Mapping of hydropower plant in Albania, using Geographic Information System © HELP-CSO project Compiled and prepared by: Author: Lorela Lazaj 1, Rineldi Xhelilaj 2 EcoAlbania 1GIS expert; [email protected] Miliekontakt Albania 2Architect; [email protected] LexFerenda April 2017 1 of 37 Mapping of hydropower plant in Albania, using Geographic Information System Abstract: The hydropower industry business has been growing very fast in Albania since 2007. Few studies have been published recently about the environmental and social impacts of this industry. Mapping of the existing hydropower plants and those which are planned to be developed is a must, in order to understand and estimate the consequences and to develop the proper conservation plans. GIS is shown to be a very useful tool, in environmental management and protection in different fields, including hydrology. This paper includes: a desk research on the identification of hydropower plants’ geographic location, and additional data associated with each one such as: the company’s name, power, capacity, basin, etc.; also the mapping and classification of the hydropower in different categories. The purpose of this project is to: create an open geodatabase, available to everyone who needs the information regarding the existing and planned hydropower plants in Albania; create an interactive map integrated into the webpage; mapping the HPPs conflicts. Keywords: GIS; hydropower; Albania; hydrology; environment; dam; protected areas Partnership was considered as a great 1. Introduction opportunity for the sector of hydropower. Albania is located in the western part of the Therefore, the interest for the hydropower sector Balkan Peninsula. Its hydrographic territory has grew rapidly, by providing enormous benefits a surface of 44,000 km square, with an average for the private sector and at the same time height of the hydrographic territory of about 700 meeting people’s needs for electricity. Back then, m above the sea level. It has more than 152 the environmental and social impacts of HPPs rivers and streams that form 8 large rivers (Buna, into the ecosystems and biodiversity were Drin, Mat, Ishëm, Erzen, Shkumbin, Seman, Vjosë) unknown. The energy delivered by HPPs, was flowing from southeast to northwest, mainly used to be classified as clean, renewable energy, discharging towards the Adriatic coast. The which helps reduce carbon emission. In the average perennial total inflow of Albanian rivers contrary, according to the Union of Concerned is about 1,245 m³/s while the amount of water Scientist, large hydroelectric dams do pollute running to the sea is about 40 billion water cubic with greenhouse gases. As the reservoir behind meter/year [1]. About 65% of their watershed the dam grows or floods over plants, that lies within the Albanian territory [2]. material decomposes releasing CO2 and After the new legislative measures and the methane. Fey studies reveal important data on amendments of the existing ones, regarding the the environmental and social negative impacts concessions, from 2007 [3]1, the Private Public of HPPs into the environment’s quality. These reports confirm a critical situation related to rare 1 Law No. 9663 dated on 18/12/2006 “On concessions”; · Council of Ministers and endangered plants and animals (fish, Decision No.27, dated on 19/1/2007 “On approval of rules for evaluation and concession procedures”, changed with MCD No. 87 dated on 16.01.2008; · amphibians and reptiles, birds and mammals), Council of Ministers Decision No.150, dated on 22/03/2007 “For the organization and function of Concession’s Treated Agency” (ATRAKO); · Minister’s decision as well as rare and endangered habitats. Most of No.536, dated on 27/07/2007 “On regulations approval for the administration of the documents and requests for concessionary agreements and “Bonus the threatened reported species belong to the evaluation criteria” 2 of 37 Albanian Red List (2013), and/or IUCN Until now, there have been identified 183 endangered species [3]. Dams inevitably alter concession agreements signed by the thousands of square mile of waterways, government, for the construction of 524 affecting fish and wildlife, forests, farms, the hydropowers. Most of them have a small water quality and of course human population. capacity. 177 HPPs are in operation and licensed The results can be a possible extinction of fish by the Energy Regulatory Entity (ERE); 43 HPPs species and a reduction on fish populations [4]. are under construction and 364 HPPs have been Furthermore, sands, rocks, wood and other planned by the ministry of energy [5]. natural sediments, build up in the reservoir Considering that the online data source provides rather than spreading down the river. This is restricted information about HPPs’ geographical identified by the researcher to be the main position, the number of HPPs mapped in this reason of coastal erosion. All these negative project is smaller. To avoid conflicts or negative social and environmental impacts have caused social and environmental impacts, is very debates, conflicts, protests and contradiction important the identification and visualization of between government institutions, developers HPPs in Albania. For instance, the lack of and local community in cases of HPPs information is often the reason of wrong construction. According to the published study decisions taken by politicians and decision on “Cases of water conflicts related to maker bodies. The purpose of this project is to: hydropower development in Albania” the main • create for the first time, an open reason of contradiction is the equal right for the geodatabase, available to everyone who water usage associated mainly with the people’s needs the information regarding the existing needs for irrigation and agriculture. The second and planned hydropower plants in Albania reason of conflicts comes from the lack of and their geographical distribution information and public consulting, during the visualization; planning phase. Unfortunately, none of the • creating an interactive map integrated into locals is aware of the construction of HPPs until the webpage; the exact moment that the construction actually • Mapping the HPPs conflicts. starts to take place. The farmers and the rural community are the most affected categories and their case is supported mainly by local NGO-s and Scientists [5]. Some of the hydropower plants have been constructed within protected areas. In Albania the protected area network consist of 16 % of the territory, represented by 2 Strict Nature Reserves, 15 National Parks, 750 Natural Monuments, 22 Managed Natural Reserves, 5 Protected Landscapes and 5 protected areas with sustainable use of natural resources [6]. In this paper there is done the mapping of all HPPs identified conflicts. 3 of 37 2. Methodology reason the actual number of HPPs is higher Prior to the mapping of HPPs in Albania, comparing to those identified and mapped in the data collection was done and organized in this study. The basin division and visualization an Excel file in ten columns. For every is done according to the Council of Ministers hydropower, there were nine defined attributes Decision No 342, date 04.05.2016 on the associated with it such as: Contract numbers, “Approval of basin’s territorial and HPPs name, year, coordinates, basin, company, hydrographic borders in the Republic of Albania capacity in kW, annual production and legal and the center with council members for each of framework. All the coordinates were converted it”. This division doesn’t refer to the topography from degrees, minutes, seconds for both latitude or hydrology dynamics, but is done just for and longitude, to decimal degrees. The management purpose. Considering the information about HPPs is taken from the importance of this project, for the management National Agency of Natural Resources’ public of natural resources and decision makers, we register. Considering that the information have decided to use this division. contained in the register is not complete and up In order to import data from excel to date, the data relies also in alternative sources spreadsheets into ArcMap, we had to convert such as the Energy Regulatory Entity and the excel file into the .CSV format. In the source government decision. In some cases, for certain CSV file, many of the fields that contain non- HPPs it was difficult to collect specific data like numeric information do not display properly. In the location coordinates, HPPs name etc. For this this case, the excel data is properly formatted Figure 1: The flowchart of the methodology. 4 of 37 before the conversion to the CSV format Because of the restricte information on HPPs and importation to ArcMap. concession agreement after 2013, we have consider in this study the HPPs concessions The shapefiles used in this project are: the from 1997 until 2013 (Table 3). Refering to the orthophoto of 2007/2008 (20/35 cm of National Agency of Natural Resources, from resolution), Albanian protected areas network, 2014 to 2016 the number of concessions is 9 and hydrology and river basins, the administrative the number of HPPs is 23. Four of them are in unit and country border. Data source is ASIG construction while 15 have been contested. Geoportal, HydroSHEDS database and Environmental European Agency. The flowchart Table 1. The number of HPPs for each of the of the methodology followed in this project is basins. shown in Figure 1. The datasets are projected on Basins Existing In Planned Tot the same coordinate projection and system construction al (WGS 1984, UTM 34 coordinate system). In this Drin 16 3 140 159 Ishëm 1 0 10 11 project Excel 2007/2010 was used to collect and Erzen organize the data while the ArcGIS 10.3 Mat 2 0 57 59 application software is used to process the data Seman 6 5 68 79 and to produce high quality maps in .pdf Shkumbin 7 7 65 79 Vjosa 12 12 21 45 format.