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expected to be absorbed within the project budget but can no longer be accommodated. Supply chain increases: FGJV has reported unforeseen cost increases for specialised equipment and offshore procurements, including major components for the underground power station. Barnes said that while the cost reassessment is disappointing, Snowy 2.0 remains critical to Australia’s future energy system. “Snowy 2.0 will be a cornerstone of Australia’s transition to renewable energy, providing more than half of the long-duration storage the grid needs by 2050,” he said. “It will enable the introduction of more wind and solar by acting like a giant battery, storing and delivering enough excess energy to power around 3 million homes for a week. “Snowy 2.0 is being built to operate for 150 years. It is as important to Australia now as the original Snowy Scheme was decades ago. Like the original scheme, which still helps underpin electricity reliability today, the benefits of Snowy 2.0 will be felt for generations.”


Georgia


Dariali Energy selects HYDROGRID to digitalise operations at Georgian hydro plant Dariali Energy, one of Georgia’s largest independent power producers, has selected HYDROGRID to implement its hydropower optimization platform at the 108MW Dariali hydropower plant in northern Georgia. The run-of-river facility, located on the Tergi River in the Qazbegi district, operates in a high- alpine environment where inflow variability and sediment dynamics require precise operational planning. Through HYDROGRID Insight, Dariali Energy will adopt modules for inflow forecasting, production planning, long-term scheduling, and maintenance optimization. The goal is to maximise plant uptime, improve water use efficiency, and schedule maintenance outside of peak production periods.


“Operating between 1,300 and 1,800m above sea level in a narrow Caucasus valley under harsh natural conditions presents unique challenges for the Dariali Hydropower Plant,” explained Giorgi Kavtaradze, CEO of Dariali Energy. “Accurate inflow forecasting and precisely timed maintenance are essential to keeping the plant at peak performance today – and will be equally critical as we prepare to participate in Georgia’s spot electricity market in the near future. With HYDROGRID’s digital optimization tools, we expect to increase generation uptime, use water resources more efficiently, and further strengthen our commitment to sustainable and environmentally responsible operations.” “We’re proud to support Dariali Energy on HYDROGRID’s first project in Georgia. Run-of- river plants in alpine topologies face a unique mix of hydrology and maintenance constraints


– exactly where Insight’s combined inflow, production, and maintenance planning brings measurable results the quickest,” said Janice Goodenough, CEO of HYDROGRID. The Dariali Hydropower Plant includes three 36MW vertical Pelton turbines. The US$125 million project was financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and achieved a carbon-neutral construction supported by a reforestation program to offset lifecycle emissions. The project received EMEA Finance’s “Best Water Project in Central & Eastern Europe” award in 2014.


Colombia Enel completes modernisation of Paraíso and La Guaca hydroelectric plants Enel Colombia has completed major modernisation and maintenance work on the Paraíso and La Guaca hydroelectric plants, located in El Colegio (Cundinamarca) and part of the Bogotá River generation chain. The company invested more than €7 million in the project to ensure continued reliability and operational efficiency of the two plants, which together have an installed capacity of 600MW – equivalent to around 3% of Colombia’s annual energy demand. “As one of the country’s largest generating companies, Enel Colombia reaffirms its commitment to the electricity system. Therefore, this year we are committed to updating and improving these two hydroelectric plants, which are highly important for the eastern region, to ensure their proper operation. This is achieved through a substantial investment in major maintenance work, which is performed on average every 15 years and which, given the growing energy demand, is now necessary,” said Juan Carlos Grosso, Deputy Manager of Operations and Maintenance for Enel Colombia and Central America. The month-long shutdown required


coordination across the Paraíso and La Guaca plants and the El Muña reservoir. Approximately 600 workers participated in the project, with more than 35% from nearby municipalities including El Colegio, San Antonio del Tequendama, Sibaté, and Soacha. The planned outage was managed without affecting the national grid; the Colombian electrical system met demand through the existing generation fleet. At the Paraíso Power Plant, Enel, in coordination


with Enlaza (a subsidiary of the Bogotá Energy Group), upgraded the GIS substation that connects generating units to the National Interconnected System. The upgrade makes it the most modern GIS substation in Colombia. “Central Colombia is facing difficulties in meeting the growing demand for energy due to the challenges in executing electrical transmission projects at the expected pace, owing to opposition from a few stakeholders in some territories. Therefore, it was crucial to modernize this asset and thus contribute to


the reliability of the system,” said Fredy Zuleta, General Manager of Enlaza. Additional work at Paraíso included


maintenance on the ball valves and comprehensive inspection of the odor control system associated with the Bogotá River. This system includes the stilling tank, extraction system, biofilter, and ecofilter. At the La Guaca Power Plant, maintenance was also performed on the ball valves, while the disconnectors that synchronise the units with the National Interconnected System were replaced. The rotor winding, responsible for generating the magnetic field that induces voltage, was also replaced. In the tunnels and conduits, internal and


external inspections were carried out, and a section of the penstock feeding the La Guaca plant was cleaned and repainted. Work also took place at El Muña Reservoir, where maintenance was performed on the “Granada Tower,” a submerged structure equipped with screens to prevent sediment from entering the generation system. “At Enel, we have taken all the necessary


measures to guarantee the stability of the plants’ infrastructure, the safety of the communities surrounding the hydroelectric plants, and the people who worked on these maintenance projects,” Grosso concluded.


Austria Stegenwald hydropower plant officially opened VERBUND and Salzburg AG have officially opened the new Stegenwald power plant on the Salzach River in Austria, completed in a construction time of two and a half years. The €100 million run-of-river facility will produce


around 74GWh of electricity each year, supplying about 20,000 households. It also includes the longest fish bypass on the Salzach, designed to enhance habitats for fish, birds, and other wildlife. The Stegenwald project is the seventh


hydropower plant built through the partnership between VERBUND and Salzburg AG. Political and business leaders attended the opening ceremony. The plant entered trial operation in April, when the reservoir was first filled and the initial generator synchronized with the power grid. The second generator followed in May. Full operation is now underway. The power plant also introduces a new turbine concept: two Kaplan turbines have been installed horizontally, allowing water to flow from above rather than from the front. This layout enables the turbine house to be overflowed, increasing floodwater discharge capacity by 20% while reducing construction time by a quarter compared to conventional plants. Most of the structure remains underwater, leaving only the weir bridge visible. Located in the Austrian province of Salzburg,


the Stegenwald site is expected to operate for at least 90 years.


www.waterpowermagazine.com | November 2025 | 7


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