Sinohydro Group Invests CNY10 Bln in Iran Dam Project

Sinohydro Group Invests CNY10 Bln in Iran Dam Project
in: Caijing, 10/09/2010
http://english.caijing.com.cn/2010-10-09/110539141.html

*Sinohydro Corportation is to invest 10.035 billion yuan in a dam
project in Iran, following a Zahedan hydroelectric project this January.*

Sinohydro Corporation, the Beijing-based world's largest hydroelectric
company, has inked a deal with Iran to invest more than 10 billion yuan
in a dam project in Zanjian Province.

The hydroelectric project was among a basket of cooperation projects
between the two countries, as one of the most important of them regarded
by the Ministry of Energy in Iran, sources said.

The dam has a capacity of 108MW and needs 60 months for construction.
The deal valued at 10.035 billion yuan.

The project is another significant gain after the signing of the Zahedan
project in January 2010, the company said, targeting at further
stretches in Iran market.

The annual consumption of electric power consumption in Iran hit 2700 KW
for each family, more than three times of the average level globally,
Iran's media reported citing its vice minister of the Ministry of Energy.

Founded in 1950, Sinohydro is a Chinese state-owned hydropower
engineering and construction company, with operations in Asia, Africa,
Europe, North America and South America.
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SA needs 'to maximise the role of renewable energy'

http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-10-11-sa-needs-to-maximise-the-role-of-renewable-energy

SA needs 'to maximise the role of renewable energy'
TARRYN HARBOUR | JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Oct 11 2010 15:58

Renewable energy technology in South Africa is ready and waiting; it just
has to be rolled out.

This was the conclusion reached by the panellists at the second of the
Shell Energy Dialogues last Thursday.

The discussion was chaired by CNBC Africa presenter Lerato Mbele and
included Wendy Poulton from Eskom; Richard Worthington from the World Wide
Fund; Professor Johann G�rgens from the University of Stellenbosch; Stuart
Fredman from Clean Energy Solutions; and Barry Bredenkamp from the Central
Energy Fund. The theme of the evening was "Alternative Energy: Pipeline or
Pipedream?"

South Africa has pledged itself to the target of 4% renewable energy by
2013, but the question is whether the country will be able to achieve this
goal, given the monopolisation of coal-based power producer Eskom in the
local energy market.

"The only way we're going to achieve a just transition to a sustainable
electricity supply is to maximise the role of renewable energy," said
Worthington. "The future will be predominantly and eventually entirely in
renewable energy."

But, warned Bredenkamp, the responsibility for the transformation to
renewable energy is not solely the government's responsibility: "You and
me as individuals also have a role to play. There's a lot of alternative
energy that we can use in our own homes."

South Africa has massive renewable energy potential, with its many hours
of sunshine and wind. Developers are keen to get started, but the problem
is getting it to the people.

"Who is the developer going to sell [energy] to? You have to be able to
transmit it across the national grid," said Fredman. "Give us access to
the national grid and we'll achieve the energy targets and bring the
levelised cost of energy down over the next 10 years."

Cost issues
Part of the problem of getting people and industry to use alternative
energy is the cost.

CONTINUES BELOW

Fredman explained: "The cost is slightly higher over the short term than
[coal-fired power stations] � but as we look over 10, 15, 20 years, the
cost comes down to be level with coal, and then significantly lower."

A factor in renewable energy's favour has been the recent global economic
crisis and the rising costs of oil and other energy.

G�rgens said: "The renewable energy debate in the last five years has
really picked up momentum because of global economic changes. Economics
will always play a very strong role."

People must look at the long-term benefits instead of the initial cost,
added Worthington. "A compact fluorescent lamp will save you a lot of
money over its life cycle.

"Don't look at the cent-for-cent comparison per kilowatt hour for
alternative energy as opposed to coal; rather look at the cost of not
having energy. What is it going to cost the economy if we don't do
something quickly and run out of coal-fired power?"

Fredman proposed a solution: "We pay two cents an hour for some form of
carbon tax and it's been sitting in the Treasury � At the moment it has a
quantum value of about R8-billion. So the money is there to start a
reasonably large roll-out of renewables."

It is important for South Africa to start implementing renewable energy
technology as soon as possible, said Bredenkamp. "South Africa is one
component of a large globe � Most countries are accelerating their update
of alternative energy. These technologies have to be manufactured and the
longer we wait, the further behind we get in the queue."

"We have a very energy-intensive economy," said Poulton. "We not only have
to change our carbon systems, we also need to look at the energy beyond
our economy and become more energy efficient."
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Reservoirs: a neglected source of methane emissions

Reservoirs: a neglected source of methane emissions

EAWAG bulletin, 11 October 2010

www.eawag.ch/medien/bulletin/20101011/index_EN

*Substantial amounts of the greenhouse gas methane are released not only
from large tropical reservoirs but also from run-of-the-river reservoirs
in **Switzerland**, especially in the summer, when water temperatures
are higher. This was demonstrated by Eawag scientists at **Lake**
**Wohlen**, near **Bern** – a finding which slightly tarnishes the
reputation of hydropower as a climate-neutral way of generating
electricity.*

When they first saw the data, environmental chemist Tonya Del Sontro and
her PhD supervisor Professor Bernhard Wehrli were sceptical. But the
unexpectedly high values stood up to careful analysis: on average, daily
emissions of methane (CH4) from Lake Wohlen amount to more than 150 mg
per m2 surface area. This is by far the highest emission rate recorded
to date for a temperate reservoir. At a water temperature of 17°C the
rate is twice as high, which makes it comparable to the emission rates
observed for tropical reservoirs.

Equivalent to 25 million car kilometres

Overall, the reservoir on the Aare produces 150 tonnes of methane a
year. This is about the same amount as is emitted annually by around
2000 cows; in terms of global warming potential, it is equivalent to the
carbon dioxide emissions from 25 million car kilometres, since methane
is about 25 times as potent a greenhouse gas as CO2. "So hydropower
isn't quite as climate-neutral as people have assumed in the past," says
Del Sontro. At the same time, she does not wish to dramatize the
findings of her research: even if the Aare hydropower plant is taken to
be responsible for all the methane emissions from the reservoir, and
these are expressed in CO2-equivalents, a coal-fired power station with
the same output produces 40 times as much CO2. However, the emissions
from Lake Wohlen do indicate that run-of-the-river reservoirs can also
be significant sources of methane emissions in temperate regions. As
Wehrli notes, "That's something which has previously been overlooked in
greenhouse gas budgets."

Bubbling sediments

Methane production in Lake Wohlen is attributable to organic matter
transported by the Aare, e.g. from Lake Thun. In the reservoir, the
organic matter settles rapidly, undergoing microbial fermentation in the
sediments. "In the summer," says Del Sontro, "the water in Lake Wohlen
sometimes looks like champagne, with masses of gas bubbles rising to the
surface." To study these bubbles, the Eawag scientists used custom-made
gas traps in the form of inverted funnels. The analyses revealed that
they were mainly composed of methane.

During the winter, on account of the cold temperatures, methane
emissions are minimal. According to Wehrli, this explains why climate
researchers have previously focused largely on the huge reservoirs lying
in tropical regions: here, temperatures are warm throughout the year,
and inundated forest areas provide a large supply of nutrients for
microbes. Likewise, low water temperatures and low nutrient inputs mean
that large Alpine reservoirs do not give rise to significant methane
emissions. The researchers now plan to study other run-of-the-river
reservoirs on the Central Plateau so as to determine whether Lake Wohlen
is a special case, or whether methane budgets need to be revised for
Switzerland as a whole.
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The Amazon of Asia [ABC Australia 5.10.10]

The Amazon of Asia [ABC Australia 5.10.10]  View the documentary here: http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2010/s3030225.htm  Giant catfish the size of family refrigerators hide in the depths with 1200 other species of exotic wildlife. Further downstream there are rare and mysterious freshwater dolphins. People frame their lives around what the river can bring - food, jobs, transport … or if you’re a bunch of giggling kids – a skylarking dip in the backyard splash pool.  By the time the Amazon of Asia - the mighty Mekong River - reaches Laos it’s already been put to serious use by the Chinese and now the little landlocked communist nation wants to do the same. Big-time.   “Most of the Lao people in particular those still living in the country are still living under the poverty line. I mean that having income of less than $US2 per day.” XAYPASEUTH PHOMSOUPHA, MINES AND ENERGY DIRECTOR-GENERAL, LAOS  It's planning to plug in for its part in Asia’s economic boom by building dozens of dams on the Mekong and its tributaries. They’d drive hydro power stations making electricity for export and that would transform a struggling minnow into The Battery of Asia.  But can the Mekong sustain the scale of the development underway and on the drawing board?  “If I were in Australia I’d say that this is something that I was vehemently against, but when you look at the contribution that this project makes to Lao GDP , for the benefits that come to the local community and the fact that Laos has few natural resources to bring it out of poverty one has to balance these conflicting issue.” STEPHEN DUTHY, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST  There are arguments and imagery familiar to Australians via the Murray/Darling debate – how does a nation aiming to grow, sustainably exploit its natural resources while climate change and the demands of population growth simmer in the background? What will these dams do to the life in, on and around the Mekong and what will be the impact for nations like Thailand and Vietnam further downstream that also depend on the Mekong?   South East Asia Correspondent Zoe Daniel takes a slow boat or three down Laos’ stretch of the meandering Mekong on a stunning journey of discovery. A magnificent wild watercourse that has sustained people for eons, that’s rich in spiritual history but that’s feeling the pressure of development. Will the mighty Mekong be overwhelmed?  Transcript and documentary diary also available [http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2010/s3030225.htm]

Gibe 3: Group says power project will increase poverty

http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/Group%20says%20power%20project%20will%20increase%20poverty/-/1006/1027864/-/3phxwjz/-/

Group says power project will increase poverty

By MARK KAPCHANGA
Posted Thursday, October 7 2010 at 12:14

China has been urged to withdraw the funding of the now controversial
construction of Gibe III hydropower dam in Ethiopia.

Through a petition by a group calling itself the Friends of Lake Turkana
(FoLT) to the Chinese ambassador to Kenya, it is argued that once the
project is implemented, the 240-metre high dam will compromise "a very
fragile and unique ecosystem" which is identified as a protected area.

According to FoLT chairperson, Ikal Ang�elei, the filling of the
reservoir will block the south-western part of the Omo River,
threatening the livelihood of more than 200,000 people living in the
lower Omo valley.

"If the natural flood with its rich silt deposits disappears,
subsistence economies will collapse leading to food shortage," said Ms
Ang�elei.

Documents accessed by the Daily Nation show that Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) is underwriting a $500 million contract
which was awarded in May 13 to Dongfang Electric Corporation for the
dam�s turbines and electro-mechanical works.

Although ICBC has not publicly announced the loan, the bank�s official
confirmed last month that the financial agreement between the Bank and
the Ethiopian government was signed in July.

Friends of Lake Turkana believe that ICBC has committed to funding this
"destructive" project without its due assessment and impact.

"The Chinese government should reconsider funding this project until we
obtain a fair hearing and authoritative legal conclusions about shared
waters under international law," read part of the petition.

Ms Ang�elei alleges that so far no independent assessment of the
environmental and social impact from the Gibe III Dam has been
undertaken, despite the advancement in the putting up of the venture,
the largest energy investment project ever implemented in Ethiopia with
a $1.7-billion price tag.

An environmental impact assessment auditing of the project by a team of
researchers from Europe-based CEE Bankwatch Network reveals that in
2006, the Ethiopian government set up an Environmental Monitoring Unit
whose goal was to monitor the environmental impacts of construction and
operation of project.

Fishermen on Lake Turkana. Groups say the Gibe 3 dam would lead to the
ecological and economic collapse around Lake Turkana and would increase
conflicts in this volatile region.

However, the unit is said to have had limited capacity and at the same
time no power to enforce compliance with environmental safeguards.

While the monitoring team appreciated that the dam will have devastating
effects on the lake, the researchers alleged they cannot "actively
pursue the issues of hydropower dams due to legitimate concerns of
government persecution."

Rick Graetz, a researcher at the University of Montana said that the
proposed dam on the Omo River will have major destructive impacts on the
Lower Omo River Basin�s fragile semi-arid environment.

"The Gibe III project will have major trans-boundary impacts
specifically in northeastern Kenya where both the Omo River and Lake
Turkana are located, and in the Ilemi Triangle of southern Sudan," said
Dr Graetz.

If completed, the project will produce more than 1,800 MW of
electricity, some of which will be exported to Kenya, Sudan and Djibouti.

Kenya alone is expected to import more than 500MW to help solve the
recurring power outages.

According Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation, more than 200 MW will be
exported to both Djibouti and Sudan.

Moreover, a feasibility study is underway to consider exporting 50 MW to
Yemen through Djibouti, Somalia, Eritrea and Egypt.

Ethiopia expects to earn $407 million annually from these exports.
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Laos’ Xayabury dam impact potentially ‘catastrophic’ [Phnom Penh Post 30.9.10]

Laos' Xayabury dam impact potentially 'catastrophic'  Phnom Penh Post, 30 September 2010  A hydropower dam proposed for Laos' northern Xayabury province could have serious negative effects on fisheries, biodiversity and livelihoods downstream in Cambodia, a spokesman for the World Wide Fund for Nature has said.  "Cambodia will be one of the hardest hit countries from the construction of any, including Xayabury, of the proposed 11 lower Mekong mainstream dams," said Marc Goichot, a senior adviser on sustainable infrastructure at WWF Greater Mekong.  "These impacts are potentially catastrophic, and can include riverbank erosion, impacting the riverside homes of millions of Cambodians."  Laos notified the Mekong River Commission of its plan for the 1,260- megawatt dam on September 22.  Goichot's assessment was far bleaker than that of Pich Dun, secretary general of the Cambodian National Mekong Committee, who acknowledged that the dam would "affect fish migration, but not very seriously".  "According to the study, the dam is being built far from Cambodia, so only some kinds of fish are migrating from here to there, and that is why the effects will not be so huge," Pich Dun said.  "But if all 11 dams are built, the people on the lower Mekong will face difficulties with the change in the flow of sediments to their crops," he said.  But Goichot said the dam would "lead to the extinction of the Mekong giant catfish in the wild and probably other fish species".  Sam Nouv, deputy director for the Fisheries Administration, said he, too, was "concerned" about the dam. "When a dam is built on the upstream, it really impacts the fisheries in Cambodia," he said. 

Think twice before doing irreversible damage [The Nation, 1.10.10]

Think twice before doing damage that will be irreversible  The Nation (editorial) 30 Sept 2010  With wildlife habitat and cultural heritage at stake, dam projects on the lower Mekong River must be debated in public forums  The mighty mekong River, as the world knows it, may never be the same again if the Lao government has its way. There is a growing fear that up to 40 million people could be affected if the Xayaburi Dam and 12 other mainstream dams on the mekong are to go ahead as planned.  The Xayaburi Dam would be the first dam to be built on the lower mekong mainstream. It would displace thousands of people in Laos, disrupt an important fish migration route and cause the extinction of the critically endangered mekong giant catfish, by destroying one of its last natural spawning habitats. The dam is being proposed by Thai company Ch. Karnchang, and over 95 per cent of the power generated would be sold to Egat, the Thai electricity utility.  Environmental organisations around the world and donor countries such as the United States, a major contributor to the mekong River Commission (MRC), have voiced their concern about the possible impact of the dam on the river's ecosystem and the livelihoods of the people who live on this great waterway that runs through the heart of Southeast Asia.  It has been suggested the dams should not proceed until there is an extensive debate on the MRC's strategic environmental assessment and the findings have been revealed.  The purpose of the strategic environmental assessment report is to evaluate the cumulative effects of the proposed mainstream dams. It is hoped that the Lao government will conduct the assessment properly, take its findings seriously and not treat the process as a formality. Its findings should be distributed publicly and be debated throughout the region by all governments and other stakeholders.  The powerful US Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing one day after the MRC announced that it had received official notification from Laos that the country wished to proceed with the first dam, the Xayaburi, on the lower Mekong. The timing of the hearing suggests that Washington is serious about how its aid money is used.  The import of the mekong River's fisheries as a source for food security in the region is well known throughout the world, and the thought of its ecosystem being irreparably disturbed is indeed troubling. Such action could have serious ramifications at all levels - political, social and economic. What is disturbing is the fact that the Lao government, the project developer Ch. Karnchang and the mekong River Commission seem determined to push forward with the Xayaburi Dam despite the absence of a serious public debate on the important issues.  In her statement before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Aviva Imhof, campaigns director for International Rivers, said to allow the Xayaburi consultation process to go forward without considering the findings of the strategic environmental assessment would be like "getting a diagnosis of cancer and then ignoring it".  As a good neighbour, Thailand has a moral obligation to take into consideration the well-being of the people who stand to be affected by the dam's construction. The same concern should also be taken up by the donor countries.  Thai environmental and community groups representing about 24,000 people in five provinces along the mekong River have submitted a letter to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, asking him to cancel the plan to buy electricity from the Xayaburi Dam.  According to the World Wildlife Conservation Fund (WWF), the dam, if built, will block the sediment and nutrients that build the mekong Delta and nourish its immense productivity, which provides more than 50 per cent of Vietnam's staple food crops. Moreover, the dam would alter wildlife habitats downstream in Laos and Cambodia, potentially having a devastating impact on wild fisheries and causing the likely extinction of critically endangered species.  "There must be a rigorous and transparent assessment of the impacts of this dam," said Marc Goichot, sustainable infrastructure senior advisor for WWF Greater Mekong. "It is already very clear that this dam would amplify and accelerate the negative affects of Chinese dams for the mekong delta. What are the other impacts?" he said.  Echoing the concerns of International Rivers, the WWF supports a ten- year delay in the approval of lower mekong dams to ensure a comprehensive understanding of all the effects of their construction and operation. In the meantime, immediate electricity demands can be met by fast-tracking the most sustainable hydropower sites on the lower Mekong's tributaries.  http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/09/30/opinion/Think-twice-before-doing-damage-that-will-be-irrev-30139031.html