Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Small Hydro Power Plants In Armenia

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Small Hydro Power Plants In Armenia

    SMALL HYDRO POWER PLANTS IN ARMENIA

    http://hetq.am/eng/news/16451/small-hydro-power-plants-in-armenia.html
    21:19, July 10, 2012

    BY AREG GHARABEGIAN ARTAK HAMBARIAN, AND KENELL TOURYAN

    The Armenian Government has made remarkable progress within the
    past 10 years in reforming country's energy sector and overcoming
    the difficulties faced in the 1990's. With assistance from
    international sources, government has taken serious steps to
    improve energy sector performance. The nuclear power plant was
    re-commissioned in 1995 and the reliability of energy supply has
    increased substantially. Nonpayment by customers has been reduced
    with practically all private consumers now paying for their energy use.

    Armenia does not have fossil fuel resources; therefore, it has to
    import gasoline, natural gas, and heavy oil for its needs. Besides
    using fossil fuel, Armenia generates approximately 40% of its
    electricity using nuclear power plant and 35% using large hydro power
    plants. Armenia needs to develop its renewable energy resources to
    reduce its reliance on imported fuel.

    Historically hydropower has been a large part of Armenia's electrical
    energy production resources. There are two large hydropower cascades,
    Sevan-Hrazdan and Vorotan that have combined installed capacity of
    approximately 960 Mega Watt (MW).

    Table 1 provides distribution of the installed capacity and generation
    of electricity by different sources in Armenia.

    Table 1 - Electricity Sources in 2010

    Source

    Installed Capacity, MW

    Generation GWh

    Nuclear

    400

    2,400

    Thermal

    2,082

    1,059

    Large Hydro

    960

    2,020

    Small Hydro

    103

    308

    Wind

    2.6

    4.6

    Total

    3,550

    5,780

    The following are the possible sources of the renewable energy in
    Armenia for the three major energy components:

    * Electricity: hydropower, wind power, photovoltaic's, geothermal
    power, and biomass; * Thermal (heating): heat pumps, solar thermal
    power, geothermal power, and biomass; * Transportation: bio-ethanol.

    Potential of Small Hydropower Power Projects

    The findings of a comprehensive review of renewable energy potential
    in Armenia have ranked small hydropower power projects (SHPP) as the
    most advanced renewable energy technology and the most economical for
    Armenia in the short to medium-term. Typically plants with less than
    30 MW of installed capacity are considered SHPP.

    Development of SHPP has been a success story in Armenia over the
    last decade. In 2010, SHPPs generated approximately 5% of the
    electricity used in Armenia and this percentage can be doubled if
    favorite conditions are created and certain barriers that hinder
    further growth of the industry are eliminated.

    As of early 1990's Armenia had 28 small hydro plants which were
    originally commissioned from 1930's through 1950's. About half of
    those were economically unattractive and not feasible due to their
    age and changed water flow. In the mid-1990's Government of Armenia
    decided to privatize these SHPPs through a competitive tender but
    there were no bids for most of them due their poor conditions.

    As of late 2010, there were more than 80 commercial size SHPPs
    operating in Armenia. About 60 of these have been developed and
    constructed in the past 10 years. There are also numerous small
    units (micro) that are operated by individuals to satisfy their own
    electrical needs. Figure 1 shows a good size SHPP and Figure 2 shows
    a small unit in Armenia.

    Table 2 summarizes the potential for additional SHPP development in
    Armenia over the next 10 years and is based upon data presented in
    a recent study prepared by Armenia Renewable Resources and Energy
    Efficiency Fund (R2E2). It should be noted that values presented
    in Table 2 are average annual energy output number with the maximum
    peak occurring during spring runoff and the minimum occurring during
    winter months when stream flows are at their lowest.

    Table 2 - Potential Remaining SHPP Capacity in Armenia

    Mid and Long Range

    Capacity (MW)

    Output (GWh)

    Needed Investment (Mil $)

    Resource: Possible Max

    305

    1,118

    366

    Possible Min

    252

    774

    303

    2015 (forecast)

    179

    517

    214-225

    2020 (forecast)

    216

    626

    259-270

    The assumption is that hydro power generation would grow from current
    5% penetration level to 10% within the next 10 years. Once the best
    locations are explored the tempo of implementation of new projects
    will slow down due to increasing marginal costs of construction in
    more remote, inconvenient, and lower capacity factor locations thus
    making investors less eager to do projects.

    Recent studies indicate that there are 115 sites remain to be
    developed. In addition, licenses have been issued for 45 but they
    were not constructed as of early 2011. However, development of some
    of these sites may not be possible due to environmental concerns. A
    good example is Trchkan Waterfall where a permit was granted for
    developing a SHPP but permit was then canceled due to the fears public
    opposition of developing this scenic location. Government granted
    Trchkan a specially protected area status that would make it immune
    from future industrial developments.

    Figure 3 shows the history of SHPP development in recent years. A
    flurry of activities started in 2004 when Public Service Regulatory
    Commission (PSRC) adopted a clear feed-in-tariff for new projects.

    [table-3.jpg]

    Source: USAID, 2010

    Technical Issues

    Over the past five years, those SHPPs that have been approved for
    licensing and actually constructed faced and overcame a number
    of issues. Strides were made to address and deal with competing
    land use claims, environmental impacts and stream flow limitations,
    differences between actual construction costs and study cost estimates,
    new hydrology information that differed from historical data measured
    by the various hydrological research institutes from the Soviet era,
    and conflicts with other water uses to name but a few. Resolution
    of these issues is essential for considering the future potential of
    SHPP additions to installed capacity.

    The main technical problem with SHPPs in Armenia has been the lack
    of automation and utilization of modern control technologies. Other
    factors include poor performance and low reliability of locally
    produced equipment and those that are imported from China,
    metallurgical and materials problems resulting from the re-use of
    salvaged piping from irrigation systems and hydro facilities that
    are no longer operational, as well as substandard engineering design
    and poor quality control during construction. Addressing each of
    these problems will ensure that Armenia continues to add small hydro
    generation capacity over the next decade at the same rate as has
    occurred over the past 10 years, despite the fact that many of the
    best hydrological resource sites have already been utilized.

    The existing SHPPs should provide over 300 GWh of energy in an
    average year; however, in reality these plants produce much lower
    amount of energy, due to technical considerations, particularly lack
    of automation and low efficiency equipment.

    Financing

    Funding sources are available today for the construction of new
    run-of-the river SHPPs. The only limitation is the availability
    of promising sites within reasonable proximity to good road and
    transmission access where more SHPP systems can be constructed.

    The international financial community has been extremely supportive of
    the development of SHPPs in Armenia. The active financing participation
    of both Armenia Renewable Resources and Energy Efficiency Fund (R2E2)
    through funds provided by World Bank and German KfW funding agency
    has enabled the rapid development of SHPP over the past decade.

    These international funding mechanisms have been the main cause of
    rapid development of SHPP industry. However, in general the industry
    and the projects are too small to attract individual financing from
    outside commercial sources and they are too large and specialized
    for most Armenian banks.

    It is important to attract private foreign capital investment to
    develop new small hydro capacity. The experience of the past years
    indicates that most credible foreign developers do not consider the
    current returns for investments in renewable energy projects in Armenia
    to be equal to the necessary risk-adjusted returns, and hence have
    not been forthcoming with investment funds. There is competition in
    the world for renewable energy development capital as many countries
    focus on developing internal generating resources. Those countries
    with the most attractive risk profiles and investment quality would
    attract the most capital.

    Tariffs for SHPPs in Armenia today are still fairly low by world
    and regional standards such that the only way to ensure a return
    on investment is to utilize inferior turbines from local sources,
    salvaged piping for penstocks, poor quality construction materials,
    and elimination of automated control systems. However, continued
    adherence by the government to low feed-in tariffs will discourage
    future investments in this promising renewable energy technology given
    that the less optimal hydrological sites remaining to be developed
    will require more efficient and reliable turbines and automated
    control systems to achieve commercially viable capacity factors and
    enhanced annual energy outputs--all of which will entail increased
    investment levels over previous capital requirements in this renewable
    energy area.

    Potable Water as a Source

    There have been evaluations of installing SHPPs on the existing potable
    water supply pipes. The water supplies are moved under high pressure
    from mountain areas to cities, and often have pressure reducing valves
    which could be replaced with generating units to produce electrical
    energy. The potential capacity of hydro generation on water supply
    pipes and facilities was estimated to be about 7.5 MW but only less
    than 4 MW may be feasible to be utilized.

    Conclusion

    Developing feasible and economically viable renewable energy resources
    will create a stable domestic power generation capabilities,
    which in turn could be a major component of Armenia's national
    security. Contribution of the renewable electricity in Armenia
    can increase fivefold by 2020 in comparison to the present energy
    production from renewable energy. In 2010 renewable energy production
    generated 310 GWh, and it is forecasted to generate 740 GWh in 2015,
    and 1,500 GWh in 2020. Development of new SHPPs would be a major
    component of this increased in capacity.

    It is important to emphasis that the achievement of targets is much
    more dependent on politically implemented measures than on technical
    capabilities.

    References

    Small Hydro Power (SHPP) Sector Framework, Status, Development Barriers
    and Future Development, Assistance to Energy Sector To Strengthen
    Energy Security and Regional Integration, Funded by USAID, July 2010,
    Prepared by: PA Government Services Inc.

    Preparation of Renewable Energy Development Roadmap for the Republic
    of Armenia, Task 2 Report, Assessment of the technical, financial and
    economic potential for development of renewable energy, February 2011,
    Prepared for: Armenia Renewable Resources and Energy Efficiency Fund
    (R2E2), Prepared by: Danish Energy Management A/S

    Renewable Energy Roadmap for Armenia, June 2011, Prepared for: Armenia
    Renewable Resources and Energy Efficiency Fund (R2E2), Prepared by:
    Danish Energy Management A/S

Working...
X