New projects | Project updates IWP&DC takes a look at new project developments globally
THE 34.1MW KINGUÉLÉ AVAL hydroelectric project is set to become the first independent hydropower project in Gabon. To be built on the Mbei River, 90km east of Gabon’s capital, Libreville, it will have a net annual generation of 203GWh. The scheme is set to benefit from a €39 million loan package from the African Development Bank Group. The funds, comprised of €20 million from the African Development Bank, €10 million from the Africa Growing Together Fund and €9 million in concessional financing from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa, will be used to help build the scheme. “We are delighted to support the first IPP project in Gabon,” said Wale Shonibare, Director of the Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation Department at the African Development Bank. “Kinguélé Aval is a showcase project, and the success of the model provides a useful template for future projects that will help move the country closer towards achieving the government’s 100% clean energy target.” In Côte d’Ivoire the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund is lending €25 million over 18 years to Ivoire Hydro Energy to build a 44MW hydro electricity generation plant on the Bandama River near the village of Singrobo. Financial close is expected in late Q3 2021 and the €174 million project is forecast to take some 36 months to build. The new facility will be the country’s first
Below: Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has said that the construction of new dams and reservoirs is vital to meet the country’s impending challenges of water shortage and power generation
hydroelectric development by an independent power producer. A long-term power purchase agreement will see all of the energy produced by the Singrobo plant sold to Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Electricité, the operator of Côte d’Ivoire’s national grid. Electrification rates in Côte d’Ivoire range from 88% in urban areas to as low as 31% in rural parts of the country. The project site is located on the Bandama River, 23km downstream of the existing Taabo Dam and upstream of the confluence of the Nzi River. It includes: ● A 27m high and 1025m long rockfill dam on the right bank.
● On the left bank, a concrete dam approximately 27m high and 150m long
● A reservoir with an area of maximum 19.6km2 volume of approximately 105hm3
and a
● A powerhouse with two horizontal 22MW Kaplan turbines supplied by GE/ Alstom
● A 1.3km long and 35m wide tailrace channel ● A 4km 90kV transmission line and substation to connect to the hydropower plant to the existing Taabo-Agboville transmission line
New dams are vital Construction of new dams and reservoirs is vital to
meet the impending challenges of water shortage and power generation in Pakistan, the country’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has said. During a visit to the construction site of Dasu Dam in June 2021, the prime minister expressed satisfaction
26 | November 2021 |
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over the pace of ongoing work and lauded efforts towards completion of project. He said completion of the dam would ensure cheap and clean electricity, easing the burden on consumers while ushering in a new era of socio-economic development in the country. Phase I of Dasu Dam will be completed in 2025 when it will start supplying 2160MW to the national grid. After completion of Phase II in 2029, the capacity of the dam will be increased to 4320MW. Under Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision of power
sector reform and better use of the country’s water resources, the work at the Dasu Dam has been enhanced. The purchase of land for the dam has been finalised and dam construction is continuing.
Nepalese projects The Upper Tamakoshi Hydroelectric Project (UTKHEP)
has been placed into operation in Nepal, with its 456MW capacity making it the largest hydropower plant in the country. The plant is located in a remote region of the upper
Himalayas on the Tamakoshi River basin, about six kilometers from the border with Tibet. With a natural head of 822m and six underground units, it produces up to 2281GWh of electricity annually. This renewable energy will improve living conditions and promote economic development in the country. All six turbines and generators have been in full operation since September 2021. During the rainy season, the total electricity generation of Nepal will exceed what the population and the economy are currently consuming. This will lead to decreasing electricity costs, with plans to supply consumers in need with electricity free of charge. In addition, Nepal could export electricity. The Nepal Electricity Authority, Nepal Telecom,
Citizens Investment Trust and Rastriya Beema Sansthan are the promoters of Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Limited (UTKHPL). The general public has also made a huge investment through the company’s initial public offering (IPO). The UTKHPL, executing agency of the plant, is considering a second expansion stage, the Rolwaling Khola Hydroelectric Project (RKHEP) with an installed capacity of 20MW. In addition to the 2281GWh annual energy from the UTKHEP, another 105GWh would come from this new power plant.
Since 2011, hydropower experts from Tractebel engie have been responsible for the implementation planning and construction management of the project, in cooperation with its partners.
In other news in Nepal, SJVN has been selected to develop the 679MW Lower Arun hydroelectric project following an international competitive bidding process, the company has announced. The Lower Arun project is located in the Sankhuwasabha and Bhojpur Districts of Nepal. The project will not have any reservoir or dam but
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