Europe |
“This novel approach will also go a long way towards helping Scottish Water achieve net zero emissions by 2040 and beyond, deliver service excellence, and create greener communities,” Beaumont added. The hydro scheme is expected to be operational by the end of autumn 2023 and has already garnered attention, being shortlisted for two categories at the upcoming Water Industry Awards at the end of June. The scheme will be delivered by local renewable
energy solutions specialists FES Support Services Ltd on behalf of Scottish Water Horizons and will join a growing portfolio of water and waste water treatment works that are now either self-sufficient or partly sufficient in generating their own power requirements.
Britain’s first new pumped storage hydro plant
Top and above: The water crisis in Sau reservoir in Catalonia, Spain. Reservoirs here were reported to be at 30% capacity
Below: Ruins of the old town of Sau on the banks of the Sau reservoir in the middle of the drought
in decades. “These plants play a critical role in stabilising the electricity system, helping to balance supply and demand through storing excess power from the national grid. When Scotland’s wind turbines are generating more power than we need, Cruachan steps in to store the renewable electricity so it doesn’t go to waste,” Gardiner said. “With the right support from the UK Government, Drax will invest c.£500m to more than double Cruachan’s generating capacity and support almost 1,000 jobs across the supply chain during construction.” However, the expansion of Cruachan relies on the UK Government providing an updated financial stabilisation mechanism, as the absence of a framework for large- scale, long-duration storage technologies has prevented new plants from being constructed in the UK since 1984, despite their vital role in the decarbonisation process. “We know that there remain a number of challenges in developing new hydro power projects in Scotland,” commented Humza Yousaf. “The Scottish Government will continue to urge the UK government to provide an appropriate market mechanism for hydro power and other long duration energy storage technologies, to ensure that the potential for hydro power is fully realised.” With the right support from the UK Government, the new underground pumped storage hydro plant at Cruachan could become operational as early as 2030. Elsewhere is Scotland, Scottish Water has recently announced that construction is well underway on the first pre-fabricated hydro scheme to be installed ‘mid process’ at a waste water treatment works in the UK. The project, at Hamilton Waste Water Treatment
References
2023 World Hydropower Outlook. Opportunities to advance net zero. International Hydropower Association.
www.hydropower.org/news/ the-inaugural-2023-world- hydropower-outlook-out-now
Works in South Lanarkshire, is being led by Scottish Water’s commercial subsidiary Scottish Water Horizons and is expected to generate 0.42GWh of green electricity each year and offset 13 per cent of the treatment works’ annual electricity demand. “Scottish Water has a vast array of land, property, and operational assets that offer enormous potential when it comes to renewables. We need to be open to fresh ideas and bold in our delivery when it comes to achieving our green energy ambitions,” commented Neil Beaumont, Horizons Hydro Energy Team Lead. “Until recently, all previous hydro efforts have concentrated on harnessing energy from our water assets. Now we’re looking at more creative ways to generate energy and lower our carbon emissions. By adopting a non-traditional approach such as that at Hamilton Treatment Works, we can identify opportunities to further optimise generation and tap into significant potential across Scotland.
24 | September 2023 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
Turkey Full commercial operation at the Ysufeli Dam is on track
to start in summer 2023. Construction at this 275m high structure began in 2013 with inauguration taking place in November 2022. It is the tallest dam in Turkey and ranks among the top ten worldwide, offering a total installed capacity of 558MW with its three Francis turbine- generator units. With an annual power production of 1900GWh, Ysufeli Dam provides US$269million added value a year to the Turkish economy and meets the energy needs of 2.5million households.
European alliance In other news, major players in the hydropower sector
announced the launch of the European Hydropower Alliance in May 2023. Aiming to promote the benefits of hydropower and its role in achieving the European Union’s social, climate, and strategic objectives, the alliance includes Statkraft, EDF, Enel Group, Iberdrola, EDP, Vattenfall, Fortum, VERBUND AG, Uniper, and ENGIE, who together represent a total installed hydropower capacity of over 110GW. The alliance aims to recognise and promote the many benefits of hydropower, including its ability to compensate for the variability of intermittent renewables such as wind and solar through its flexibility and storage capacity. The European Hydropower Alliance hopes to work closely with the European Union and other stakeholders to promote hydropower’s many benefits and to ensure that the sector continues to play a vital role in achieving Europe’s energy goals.
Drought conditions As reported by the Global Drought Observatory in
June 2023, a severe drought continues to affect large parts of Europe, with associated impacts and a potentially critical situation for water resources, agriculture, and energy production. In Italy snow accumulation for the 2022-23 winter season has been one of the worst in 30 years for the second year in a row and the amount of snowmelt to run off has been extremely reduced. Last year such ice loss had major implications for hydropower. While in Spain, as Bloomberg reported on 13 July, there have been 34 straight months of drought in Catalonia and reservoirs were at 30% capacity, below the average of 46.5% for the whole of the country. There are warnings that a prolonged lack of perception and the forecast of a warmer than average summer is likely to cause a further reduction in river flows. Water resource managers were advised to plan cautiously in order to limit impacts and identify adaptation strategies.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53
