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commence once the project is constructed and begins delivering power to New York City, which is expected to begin in 2025.
US
Major upgrade project completed at Buchanan Dam The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) has completed a $51 million, 12 year project to upgrade the floodgates at Buchanan Dam in Texas to maintain continued reliable and safe operations at the dam. The refurbishment project at Buchanan Dam, which forms Lake Buchanan at the upper end of the Highland Lakes chain, took more than a decade because the rehabilitation work was extensive and was performed on only a few of the dam’s 37 floodgates at a time to keep the dam capable of responding to flooding at all times. “This is a remarkable dam and a remarkable
project,” said Timothy Timmerman, chair of the LCRA Board of Directors. “The dam was completed in 1938 using technology and engineering standards of the day. Without changing the dam’s structure, we were able to upgrade the floodgates to meet today’s engineering standards, as well as make them able to respond to flooding more quickly.” In addition to strengthening each floodgate,
crews added 30 stationary remote-operated hoists to enable LCRA to open the floodgates more quickly. The project also added two new traveling remote-operated hoists for the remaining seven floodgates. In the past, crews had to manually move the hoists from floodgate to floodgate. The steel bridge structures over the 37 floodgates that support the hoists also were re-coated to provide long-term protection to the steel. “LCRA operates dams in the heart of Flash Flood Alley, and we take that responsibility very seriously,” said Phil Wilson, LCRA general manager. “We have to stay vigilant and ready to protect the water supply and respond to flooding at any time, and a significant part of that effort involves keeping our dams in excellent condition. We are fully committed to keeping our dams safe and reliable to continue serving the people of Texas.” With the Buchanan Dam project now completed, LCRA plans to begin conversations with the Federal Emergency Management Agency about potentially allowing Lake Buchanan to rise to a level of 1,020ft msl year-round. Under the current agreement with FEMA, the lake must be maintained at or below 1,018ft msl from May through October, and 1,020ft msl the rest of the year, because of concerns it would have been difficult to open the floodgates quickly if the need arose. LCRA expects any changes to the dam’s maximum operating level to take time, and once enacted, would not mean the lake would be kept at 1,020 feet msl year-round. Instead, a change in the maximum operating level would
mean the lake could rise to that level when circumstances allowed. The recent work at Buchanan Dam is part of
LCRA’s continuing commitment to keep its dam infrastructure operating safely and reliably. From fiscal years 2010 to 2020, LCRA invested more than $111 million in capital projects along the Highland Lakes, Lake Bastrop and Lake Fayette. LCRA plans to invest an additional $83 million in these types of projects through fiscal year 2026. In October 2020, LCRA completed a $10.8 million project to replace each of the floodgates at Tom Miller Dam in Austin and has begun a similar renovation project at Wirtz Dam. Gate rehabilitation projects also are underway at Mansfield and Starcke dams. The project at Buchanan Dam strengthened all 37 floodgates and provided a 1ft vertical extension on each floodgate to reduce the potential for overtopping and allow more time to open the floodgates during a flood; removed and inspected all gate trunnions, replacing them as needed; upgraded the dam’s electrical system; provided stop logs to hold back water to allow work on the floodgates to take place in a dry environment; upgraded security and safety features; and recoated all the hoist bridges.
South Africa Thyssengroup and SENS collaborate on underground pumped storage Sustainable Energy Solutions Sweden Holding AB (SENS) and Thyssenkrupp Uhde Africa are to work together to potentially develop an underground pumped storage project in South
Africa.The firms will collaborate on a feasibility study at a specific mine site which could be developed into a full-scale pumped storage project. “The collaboration with thyssenkrupp opens up opportunities for us to undertake large-scale international energy storage projects, in line with SENS ‘new strategy,” commented SENS Acting CEO Lise Toll. “Together, we will now explore the potential of deep gold mines and use these for a more sustainable tomorrow together with one of the world’s leading industrial companies. It is a breakthrough for the green energy transition in South Africa if this is realized because it has great opportunities in a number of projects that look similar.” South Africa has a large number of closed mines which may be suitable for pumped storage development. The conditions in the gold mines mean significantly reduced costs as the necessary components for implementing pumped storage power plants are already available. The increased demand for renewable energy
sources and combating the climate crisis are expected to drive market growth through energy storage, with Renewable Underground Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage (RUPHE”) in abandoned mines offering potential to make up a large part of that energy storage.
Thyssenkrupp Udhe Africa collaborates with a number of international companies in the reuse of abandoned mines. Since 2020, it has an agreement with Wismut GmbH, which works with decontamination and restoration of closed mines in South Africa. SENS is developing energy systems for resource-efficient energy use and together the parties will now carry out a feasibility study, with the aim of developing a full-scale project.
UK
GE invests millions to attract young engineers GE has announced plans to invest $3.5 million (£2.5m) in a bid to increase the diversity of young people entering engineering in the UK. The investment is part of its global Next Engineers programme which has a goal to attract over 3500 young people aged 13-18 from all walks of life. The UK programme will be based in Staffordshire, where GE operates three sites that design, develop, and service products used throughout the power and renewable energy industries. The programme will provide students with first-hand experiences of engineering, and awarding financial support to pursue further education in engineering. “Our growing global economy will require
more engineers to solve society’s most pressing challenges – from clean energy to quality healthcare and more sustainable flight,” commented Kevin O’Neill, President & CEO, GE UK. “Next Engineers will provide a platform for Staffordshire’s young people from different backgrounds to bring their unique perspectives to engineering and help address these important issues, enthusing and introducing them to the hands-on learning experiences they will need to pursue engineering careers.” Staffordshire is one of four global locations so far announced by GE, joining Johannesburg, South Africa, along with Cincinnati and Greenville in the United States.” Next Engineers is a signature programme of the GE Foundation, an independent charitable organisation funded by GE. The GE Foundation is partnering with MyKindaFuture, the UK’s based HR tech company specialising in engaging and onboarding underrepresented talent, to implement Next Engineers in the UK. Next Engineers will offer one-hour sessions and hands-on activities for the youngest (Year 9) students. Weeklong Engineering Camps will be run during the school holidays for those in Year 10. There will also be an Engineering Academy providing three-years of out of school coaching for Year 11-13 students. Those accepted onto engineering apprenticeships or engineering degrees will also receive a funding contribution from the GE Foundation.. The Staffordshire investment is part of a $100 million, long-term, international Next Engineers programme which GE Foundation unveiled earlier this year, designed to reach more than 85,000 students across 25 locations globally.
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