Latest news with #hydropower
Arab News
21 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
CASA-1000 power line project with Pakistan to be completed next year — Tajikistan minister
ISLAMABAD: Tajikistan's Deputy Minister for Energy Jamshed Shoimzoda has said a $1.2 billion Western-backed project to build a power line between Central Asia and South Asia would be completed by December next year, state news agency APP reported on Monday. The CASA-1000 project, launched in 2016, aims to allow Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, former Soviet republics with an extensive network of hydroelectric power plants, to sell excess energy to Pakistan and Afghanistan in the summer months. The project, initially meant to allow the export of electricity to Afghanistan and Pakistan by 2020, has been stalled for years by turmoil in Afghanistan. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan generate most of their energy from hydropower plants built on the rivers that flow into Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan limit water release during summer due to lower power demand, angering their neighbors who need water for irrigation. The five countries have failed to reach an agreement after decades of negotiations. The new power line could smooth flows as power demand in Pakistan peaks during the summer months. 'Major energy project, CASA-1000 between Pakistan and Tajikistan, will be completed by December 2026, which will start providing 1000 MW of electricity to Pakistan,' Shoimzoda said in an interview to APP. 'This grand project will take time to be operational by January 2027, after which bilateral cooperation in the energy sector between the two countries will be further promoted and there will be a new beginning of clean and green energy projects in both countries.' Tajikistan aims to completely switch to green energy and zero emission by 2027. 'The transmission capacity of the CASA-1000 energy project will be 1,300 megawatts, which will be an energy link between Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to provide clean energy not only to regional countries but also fill the need of Pakistan's industrial sector,' Shoimzoda said. 'Massive infrastructural projects will be beneficial for all of its stakeholders by fulfilling energy needs and strengthening regional connectivity.' Shoimzoda said Tajikistan has the capacity to export 10 billion kilowatt of energy annually, which would benefit all countries in the region, including Pakistan. Tajikistan also currently has the capacity to generate 500 billion KW of electricity, the highest among regional countries in hydel power. The minister said Tajikistan was already providing electricity to other regional countries, including Afghanistan, and in the future would create a regional energy hub, to 'usher in a new era of sustainable energy production and economic prosperity in the region.' The United States was initially involved in financing the 1,200-km-long line as part of its New Silk Road initiative to integrate Afghanistan with Central Asia. Other project sponsors have included the World Bank, Islamic Development Bank, the UK Department for International Development, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
POWERCHINA Strengthens Commitment to Ecological Diversity Protection in Laos
BEIJING, May 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Power Construction Corporation of China ("POWERCHINA" or "the Company"), through multiple ongoing ecological practices in Laos and around the globe, the Company has actively responded to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and contributed to the United Nations biodiversity goals. Laos, a mountainous country rich in biodiversity, encompasses four of the WWF's Global 200 priority ecoregions, including parts of the Annamite Range and the Mekong River basin. The country has designated 33 national protected areas, covering approximately 3.86 million hectares—about 16.68% of its total land area. Over 8,100 plant species and nearly 2,000 animal species have been identified, with more than 10% listed as protected under national or international conservation frameworks. This exceptional ecological richness has drawn increasing international attention to biodiversity conservation efforts in the region. POWERCHINA's biodiversity protection in action The Don Sahong Hydropower Project in Laos, built by POWERCHINA, reflects the Company's commitment to protecting biodiversity and the Mekong River's fish populations. Before construction, experts studied fish migration and behavior to avoid disrupting reproduction. Natural-style fish channels were built on tributaries to maintain migration routes and habitats. These measures earned praise from local authorities and stakeholders, easing concerns and helping preserve the river's ecological balance while advancing sustainable development goals. POWERCHINA's Laos Monsoon Wind Power Project, the first in Laos and Southeast Asia's largest onshore wind project, spans 68,000 hectares. Prior to construction, the Company assessed impacts on biodiversity, including noise, water use, and vegetation. Through community consultations and field surveys, it addressed over 10 ecological issues. During the construction phase, POWERCHINA identified protected species such as fire Salamanders, Yellow eyed spade footed toad, Bredia(sp) and Rhododendron(sp), prompting habitat protections, migration routes, and design changes to support their survival. POWERCHINA has made biodiversity protection a core pillar of its operations in Laos, safeguarding river fish and land species. With nearly three decades of presence in the country, the Company has gained extensive experience in protected area design and ecological project execution. As an early and effective contributor to biodiversity protection, POWERCHINA continues to advance localized, ESG-aligned ecological efforts across its international footprint. Through a series of innovative measures and long-term commitment, POWERCHINA has actively protected local ecological diversity and contributed to the sustainable development of Laos. Meanwhile, POWERCHINA has also been continuously practicing the concept of ecological protection on a global scale. In the UAE, the company has been committed to protecting desert ecosystems and promoting green energy projects. In Brazil, it has actively participated in the protection of aquatic environments and the promotion of biodiversity to help maintain local ecological balance. In Tanzania,POWERCHINA has assisted wildlife reserves in successfully rescuing five elephants that accidentally fell into a pit, an action that has been highly praised by the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority and the local is actively practicing the concept of sustainable development in multiple countries and regions around the world, working tirelessly to build a better global ecological home. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE POWERCHINA Sign in to access your portfolio
Bloomberg
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Why This River in India and Pakistan Is Causing So Much Angst
A major river system that flows through both India and Pakistan has been a source of ongoing tensions between the two countries for decades. But India's unilateral suspension of a water-sharing agreement in April, that's been in place with Pakistan for 65 years, signals a new low point in relations. India paused the Indus Waters Treaty within 24 hours of an attack in the disputed region of Kashmir on April 22 that killed mostly Indian tourists, for which India blames Pakistan. Pakistan has denied the allegations. The move by India to pause the treaty came as a surprise, especially as the pact — signed in 1960 — had previously managed to withstand multiple conflicts. However, India's dissatisfaction over some of its clauses, which it says are outdated, as well as Pakistan's frustration over India's hydropower buildout on the rivers, have been brewing for the past decade.
The Guardian
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Mountain marvel: how one of biggest batteries in Europe uses thousands of gallons of water to stop blackouts
Seconds after a catastrophic series of power outages struck across the UK in the summer of 2019, a phone rang in the control room of the Dinorwig hydropower plant in north Wales. It was Britain's energy system operator requesting an immediate deluge of electricity to help prevent a wide-scale blackout crippling Britain's power grids. The response was swift, and in the end just under million people were left without power for less than 45 minutes. While trains were stuck on lines for hours and hospitals had to revert to backup generators, that phone call prevented Britain's worst blackout in a decade from being far more severe. Almost six years later, the owners of Dinorwig, and its sister plant at Ffestiniog on the boundary of Eryri national park, formerly Snowdonia, are preparing to pump up to £1bn into a 10-year refurbishment of the hydropower plants that have quietly helped to keep the lights on for decades. Ffestiniog was one of the first pumped hydroelectric systems in the UK when it opened in 1963, while nearby Dinorwig – the largest and fastest-acting pumped storage station in Europe – followed in 1984. The refurbishment could mean the plants continue to provide reliable clean energy on demand for decades to come – and serve as giant grid batteries to store Britain's renewable electricity for when it is needed most. Miya Paolucci, the UK boss of the French energy company Engie, one of Dinorwig's owners, said refurbishing the plant will cost a third of the investment needed to build a new hydropower plant on a similar scale, making the overhaul an 'intuitive' decision to secure another 25 years of life from the 'much-loved' power station. Britain has used gravity and the flow of water to generate electricity since 1878, when a hydroelectric generator first powered an arc lamp at the Cragside manor house in Northumberland. The project involved dropping water 100 metres vertically to turn a Siemens generator that would go on to power a series of newly invented incandescent lightbulbs in the country house. Dinorwig and Ffestiniog use the same principles as the Cragside manor house to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of almost 2 million UK households in a matter of seconds. When power is plentiful, the plants use electricity to pump water from a lower reservoir up to an elevated dam. Later, when power supplies are tight, the water is released to drive the turbines, generating power. Dinorwig or Mynydd Gwefru, as it is known locally, can be called upon to generate electricity within 75 seconds by releasing 86,000 gallons of water a second down a cavernous 500-metre vertical tunnel. The water crashes into six turbines, each weighing about 500 tonnes, which generate high-volume blasts of renewable power on demand. Overall, hydropower makes up only 2% of the UK's total electricity – but often at times when its electrons are at their most vital to keeping the lights on. It provides many of the key benefits of large fossil fuel power plants – but without the carbon emissions. Unlike wind and solar farms, hydropower projects can be called upon by the system operator at specific times when the grid needs more generation to meet demand. The spinning mass of its generators can also help to stabilise the frequency of the power grid at about 50Hz, the level required to avoid power outages. In the event of a blackout, hydropower can even help to restart the power system. But after 140 years generating electricity it is hydropower's potential as an energy storage technology that is key to its future. Pumped hydropower can effectively work as a long-duration battery by using renewable electricity when it is abundant to pump water up into a reservoir and release the water to generate electricity when renewable energy wanes. Unlike grid batteries, which are often designed to charge during the day and discharge electricity at night, long-duration energy storage systems can store energy for hours, days or even weeks so it can be used when needed. The government hopes to bring forward investment in 18GW of storage by 2035, of which 10GW should be long-duration storage such as hydropower. But pumped hydropower projects are struggling to find a place in Britain's energy landscape There are geographic hurdles: there are only so many vast mountains and brimming reservoirs, and the projects can also provoke concerns within the local community. But in locations where they are viable developers have been left to wait for government officials to confirm the details of its financial support framework. One of the UK's biggest renewable energy developers, SSE, hopes that its Coire Glas project in the Scottish Highlands could be the first major pumped storage hydro scheme built in the UK in more than 40 years. The project could power 3 million homes for up to 24 hours, and would nearly double Great Britain's total current electricity storage capacity, but it needs the final details of a government support scheme before SSE can fully commit to the project. A House of Lords report published late last year warned that a large-scale rollout of long-duration energy storage technologies was 'not being treated with sufficient urgency'. The report found that a wide-scale rollout would allow more renewable power to be available, potentially lowering the overall cost of electricity for consumers. Better energy storage could, the committee said, make the grid more flexible and avoid paying to switch off wind and solar farms when there is more clean power being generated than consumers can use. Paolucci said: 'Flexible storage is essential for net zero carbon operation of Britain's electricity system. It helps balance the system by ensuring there's always a large volume of 'back-up' power on standby, that can be delivered in very fast timescales if required. We're very proud to contribute to the electricity security of supply and green energy ambition of the UK with these extraordinary assets.'
RNZ News
20-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Meridian Energy to replace five transformers at Manapōuri Power Station
Manapōuri Power Station. Photo: 123rf Meridian Energy will have to replace five transformers at Manapōuri Power Station due to concerns about elevated gassing. In a stock exchange announcement, Meridian said the Southland power station's transformer fleet is currently made up of six transformers from Australia's Wilson Transformer Company (WTC). It initially received seven from WTC in 2015 and 2018, but two were removed in 2023 due to gassing issues. Another WTC transformer was supplied at the end of last year. Meridian said it received independent advice that the five older WTC transformers would likely have similar problems to the two removed from service. Meridian planned to replace the older WTC transformers over the next two-and-a-half years. "We are moving quickly to replace the five transformers supplied by WTC in 2015 and 2018 and are confident this will result in limited to no impact on generation capacity," its general manager for generation, Tania Palmer said. Manapōuri is the largest hydropower station in the country, located at Lake Manapōuri in Fiordland National Park, and primarily supplies electricity to the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. Meridian said it was "important the company takes swift action". Palmer said the company was "working hard" to ensure there would be no generation impact. The company expects to receive two Indonesian-made transformers early next year. Meridian did not outline any financial impact, but said it was in "discussions with WTC on a resolution". "At the current time a resolution has not been reached," it said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
