Renewables for E.Africa: Better than unreliable hydro

This article has a strong message that hydrodependence is risky for
Africa.

http://www.busiweek.com/11/news/tanzania/1907-eu-firm-develops-clean-energy-in-tanzania-uganda

EU firm develops clean energy in Tanzania, Uganda

Monday, 17 October 2011 07:41

John Msangi

DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA - In a bid to ensure substantial reductions
of greenhouse gas emissions in the East African Community region, the
European Union (EU) has awarded Camco International Ltd to undertake
the green energy development projects in Tanzania and Uganda.

According to the report from the EU, a sum of US$ 1.8 will see the two
projects take off.

The EU says the first contract, will see Camco develop a $1.0 million
solar photovoltaic clusters project in Tanzania in which small-scale
solar systems will be installed in 15,000 homes in Lake Victoria
region over the next three years.

Under the second contract, the United Kingdom-based firm, Camco
International Ltd will provide technical assistance to the Belgian
Development Agency to develop clean energy projects worth $800,000 in
Uganda.

The Minister for Energy and Minerals, William Ngeleja told the East
African Business Week that the solar photovoltaic clusters project
gears on the vision of the energy sector which aims at effectively
contributing to the growth of the national economy and thereby improve
the standard of living for the entire nation in a sustainable and
environmentally sound manner. "I assure the project developers that
the Government will give them all the support they need in a way to
implement the project which I believe will takes into account the need
for improving access of environmental friendly modern energy
services," said Minister Ngeleja.

He said that the energy policy in Tanzania recognizes the importance
of private sector participation in development of energy sector which
is the engine of industrial investment in the country.

He further said that, the project has come at a time when the
Government is struggling to ensure sustainable and reliable power.
"Projects like this, in the near future will untie the country from
relying on unpredictable power sources", he said.

Speaking with the East African Business Week in Dar es Salaam
Ambassador Tim Clarke, the Head of European Union Delegation to
Tanzania said that Tanzania and the rest of the EAC region have to
adopt solar power to light up their communities because it is
reliable, renewable energy and cheap to install and maintain.

He said that the Government should avoid over dependence on hydropower
due because in resent years, the world has been facing unpredictable,
unreliable climate change that can not sustain or ensure the
availability of rain to feed the power dams.

Ambassador Clarke stressed : "The EAC region has to change its mindset
of reliance on hydropower source because, as is the present case in
Tanzania, prolonged drought has gravely affected electricity
generation, and plunged the country into loses to business, industrial
production, disrupted social activities and inconveniences to the
public."

The Camco President, Yariv Cohen, said his firm has been developing
'green energy development projects' in Africa for the past 20 years
and for the past years there has been a clear change in energy sector
in different countries.

"We have been witnessing speed of green energy market development,
supported by international bodies, African governments, and local
communities on the ground and in the near future it will lead to
substantial reductions of greenhouse gas emissions," said Cohen.
"We will also collaborate with manufacturers, project developers and
technology providers by using the existing proven technology to
develop clean energy projects in Uganda in a way to ensure successful
clean energy that will lead to substantial reductions of greenhouse
gas emissions," said Cohen.

He said that Camco have been developing clean energy projects under
both the Kyoto Protocol and the unregulated voluntary carbon offset
market.

Camco have been working with companies throughout the world to create
advanced projects that deliver clean energy, largely from waste
emissions.
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Climate Change Puts the World’s Water Infrastructure In Danger

http://www.care2.com/causes/climate-change-puts-the-worlds-water-infrastructure-in-danger.html#ixzz1bLjg0MbD

Climate Change Puts the World�s Water Infrastructure In Danger

by Gina-Marie Cheeseman
September 29, 2011

The effects of climate change put water infrastructure in danger,
particularly in the developing world, according to a paper published
in the scientific journal PLoS Biology. Not just water infrastructure
is in danger, either. Two of the effects of climate change are
droughts and floods which, in addition to harming water
infrastructure, can disrupt food supplies and even the global economy.
Two examples from last year are the floods in Pakistan which ruined
crops, and the drought in Russia which caused a grain embargo.

The paper uses several examples to illustrate how climate change
effects can extend from the developed world to the developing world,
including the 2008 intensification of the drought in Australia.
According to the paper, the intensification of the Australian drought
contributed to the increase in food prices in India.

Old dams could be in trouble. The Hoover dam in the Colorado River
basin is cited as an example. The Hoover dam�s design, created in the
1930s, is based on a 30-year period with some of the highest
precipitation rates of the past millennium. Lake Mead now stores only
about 30 percent of its designed capacity, which puts the region�s
cities, agriculture and energy production in danger. Lake Mead
supplies water for Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Hydropower projects are in a boon cycle in the developing world, which
puts governments at risk for defaulting on loans from development
investors. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) projects that 40 percent of all development investments are at
risk from climate change.

Developing countries are not the only ones whose water infrastructure
is at risk from climate change. Lead author of the paper, John
Matthews, Director of Freshwater Climate Change at Conservation
International, said that the policies of Colorado River, which
supplies part of Southern California�s water, influence the the
infrastructure of much of the western U.S. Those policies, according
to Matthews, �were based on an enormous hydrological error about the
amount of water that would available in the future � in the time we
are living now.�

�The infrastructure we�re building worldwide right now is based on the
same assumptions that we made back then,� Matthews added. �We run a
huge risk of making poor nations poorer and accelerating the decline
of species and ecosystems through bad development investments.�

The authors of paper recommend a three-step process for conservation
science to provide practical decision making tools for funding,
designing and operating water infrastructure:

Consider alternatives to building new infrastructure
Explicitly integrate ecosystems into infrastructure development
Reduce the vulnerability of the infrastructure and its impacted
ecosystems over the operational lifetime of the project

The conservation community should make �climate-sustainable water
resource management� part of its long-term strategy to help regions
adjust to the future effects of climate change, the paper concludes.
�Given the risks for human communities and ecosystems from climate
change, ecologists working in the developing world need to think more
like development economists, and economists need to think more like
ecologists,� the paper states.

In other words, climate change (and its very real effects) calls for
paradigm shifts. Whether both developing and developed countries will
make those shifts remains to be seen.

Read more: http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001159
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Lessons from Burma's stopped Myitsone Dam for China

A lesson dam lobby looks set to ignore
Halt to construction of a barrage in Myanmar should be an eye-opener for
its Chinese builders, but it's unlikely to give dam boosters pause for
thought

Shi Jiangtao
South China Morning Post
October 20, 2011
www.hydroworld.com/index/display/news_display.1524017623.html

China's growing ambition to tap into the latent power of international
rivers hit a major snag when one of its largest hydropower projects
abroad was unexpectedly halted in Myanmar late last month.

The suspension of the Myitsone dam project on the Irrawaddy River was
seen as a rare victory in a nation long ruled by an authoritarian
military regime. It was also read as the latest step in a diplomatic
balancing act by Myanmar aimed at wooing the West and its Southeast
Asian neighbours by showing the country is no longer so dependent on China.

The controversy should sound all too familiar to mainlanders, aside from
the relatively happy result - for the moment - in the Myanmar case. But
what lessons should be learned from the dispute over the Myitsone dam?

The fact that China has been snubbed by a long-time political ally that
was once dependent on its political and financial support is extremely
telling for environmentalists about how unpopular China's reckless push
for big dams and its keenness to flex its economic muscle beyond its
borders have been.

Myanmar's new president, Thein Sein, who visited China just five months
ago after taking office in March, announced the decision to halt the
US$3.6 billion project on the eve of China's National Day, saying the
dam was "contrary to the will of the people".

The Myitsone dam, as part of a hydropower development deal including a
further six mega dams on the Irrawaddy and its tributaries, was
reportedly initiated in 2005 between Myanmar's then junta chief, Than
Shwe, and President Hu Jintao .

At a cost of US$20 billion and with a total capacity of 20,000
megawatts, the dams, being built or planned by China Power Investment
Corporation (CPIC), were seen as a symbol of China's growing regional
influence. Mainland media dubbed them China's overseas Three Gorges Dam
project. But the Myitsone dam, in the ethnic Kachin region near
Myanmar's northern border with China, has long been a magnet for
criticism, protests and even violence by local people and green groups.

Apart from concerns about potential ecological destruction on the
Irrawaddy and the resettlement of 10,000 people, locals were aggrieved
that 90 per cent of electricity generated by the dam was supposed to go
to power-hungry China.

The dam, with a capacity of up to 6,000 MW, was allowed to go ahead in
2009 despite the CPIC and Beijing allegedly giving the cold shoulder to
various local concerns.

Home to roughly half of the world's biggest dams, China is the world's
largest producer of hydropower and the largest dam builder in the global
market, according to International Rivers, a US-based NGO.

However, China's dam builders and financiers - usually power companies
with a national monopoly and banks that are often criticised at home for
their blind pursuit of economic profits at the expense of environmental
and community welfare - seem to have made little, if any, progress when
it comes to business dealings abroad.

Such insensitivity to local needs and environmental concerns, as well as
a lack of transparency about dam construction projects on rivers that
cross China's borders and in political hot spots, have not only provoked
hard feelings that threaten to ruin their business opportunities but
have also made China the unwanted focal point of numerous controversies
in recent years.

Environmentalists have warned that China's global image and its
friendships with affected countries, such as Myanmar - friendships that
are often the result of years of political patronage - are also at stake.

Last year, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, one of China's
Big Four state banks, made international headlines with its plan to help
finance the controversial Gibe 3 dam in Ethiopia, the largest hydropower
project in sub-Saharan Africa.

China's plan to build a cascade of eight dams on the upper reaches of
the Lancang (Mekong) River in Yunnan , four of which are already in
operation, has long been a source of tensions with downstream countries
such as Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.

These countries have often accused China of manipulating water flow with
its dams, which they blame for severe droughts in recent years, and say
the Chinese dams are killing their mother river.

"The authoritarian government in Myanmar has taught China a lesson, as
they appear to be willing to heed public concerns," Professor Yu
Xiaogang , founder of the Yunnan-based Green Watershed NGO, said.

He noted that Chinese companies were used to pouring investment mainly
into undemocratic countries, where they could focus on forging ties with
authoritarian governments while ignoring environmental and social costs
and public opinions. Yu said: "Things have changed a lot with the rising
environmental awareness, and this type of business strategy has been
subject to mounting challenges and is doomed to fail."

With increasing publicity and awareness about the grave risks inherent
in the building of large dams, best exemplified by the Three Gorges Dam,
dam construction has been one of the most contentious issues on the
mainland in the past decade. Although it has slowed since 2004, Beijing
has renewed its push for big dams to be built in the coming decade as
hydropower has gained in importance as the pillar of China's
clean-energy drive. As a result, hydropower capacity is expected to rise
by half to 300,000 MW by 2015.

Despite growing public support, environmentalists have been largely
unable to influence the decision-making process or help those affected
make their voices heard.

Liu Shukun , a professor of hydraulics at the China Institute of Water
Resources and Hydropower Research, said that unlike Myanmar, China was
unlikely to see a victory of public opinion in the debate over
hydropower, given the development-minded government and powerful
interest groups.

"The Myanmar case is encouraging, but I don't think it can be replicated
here in China or help prevent the social and environmental havoc, given
the damage already caused by the damming of rivers," he said.

"We are good at talking about sustainable development, but it remains a
question whether it has turned into reality."
Copyright 2011 South China Morning Post Ltd.All Rights Reserved
South China Morning Post
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China's hydropower output down 24.5 pct in September

China's hydropower output down 24.5 pct in September
17 October 2011
Xinhua News
Editor: Wang Guanqun

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-10/17/c_131196210.htm

BEIJING, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's hydropower output dropped 24.5
percent year-on-year to 56.87 billion kilowatt-hours (kwh) in September
as a result of decreased runoff from major rivers, according to the
nation's top economic planner.

The September decrease was 9.9 percentage points higher than August's
decrease, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in
a statement on its website.

As of the end of September, the adjustable water and hydropower reserves
of the country's major hydropower plants stood at 104.9 billion cubic
meters and 28.1 billion kwh, down 18.5 percent and 36 percent
year-on-year, respectively, the NDRC said.

The dramatic drop in hydropower reserves will have a negative effect on
electricity production and supply, the NDRC noted.
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South Africa launches 2010-2030 Renewable Energy Plan

http://www.evwind.es/noticias.php?id_not=14144

South Africa launches 2010-2030 Renewable Energy Plan
october 15, 2011
Includes 1,850 MW of onshore wind energy, 1,450 MW of solar energy
photovoltaic, 200 MW of concentrating solar thermal power, 100 MW of
biogas-fuelled plants and 75 MW of hydroelectric.

The first tender was launched (3725 MW to be achieved by 2016) of a
programme aimed at building 17,800 MW by 2030, accounting for 42% of
the additional electricity capacity that is planned to be installed by
then.

The preferred bidders to supply South Africa with renewable energy, as
called for in the country's Integrated Resource Plan for 2010 to 2030,
will be announced at the UN climate summit starting in Durban on 28
November.

South Africa�s Department of Energy launched the first phase of an
international tender for the construction of renewable energy plants
totaling 3,725 MW by 2016.

The assignment will have to be completed over the next three years and
will consist of several phases. The first stage will end during the UN
Climate Conference (COP-17) that will be held in Durban, South Africa,
from November 28th. to December 9th. 2011.

The allotment of these projects, whose total worth is estimated at
about $11 billion, includes 1,850 MW of onshore wind power, 1,450 MW
of solar energy photovoltaic, 200 MW of concentrating solar thermal
power, 100 MW of biogas-fuelled plants and 75 MW of hydroelectric.
Other small plants with a total capacity of 100 MW will also be
included in the plan.

South Africa's first commercial wind farm, the R75-million (US$8-
million) Darling wind farm, powered up in May 2008 with four wind
turbines, each generating 1.3 MW of clean energy.

The South African government announced its satisfaction for the fact
that the tender has roused considerable interest. Indeed, over 270
potentially interested companies have paid the taxes required to
receive bid documentation.

This is the first tender included in the "Integrated Resource Plan for
2010 to 2030" that was approved last year. The Plan aims to add 17,800
MW of electricity from renewable sources by 2030, accounting for 42%
of the overall new electricity generation.

Currently South Africa�s energy system is strongly dependent on coal,
which meets 72% of primary energy needs and more than 84% of the
electricity demand.

Among the requirements expected of bidders is that they submit
environmental authorisation as well as shareholder agreements.
Potential bidders are also expected to show achievement of economic
development threshold.

State electricity company Eskom will be the designated buyer and will
provide connection to the power grid, excluding municipal connections.

"We have received 321 applications for grid connection mainly for wind
energy and photovoltaic)," said Eskom head of delivery Kannan
Lakmeeharam.
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Sinohydro warns it is vulnerable to risk overseas

Sinohydro warns it is vulnerable to risk overseas
World's No1 dam builder will raise 13.5 billion yuan in Shanghai share
sale - but some projects may be costly
Toh Han Shih
South China Morning Post, Oct 18, 2011

Sinohydro Group, which lists in Shanghai today, faces growing political
and financial risks with its rapidly increasing international business.

The Chinese state-owned enterprise is the world's biggest dam builder,
having built two-thirds of the country's dams - and half of the world's.

It has continuing and completed projects in over 50 countries.

Sinohydro will issue three billion A shares at 4.50 yuan each, raising
13.5 billion yuan (HK$16.37 billion) from its Shanghai offer, the
company has said. The funds raised will be 22 per cent less than it had
previously aimed for because of weak market conditions, but it will
still be one of Shanghai's biggest IPOs this year.

"In its overseas operations, the company is susceptible to political,
economic and diplomatic risks," warns Sinohydro's prospectus, citing as
an example the raging civil war in Libya, where the company had 2.22
billion yuan of project assets in February.

"The standards of international projects are those of the developed
nations of Europe and USA, especially in quality control, safety and
environment, which are very demanding. It is difficult for China's
practices to meet such high standards. There are deficiencies in many
areas between China's technical standards and international standards,"
the prospectus says.

According to Grace Mang, the China global programme co-ordinator for
non-governmental organisation International Rivers, the company is
"engaged in some destructive dam projects".

She said Sinohydro is currently completing feasibility studies for the
Pak Lay dam planned on the Mekong River in Laos. The dam would threaten
the Mekong River's ecology and the well-being of millions of people who
depend on the river for food, income and transport, she said.

Sinohydro is also conducting feasibility studies to develop the Tasang
dam on the Salween River in Myanmar, Mang said.

"The dam faces violent local opposition. Over 50,000 people have
petitioned for the suspension of the dam," she said.

"As Sinohydro has quickly become the market leader in the global
hydropower sector, it is exposed to greater scrutiny by media and
international civil society for its participation in controversial
projects.

"Sinohydro's reputational risks are likely to increase as it takes on
projects where it has more responsibilities as a financier and
developer," Mang said.

In the past two years, it has announced two "build, own and transfer"
projects, including seven dams worth US$2 billion along the Nam Ou River
in Laos.

It is drafting a sustainability framework for its global operations,
which is deemed important in helping the firm overcome its deficiency in
international standards, and will demonstrate the company is a
worthwhile investment, Mang added.

The world has not fully recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, warns
Sinohydro's prospectus: "If a major reversal occurs in international
financial markets, the company risks a decline in international and
domestic demand."

Sinohydro's new overseas contracts jumped 53.6 per cent to 45.7 billion
yuan last year. During the first half of this year, it won 22.1 billion
yuan of overseas contracts.

International revenue accounted for 26.6 per cent of Sinohydro's
turnover in the first half, which totalled 50.68 billion yuan, while net
profit amounted to 1.82 billion yuan.

hanshih.toh@scmp.com
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Huge dam in Kenya proposed

http://allafrica.com/stories/201110130897.html

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

Kenya: Sh150 Billion Set Aside for Nithi Dam

Kirimi Murithi

12 October 2011

 

Construction of the second largest dam in Africa is due to start at a cost of USD1.5 billion in Tharaka Nithi and Mwingi counties. The project is funded by the African Development Bank, the Government of Italy, Japan International Corperative Agency, Arab Development Bank and the Government of Kenya.

According to sources close to the steering management, the project funding proposal is approved and the ways of addressing environment and social economics effects of the project are being carried out. The multibillion project has thrown various government ministries into disagreement where most of them are seeking to exercise direct control of the funds and others want to be partners into the project.

These ministries include that of Agriculture, Arid Lands Development, Water, Vision 2030 and Special Programmes. The dam which will be the second largest apart from the Aswan High Dam in Egypt will encompass several components such as water for irrigation, domestic use, forestry aspect and hydro power generation with main water source being River Tana and others which flow in these two counties.

 

On completion the irrigation schemes will be carried out in three counties: Tharaka Nithi, Mwingi and Tana River. Hydro power generation centres will be in Mwingi while forestry will be carried out in Tharaka region. Experts believe hydro power generation from the grand falls high dam will be triple that of the seven folks system.

Much of the dam will be situated in Tharaka where several people will be relocated from their residence and be compensated for disturbance. It is estimated that more than 30,000 people will be moved in Tharaka Nithi County since the project will consume 100 percent of Kamanyaki location, 98% of Kamarandi location, 25% of Gituma and Ciakariga locations, 30% of Maragua and 20% of lower Marimanti Location.

-------

Similar but w/ more background on resetttlement problems:

http://peakshows.wordpress.com/2011/10/16/ksh-150-b-dam-project-aimed-at-eradicating-hunger-in-tharaka-mwingi-and-tana-river/

Our News, Our Society

Ksh. 150 b dam project aimed at eradicating hunger in Tharaka, Mwingi and Tana River

Posted by By Martin Murithi ⋅ October 16, 2011 ⋅ Leave a Comment

Construction of the second largest dam in Africa is due to start at a cost of US $ 1.5 billion in Tharaka Nithi and Mwingi Counties through funding by African Development Bank, Government of Italy, JICA, Arab Development bank and the Government of Kenya.

According to sources close to the steering management, the project funding proposal is approved and the ways of addressing environment and social economics effects of the project are being carried out.

The multi billion project has thrown various government ministries into disagreements where most of them are seeking to exercise direct control of the funds and others want to be partners into the project.

These ministries include that of Agriculture, Arid Lands development, Water, Vision 2030 development and special programmes.

The dam which will be the second largest apart from the Aswan High Dam in Egypt will encompass several components such as water for irrigation, Domestic use, forestry aspect and hydro power generation with main water source being River Tana and others which flow in these two counties.

On completion the irrigation schemes will be carried out in three counties which are Tharaka Nithi, Mwingi and Tana River whereas hydro power generation centers will be in Mwingi while forestry will be done in Tharaka region.

It is estimated that the hydro power generation from the Grand falls high dam will be triple that of the seven folks system.

Much of the dam will be situated in Tharaka where several people will be relocated from their residence and be compensated for disturbance.

It is estimated that more than 30,000 people will be moved in Tharaka Nithi County since the project will consume 100 percent of Kamanyaki location, 98% of Kamarandi location, 25% of Gituma and Ciakariga locations, 30% of Maragua and 20% of lower Marimanti Location.

According to Prof. Kithure Kindiki a lead lawyer from the region who has been at the helm of steering the project, the people from the areas that will be affected are being pushed to be in the Rapid Results Initiative of the Ministry of Lands so that they can be wholly compensated once the project starts.

"We want them to have titles before the project commences because compensation will be hastened. People may be paid money but we suggest they be absorbed within the community because there will be a sizeable urban migration", said Kindiki.

He further allays fear that due to cultural issues such as burial sites and the fact that most of the residents of Tharaka are peasant farmers there might be causes of conflicts.

"Some people who will be compensated might misuse the funds and start causing other social economic problems that might not feature in the current feasibility research that is going on. We need civic education to be done to them and they be shown a way in which they can form an organization so that they can carry on with their lives smoothly", adds Kindiki.

Kindiki further expounds that the ecology of the region will be affected since the terrestrial lives such as lizards, snakes and other animals found in the region will be disrupted.

Kindiki further proposes that if there could be a way in which the project can be done in phases along the Tana, would be better to avoid displacing a greater population in one area or if possible reducing the acreage.

By Martin Murithi