South America |
Above: The Rapel hydroelectric dam in Chile. The country is ranked 6th in the top ten of South American installed hydropower capacity
communicated in an open letter to the Presidents of both nations and endorsed by 37 civil society organisations in July 2023. “This,” the World Hydropower Outlooks states, “underscores the need for constructive dialogue and engagement among project developers, government authorities and affected communities to address concerns, mitigate adverse impacts and promote sustainable development practices in the hydropower sector.”
In addition to new projects, the Brazilian hydropower
sector is actively engaged in modernisation initiatives, where activity has focused on the 1551MW Jupiá plant and renovation of the 424MW Jaguara scheme. The importance of such investment and maintaining vital infrastructure was recently highlighted by the partial collapse of the dam which forms part of the 14 de Julho hydropower plant, following days of heavy rain in the region. The breached dam reportedly created a 2m wave,
exacerbating the situation in already inundated areas where over 15,000 residents were evacuated their homes. Meteorologists attribute the extreme weather phenomenon to an unusual amalgamation of soaring temperatures, elevated humidity levels, and fierce winds. “As temperatures rise and weather patterns become
increasingly unpredictable, investment in and maintenance of vital infrastructure will become more necessary,” Eddie Rich, CEO of the IHA, commented.
Chile
Small and micro projects across Chile have helped to make a bigger mark on the country’s hydropower capacity, by adding 228MW last year. Chile is also progressing with various larger schemes such as the
28 | August 2024 |
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300MW Espejo de Tarapaca pumped storage facility that will be co-located with the 561MW photovoltaic solar plant, Cielos de Tarapacá. Moreover, it will operate with locally sourced seawater, standing out as the first of its kind in the country and the region. Leading hydropower operator, Colbún, which is also
the third largest power generation company in Chile, is now working with the UK clean-technology company RheEnergise, to explore the potential deployment of a new form of long-duration hydro-energy storage, known as High-Density Hydro. In RheEnergise’s first entry into the South America’s
energy market, the two companies will work together to evaluate the feasibility of building a 10MW, 10-hour HD Hydro system in Chile. Colbún sees the deployment of RheEnergise’s HD Hydro as a way to complement its existing portfolio of hydro, wind and solar projects through a new technology that could solve the problem of intermittency of renewable energy. RheEnergise’s HD Hydro technology is particularly attractive in Chile because it is not affected by water scarcity risks. Subject to the outcome of this work, to be carried out over the next 12 months, the two companies are aiming to have their first 10MW scheme in commercial operation by 2030. Diego García, Colbún’s Innovation Manager said: “Innovation is key for the energy transition. Technological advances in solar and wind power makes them the leading sources of green energy in many parts of the world. Now, we need new storage solutions to cope with the intermittency of renewable energy, and the technology that RheEnergise is developing could have a key role in this regard.” “Chile is a very attractive market for RheEnergise’s HD Hydro,” said Sophie Orme, the company’s Commercial
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