"Challenges in Hydropower Development"
AMIT POKHREL, M.S, MIEAust, P.E
Professional Engineer | Executive Advisory Commitee Member and Assessor-Fast Infra Label | Contract Manager-Hydropower, Solar and Construction | Construction Supervision | Project Controls | CAPM?
A Perspective from Employer’s Requirement for the Development of the Hydropower Project and Managing Water Energy in Nepal
Hydropower is the backbone of low-carbon electricity generation and is an important renewable energy resource worldwide. However, its development is accompanied by environmental and social drawbacks. Issues of degradation of the environment and climate change can negatively impact hydropower generation.
Development is a basic human right, as few would deny. Energy policymakers must meet their responsibility in exploring the most rational options for meeting the energy needs of the developing world, while protecting the environment to the maximum possible extent, for example by limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
Any infrastructure development inevitably involves a certain degree of change. The construction of dams, and their associated reservoirs and hydroelectric powerplants, creates certain physical and social aspects, and a large amount of attention has focused in recent years on the negative impacts only. Less account has been taken of the benefits of hydropower and of the knowledge and willingness which exists within the profession to anticipate, mitigate and/or compensate for negative aspects. A sustainable hydropower project is possible but needs proper planning and careful system design to manage the challenges. Well-planned hydropower projects can contribute to supplying sustainable energy however, the imminent development of construction and infrastructure project depends upon so many factors which the project needs to realize.
It is the Employer’s responsibility to provide all the requirements of the team to define their key aspects of work which shall be the obligation of all the team members to understand the principal theme of the project requirements. It is the Employer who shall be having a good knowledge of engineering and infrastructure development to achieve the project goals and objectives otherwise engineering difficulties can be seen easily.
IHA publishes an annual report that provides an overview of hydropower trends in the global energy system that is based on a comprehensive review of hydropower data from countries and territories across the globe.
There are prime factors where the Employer and Project both are responsible to co-ordinate to fulfill the scope of services. As the project needs to be developed first, to study the requirements of the owner or the project developer, the responsible authorities must guide the strength of the project to his team to support all those activities from prerequisite to completion.
The immense measure is to generate the standard quality reports which would outline the project development and acquires the technical and social aspect of the project territory which comprises chunks of land that are required to establish the requirement for the development of the infrastructure projects.
In the context of Nepal, the main challenge to developing the engineering project is failing to establish the quality protocols which were the utmost necessity to sustain the construction element however, those were overlooked by the contractors and developers which is one of the main reasons for the structure and geological failures mostly in the hydropower projects.
For example, we have not practiced the vibration analysis in the machine foundation in the powerhouse location where the structural and geotechnical parameters were not taken into consideration where, there would be a dynamic load placing the turbine and generator, which is overlooked and also the seismic analysis has not been checked for the protection of the foundation to prevent the mishappening.
Similarly, seepage analysis is one of the common reasons for structure failure especially in tunnel structures and hydromechanical lines which would subsist the vertical cliff or horizontal way to collapse which ultimately leads to cost raise and quality being compromised.
Another example is while drilling and blasting the tunnel, especially in overbreak, how those protections would be covered if there are more than 10-meter cavities while blasting vertical pressure shaft and inclined pressure shaft through Alicraft or Alimac rail system as there are more safety concerns.
While drilling and blasting the tunnel through a leg-pusher, and immediately after the blasting, how smoke was managed as most of the contractors failed to adopt those principles affecting all the employee’s life due to toxic gas inside the tunnel.
Another common issue, we found in Nepal is managing the mucking to be dumped in one designated location however, if there is no place to keep those then throwing directly from the cliff to the natural river can affect the aquatic life, water environment, and surrounding environment. Also, while blasting tunnels and surface boulders, many effects were seen in the environment which displaced the group of flora and fauna and many were obsolete. How Employers have planned for control blasting if we regularly practice the same residual pattern?
In terms of Engineering, hydropower is one of the most widely used power-generating sources. Even though fossil fuels dominate electricity generation across the world, more than 60 countries use hydropower to meet the majority of their electricity needs. For reasons which include its ability to instantaneously respond to changing electricity demand, as well as water management and flood control, hydropower is the most popular non-polluting source of electricity generation in the world.?
According to a?report?by the IHA (International Hydropower Association), hydropower is set to solidify its position as the most popular renewable energy source, as global installed hydropower capacity. Hydropower is considered one of the cheapest sources of energy; after a facility’s construction and installation, harnessing the power of flowing water is theoretically free. Most of the capacity additions until 2030 are expected to come from large-scale projects in Asia and Africa.
In Africa specifically, installed capacity is expected to grow at a combined annual growth rate of 2.5% from 2017 to 2023, driven by Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Uganda. Predictably, countries with the highest share of hydropower consumption are those with plenty of running water.
By region, Asia-Pacific accounted for 45% of the global cumulative installed capacity of hydropower in 2021, dominated by China with a cumulative capacity of 390.9GW. Most of the largest active hydropower plants in the world are in China and most of the largest upcoming hydropower plants are also either in China or are being built by Chinese companies in other countries including Pakistan, Congo, Nepal, and Myanmar. India, Japan, and Vietnam are the next largest countries in Asia-Pacific.
Europe is a distant second and holds a 23% share of the global hydropower capacity.?Due to the faster development of other renewable technologies, the share of hydropower within the total generation capacity is expected to decline to 13% in 2035. However, in absolute terms, hydropower will continue to grow, especially in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and Africa, which account for 55% of the global upcoming hydropower capacity.?
With the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including a dedicated goal to provide universal access to modern energy services, hydropower has an important role to play in the post-2015 development agenda.
A successful project begins with the Employer. As the first member of the project team, the employer identifies the need for a project, established the main goals, selects the other team members, defines the basic allocation of risk among project participants, and communicates the project goals to the other team members. The Employer also secures funding and pays for the services of the other participants in the Project who are especially known as Contractors and subcontractors.
The employer shall focus on a fast-tracking methodology which is not a form of project delivery but is a management strategy that can be utilized within the delivery system in which the construction of underlying elements before the design is complete for elements that are to be built later.
The coordination of project activities under any method of delivery is essential to the project quality. Coordination depends on the ability of participants to tailor the communication to the project delivery system being used. To help improve the quality of decision-making during the early stages of the project, the Employer may engage the engineering professional before specific objectives have been developed to acquire additional planning expertise in project conceptualization, design, construction, and project management.
The key aspect of preconstruction planning includes the assessment of the Employer’s capabilities, the evaluation of resources available for construction compliance with regulatory laws and guidelines, the completion of any necessary site preparation, and the review of the construction alternatives and contractual arrangements. These planning activities aid the Employer in setting up an effective field organization.
After the Contractor is selected, the construction contract documents become the basis of understanding between the Employer and the Contractor. The Contract packages usually include the Employer-Contractor Contract for Civil, EM, HM, transmission lines, petty contractors, general and supplement conditions, project drawings, and project specifications, addenda (addendum) issued before bid closing, the Contractor’s bid, a notice of award, performance and payment bonds, insurance certificates, and contract change orders issued as construction proceeds for commencement of work. The Contractor is responsible for performing by the terms of the Contract and for constructing the Project requirements as described in the technical documents. The same goes for the Consultant’s selection for the detailed engineering study, updated feasibility study report, and Environment Social Impact Assessment. ?
The Contractors take on a major role as construction begins. The Contractor’s activities include determining the means, methods, and sequencing of construction, managing and paying subcontractors and suppliers, initiating and maintaining quality control for construction activities, and meeting applicable codes, permit requirements, and other public agency regulations.
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The Employer takes an active role in promoting site safety by assigning overall project safety responsibility and authority to a Contractor (often the Contractor in Nepal) or a specific person from the Employer’s side who is qualified in construction safety principles, rules, and practices appropriate for the particular project or who have the knowledge of OSHA Principles.
The Contractor ultimately depends on the Employer for the review and approval of completed construction. The Employer Engineers are responsible for all the construction supervision and project management activities and are typically engaged in providing technical services, clarifying the contractual correspondences to contract documents, reviewing change orders and submittals, as well as reviewing and approving completed construction on behalf of the Employer.
The Contractor is usually required to submit information for review and approval by the Employer. Known as submittals, the information may include:
The preparation and initial approval of submittals is the responsibility of the Contractor, assisted by supporting suppliers, equipment manufacturers, and subcontractors, including detailers and fabricators.
In administering the Construction Contracts, the Employer is responsible for fulfilling contractual obligations to the Contractor and focusing on issues that directly affect project quality, particularly those related to the quality of materials, craftsmanship, skills, and safety. However, Contractor’s contract administration does not extend to actually managing the construction, which is the responsibility of the Contractor. It is the party who has to follow the contractual provisions based on the Agreements.
The successful construction supervision and project management lies in the Employer’s Project Representative who shall govern all those sites and projects' responsibilities to lead the project into a new shape. Other supporting team members shall coordinate with the project managers to furnish the project requirements with complete coordination by the Project Representative.
The Operation and Maintenance of a completed project are derived from and closely associated with the level of quality in the design and construction process. Even if the design and construction proceed smoothly, overall quality may suffer if the project is costly or cumbersome to operate and maintain. Operation and maintenance characteristics affect a project’s service reliability, durability, efficiency, and life-cycle costs, as well as the environment, public health, user safety, and other external aspects of the completed projects.
In addition, another main crucial to project activity is the project quality based on quality assurance and quality control which shall not be compromised by not focusing on the preparation of the method of statement and material approval required from the Employer’s perspective. Similarly, for the complex designs for all civil, electro-mechanical, hydro-mechanical, and transmission lines, SCADA systems were used mostly on the electrical and mechanical suppliers where computer internet and intranet are required. Software is required to operate the system.
Also, we shall not forget that all constructed projects involve risks. Those risks may be grouped into four general categories. Safety, financial, professional, and legal. The participants benefit from identifying potential risks and liabilities, developing a clear and fair plan to allocate and manage them, and securing insurance where appropriate before making commitments to other parties. While disagreements are natural in work situations, the selection of mature team members, the alignment of common interests, and the fair allocation of risk can help minimize the adverse impact of conflict.
In furtherance to that, value engineering is a structured, utilitarian methodology for reviewing and enhancing project design. It involves a unique and detailed process, known as function analysis, that gauges the value of individual project elements. The objectives of the value engineering process are to identify alternatives that will maximize the relationship of function, performance, and quality to cost.
In conclusion, hydropower challenges are a hot topic to discuss and it is a never-ending process however, those things shall be minimized if we work from the quality aspect of the project. When the project teams work together to fulfill their responsibilities to complete the project objectives in a manner that satisfies the requirements of each participant, then most of the criticality and hurdles would be controlled.
Although hydropower is the nation’s?newest form of renewable electricity, many actions and efforts remain critical to the further advancement of domestic hydropower as a key energy source of the future. These include continued?technology development?that lowers costs and the availability of market mechanisms that take into account the value of the grid services, air quality, and reduced emissions that hydropower provides.
Both the public and private sectors will need to be involved to achieve a meaningful outcome. Supportive policy environments will be necessary for success, even with sufficient financial investment.
Carrying out the roadmap?actions will usher in a new era of growth in sustainable domestic hydropower while protecting the nation’s energy, environmental and economic interests.
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Your insight is very good and you think forward
Environmental Safeguard Expert
1 年Well articulated article AMIT POKHREL, MIEAust, P.Eng, M.S. jee, keep it up and do let inform audiences who are interested in sustainable hydropower !!