HYDROPOWER GENERATION, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY By Elenestina M. Mwelwa (Mrs), Senior Manager, Environmental Unit, ZESCO LIMITED Paper presented at the IUCN Energy, Ecosystems and Livelihoods in Eastern and Southern Africa Workshop
Outline of Presentation Key aspects of Hydropower Regional hydropower Discussion on the good, bad and ugly Conclusions
Key aspects of hydropower Hydropower is a renewable source of energy Hydropower uses the energy of flowing water, without depleting it to produce electricity, therefore all hydropower projects, large, small, mini, micro, runof river or storage meet the definition of renewable Hydropower supports the development of other renewable energies Hydropower s flexibility and storage capacity makes it the most cost effective way to support the deployment of intermittent renewable such as wind and solar power. It would support these developments side by side.
Key aspects of hydropower Hydropower fosters energy security and price stability River water is a domestic resource and, unlike fuel or natural gas, it is not subject to market fluctuations. Hydropower is the only major renewable source of electricity and its cost effectiveness, efficiency, flexibility and reliability help optimize the operations of thermal power plants Hydropower contributes to fresh water storage Hydropower reservoirs collect rain water which can be used for drinking or irrigation. By storing water, they protect aquifers from depletion and reduce vulnerability to floods and droughts
Key aspects of hydropower Hydropower improves electricity grid stability and reliability Electricity generated from hydropower can be placed on the grid faster than any other energy source Its technical flexibility to react to demand changes makes it an important part in stabilising electrical power systems and to cover valuable peak demand Hydropower helps fight climate change By offsetting GHG emissions from coal, gas and oil fired power plants, hydropower can help slow global warming. Although only 33% hydropower potential has been developed, hydropower currently avoids burning of 4.4 million barrels of oil equivalent daily, worldwide
Global Share of hydropower
Key aspects of hydropower Hydropower can reduce pollution Hydropower plants produce no air pollutants, moreover, they do not produce toxic by products Hydropower makes a significant contribution to development Hydropower facilities bring electricity, roads, industry and commerce to communities, thereby developing the economy Hydropower means clean, affordable power With an average life span of 50 to 100 years, hydropower projects are long term investments that can benefit several generations. They can easily be upgraded to incorporate latest and efficient technologies and have very low operation and maintenance costs
Key aspects of hydropower Hydropower is a key tool for sustainable development Hydropower projects that are developed and operated in an economically viable, environmentally sound and socially responsible manner represent sustainable development at its best, that is development that meets the needs of the people today without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs Hydropower offers sustainable energy source for rural areas to facilitate increased access to electricity Electricity supply is a big challenge in most countries in the region with electricity access levels as low as 3% of rural population. Where the hydropower potential is available, the small hydros development is able to effectively support sustainable electricity supply to rural communities leading to complete transformation and enhancement of conservation of natural resources which in turn lead to sustainable rural development and improvement of livelihoods
. TRANSFORMATION OF RURAL ENERGY SOURCE A switch from wood fuel to Electricity This can be provided by small Hydros for sustainable rural electricity supply
Regional Hydropower aspects The African Continent is endowed with enormous hydropower potential that needs to be harnessed. Despite this huge potential which is enough to meet all the electricity needs of the continent, only a small fraction has been exploited. This could be due to the major technical, financial and environmental challenges that need to be overcome for the development of this resource base
Generation mix in SAPP. 74.3% Coal 20.1% Hydro 4.0% Nuclear 1.6% Gas/Diesel Source: SAPP, 2008
INGA Power of the Congo River 1. Inga 1 351 MW (1972) 2. Inga 2 1,424MW (1982) 3. Inga 3 3,500MW (feasibility) 4. Grand Inga 39,500MW
. Powering Africa from Inga Three major African interconnection projects were identified in the feasibility studies, these are: 1. Northern Highway (between Inga site and Egypt) 2. Southern Highway (between Inga site and South Africa) 3. Western Highway (between Inga site and Nigeria)
Hydropower comes with opportunity water and head Zambezi and Kafue River profiles Unique river profile in Kafue Gorge The length of the main river is about 1,550 km and the total drop over the entire length is about 1,000 meter. Of this drop in head, about 600 meters is in the Kafue Gorge. KGU has utilised 400m and the remaining 200m will be used at KGL
The good, the bad and ugly What elements determine the category of a particular project? Is it the size Is it the country Is it the location Is it the type of environment Is it the number of people to be resettled Is it the source of the energy (water)
Examples from the region Kihansi Gorge 180MW Plant Conservation
Examples from the region The Kariba Resettlement issues Provision of services Food security Carrying capacity of land
Project Planning process The iniquities are committed at planning stage and would be unfair to attribute these to the projects themselves. The answer lies in the planning process, how much work has gone into it. How effective are the mitigation measures How effective are the approval processes
Tools to help with effective planning IHA Hydropower sustainability protocol under development. ESIA facility develop hydropower specific tool Impact prediction process more scientific and convincing Much more objective tools need to be developed for impact prediction, monitoring, evaluation and auditing
Conclusion If we are going to get sustainable environmental solutions, we need to begin re thinking on the opportunities that hydropower provides We need to concentrate our energies and input on the planning processes of the hydropower projects We need to learn integration conservation versus development (sustainable development) Can we learn to sit at the same table and talk. Condemnation will not provide the solutions that we need