected to become the primary power source for the Warintza Project. Solaris said it intends to maximize the
potential for efficiencies derived from this abundant, renewable, low-cost energy source by studying the potential for electrification of infrastructure, mobile mining equipment, including drills, trucks and shovels, materials movement and conveyance, including gravity-assisted solutions, and processing and pumping systems.
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