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Grundfos. This marks the first deployment of the technology in Asia. “Think of it like an oil well, but instead of drilling into oil pipelines, the HydroXS taps into water pipelines and generates renewable energy, decarbonizing water systems,” Semler said. “This is a predictable, consistent, low-cost and dispatchable source of energy that’s ideal for urban, off-grid environments or places where the sun and wind are intermittent. It can also connect to storage for longer term disruptions.” The Thailand system will generate about 876,000 kWh per year, avoiding an estimated 353 metric tons of CO2
annually. All energy will
be consumed on-site. “This is more than just a project – it’s proof that US-designed and built energy tech can compete globally,” added Semler. “We’re turning water into renewable electricity – and now exporting that innovation to help power industrial growth abroad.”
UK
RheEnergise completes main mechanical works at Cornwood energy storage project RheEnergise has completed the main mechanical works at its long-duration energy storage demonstrator project in Cornwood, near Plymouth, Devon. The project is part of the company’s research and development programme and is intended to support the commercial rollout of its pumped hydro storage technology. Onsite work began last year and has been mainly funded through the UK Government’s Longer Duration Energy Demonstration programme run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The mechanical systems now installed include the turbine, pump, generators, piping, valves, power conversion system, mixing system, fluid management system, flow control systems and hydraulics. Civil engineering works, including the powerhouse, reservoirs and underground pipelines, were completed earlier this year. The work was carried out by D.A Macdonald
Ltd, Friendship Engineering and Drew & Co., in collaboration with RheEnergise’s in-house engineering team led by Chief Technology Officer and company co-founder Dr Tamás Bertényi. Dr Bertényi said: “Completion of the main mechanical works is a major milestone in the Cornwood project and allows us to move into the fluid testing and the energy storage phases of work. We have carried out considerable R&D work to get us to this stage but Cornwood is very much a live and crucial test-bed for our work; it is already providing us with valuable data and learnings as we move towards the first commercial deployment of our LDES technology.”
“It’s not without challenges, but we are aiming for our first commercial projects to be built and
commissioned within the next two to three years.”
RheEnergise plans to begin operations at Cornwood this autumn. The company has agreements to deploy its technology in the UK, South America, Australia and mainland Europe. In July, it secured a £2.15m (€2.5m) grant from the European Innovation Council Accelerator to support further R&D and is currently running a funding campaign in the US and Canada.
Pakistan Audit declares Neelum Jhelum hydropower project a failure The Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project, once heralded as a landmark for clean energy in Pakistan, has been declared a failure by the Auditor-General of Pakistan in a scathing performance audit completed for the 2022-23 fiscal year. The 969MW project, designed to generate 5,150 GWh annually and solidify Pakistan’s water rights over the Neelum/Kishenganga River, fell short on nearly every major objective. According to the official report, “the project could not reap envisaged benefits of generation of planned electricity, establishment of water rights over Neelum River, selling of carbon credits under Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and completion of mitigation measures to safeguard the environment”. Planned to be completed in eight years at a cost of Rs.84.502 billion, the project instead took sixteen years and cost Rs.423.446 billion as of June 2023 – an overrun of Rs.338.944 billion. The audit notes: “Non-adherence to guidelines of Manual for Development Projects resulted into time overrun of nine (09) years and cost overrun of Rs.338,944 million as compared to 1st revised PC-I”. The report is blunt: “Prime objective of
planned generation of electricity could not be achieved,” and that generation in recent years dropped as low as 2,476 GWh – less than half the target – before “coming to a complete halt on July 06, 2022 when the project suffered a major break down due to collapse in Tail Race Tunnel (TRT)”.
Pakistan also lost priority water rights to India on the Neelum/Kishenganga due to project delays, as the International Court of Arbitration found “India had a stronger claim to having coupled intent with action at the Kishenganga Hydro-Electric Project … resulting in the former’s priority in right over the later with respect to the use of the waters of the Kishenganga / Neelum River for hydro-electric power generation. … one of the objectives of the project to establish water rights on River Neelum could not be achieved due to delayed completion of the project in 2018 instead of 2010”. The report also highlights “Non-earning of
revenue as per Clean Development Mechanism – US$ 50.133 million,” criticising management’s “non-adherence to the PC-I provisions” which led to failure to earn anticipated international
carbon credits. Environmental issues also mounted due to “improper environmental studies at planning stage – Rs.3,054.664 million,” resulting in river flow reductions and adverse impacts on Muzaffarabad city. Contractors also failed to deliver both punch list items and spare parts required for maintaining the power station, prompting the audit to recommend management “justify delay in completion of punch lists items besides taking action against the contractor as per contract provisions”. Meanwhile, the collapse of the Tail Race Tunnel resulted in a “generation loss – Rs.20,387.422 million,” with insurance claims of Rs.41,964.645 million still unpaid as of the report date.
Echoing public disappointment, the audit concludes, “Major collapse in the TRT of the powerhouse after few years of construction also casts doubt about the quality of design and works … neither the envisaged benefits for generating 5,150 GWh electricity units could be achieved nor water rights over Neelum River established due to loosing Kishenganga case in International Court of Arbitration”. The report calls for urgent reforms, accountability, and completion of outstanding project obligations.
Bhutan
DGPC and Adani Power sign agreements for 570MW Wangchhu Hydropower Project in Bhutan Druk Green Power Corporation Limited (DGPC) and Adani Power have signed agreements to jointly develop the 570MW Wangchhu hydroelectric project in Bhutan. The agreements include a Shareholders
Agreement, a Concession Agreement with the Royal Government of Bhutan, and an in- principle understanding of a Power Purchase Agreement. The signing ceremony was attended by Bhutan’s Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay and Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani. The Wangchhu project will be developed as a peaking run-of-river scheme under a Build, Own, Operate, Transfer (BOOT) model. The project has an estimated cost of INR 60 billion (approximately US$720 million), with construction expected to begin in 2026 and finish within five years. DGPC Managing Director Dasho Chhewang Rinzin said the project will support Bhutan’s energy needs, particularly during the winter months, while enabling power exports to India in the summer. He added that hydropower cooperation with India has been central to Bhutan’s energy strategy since the 1960s. The Wangchhu project is the first to move
forward under a May 2025 memorandum of understanding between DGPC and the Adani Group to develop 5000MW of hydropower in Bhutan. Talks on additional projects under the partnership are continuing.
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