MAGAZINE FOR HYDROPOWER TECHNOLOGY HyPower #28 | Autumn 2016 HYDROPOWER IN AFRICA HIGH POTENTIAL SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS REPLACE OR REFURBISH? FULL LINE SUPPLIER WHY SMALL HYDRO IS BIG NEWS EDITORIAL IMPRINT Publisher: Voith GmbH St. Pöltener Str. 43 89522 Heidenheim Germany Responsible for the publisher: Kristine Adams Editor-in-chief: Gudrun Köpf Editorial Board: Elke Kleinknecht, Susanne Speiser, Dr. Vesna Stirnadel In cooperation with: C3 Creative Code and Content GmbH, Heiligegeistkirchplatz 1, 10178 Berlin, Germany www.c3.co Paper: HyPower is printed on Respecta Silk. This paper was produced on a Voith paper machine. Copyright: UNLOCKING POWERFUL No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise disseminated, POTENTIAL nor may any of the content in it be used in part or in whole in other works in any form whatsoever, without express written Diversity. Complexity. Potential. Three words dance. We work closely with leading financial permission of the editor. that sum up Africa pretty well in many different institutions and insurers to help our African contexts – geographical, political, economic customers spread the cost of building or reha- and social. They also apply to Africa’s energy- bilitating hydropower facilities over realistic time generation infrastructure. While some African frames. Our experts in Heidenheim and across countries have plentiful oil and gas reserves, the world are ready and willing, not only to some have none. Some can rely on hydropow- manufacture the equipment required, but to er for nearly all their power requirements, some spend weeks and months on site, working need to import almost all their electricity from closely with customers to transfer knowledge, outside their borders. And even if the resources build skills and ensure that once a plant is com- exist, building an infrastructure that delivers pleted, it can be run effectively by local people. power to homes and businesses reliably is an- We are also investing in improving our local ser- other challenge altogether – especially in coun- vicing capabilities to permanently improve ser- tries that have been ravaged by recent or cur- vice for our customers. rent conflicts. This new edition of HyPower showcases Join us on: YOUR FEEDBACK: If you have any As a result, there is one reality that applies how customers and communities in Africa and comments or questions on this issue of to some areas of every African country: elec- elsewhere are benefiting from maximizing their HyPower, please contact us: [email protected] tricity supply is nowhere near sufficient to meet hydropower potential, and leveraging the new- https://twitter.com/voith_hydro demand. In fact, even in 2016, around three- est technologies to do so. Enjoy! quarters of the African population do not have Photographs: access to reliable, constant power. From a hy- Yours sincerely, https://www.linkedin.com/ Cover: Graeme Williams, Gauteng; Ryan Thomas /AerialShots, Johannesburg: 8, 9, 19; Christian company/voith-hydro Wesser, Heidenheim: p. 16, 17, 18, 29, 35; Graeme Williams, Gauteng,: 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 20, dropower perspective, Voith is at the forefront 21, 22, 23; Dawin Meckel, Berlin: p. 26, 27, 28; Brian Gartside: p. 44, 45 Kent Kallberg Studios, of efforts to change this. Vancouver: p. 39, 40; U3: Robert Caputo /Aurora / laif To harness Africa’s hydropower potential, https://www.youtube.com/ All other photos are from Voith. financing flexibility, expertise and commitment Uwe Wehnhardt c/Voith_Hydro are all essential. Voith has all three in abun- President and CEO of Voith Hydro HyPower 2016 | 3 CONTENTS CONTENTS 8 26 39 AGENDA SETTING FULL LINE SUPPLIER GLOBAL EXPERTISE 39 THE BIG QUESTION: GUEST PERSPECTIVE REPLACE OR REFURBISH? 8 ENERGIZING AFRICA 26 SMALL PROJECTS, 32 STOPPING THE FLOW Why it can pay dividends to 44 CREATING THE How significant hydropower projects BIG RESULTS How an electronic control overhaul old hydropower SAFE WATER BOOK™ in South Africa and Angola are In Asia, a larger number of smaller mechanism for ring gates has equipment, rather than retire it. An exciting water filtering transforming economies and lives. hydropower projects set new standards in precision. innovation could solve the problem could be the key to improving INNOVATION of dirty drinking water for millions. 16 MANAGEMENT INTERVIEW rural power availability. 34 SERVICING AFRICA Voith Hydro's CMO and African When it comes to maintenance, 42 SAFE AND SOUND sales leader discuss the potential 28 MEETING THE LARGE HYDRO it's always better to have local Why a new listening technology is 47 VOITH HYDRO PROJECTS of hydropower in Africa. CHALLENGE resources on hand. Voith Hydro is the best way of monitoring plant A visual summary of hydropower Discover more about Voith through its Hydropower projects so large that investing in developing local operation remotely. projects by Voith in Africa explored other insightful publications. 19 MODERNIZING they can take almost a decade African expertise. in this issue. MOUNT COFFEE to complete require a special set How Liberia's hydropower of skills for success. SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS infrastructure is being MOUNT COFFEE rebuilt to support rapid economic FROM THE ARCHIVES 35 24/7 MOBILE SERVICE development. In Europe, the Voith HyService Bus REGULARS 30 TRUE SURVIVOR is ready to leap into action 24 GLOBAL TRAINING, The rollercoaster history of the whenever customers need it. CAMBAMBE TULILA 03 EDITORIAL LOCAL BENEFITS Cahora Bassa hydropower plant 06 WHAT’S NEW All over the world, Voith Hydro is in Mozambique. 36 THE POWER TO CHANGE LIVES CAHORA BASSA 07 ON TOPIC delivering training concepts How a convent in Tanzania and the 43 WORLD OF VOITH that meet the needs of individual community it serves are benefitting BOKSBURG 46 5 QUESTIONS FOR … customers. from Small Hydro. INGULA 4 | HyPower 2016 HyPower 2016 | 5 WHAT’S NEW ON TOPIC VOITH AT HYDROVISION 2016 DRIVING DEVELOPMENT USA The StreamDiver was the focus of a presentation delivered at the recent 2016 HydroVision International event in Minneapolis, In many parts of Africa, the lack of a reliable electricity infrastructure Minnesota. Presenter Philip Daus, a Small Hydro engineering project hinders economic development. Hydropower can play a big part in manager at Voith Hydro, said, “Hydropower is among the best solu- tions to energy market challenges, and we are using our technology changing this picture. and expertise to achieve the best outcomes in economy and perfor- mance, both technically and environmentally.” Other important Voith innovation papers presented at the event covered: a rotor rim slot reshaping process for increasing generator longevity; a new analysis and replacement process for damaged Klaus Schädler, Voith, at groundbreaking ceremony. turbine thrust collars, which improves monitoring, maintenance and 1 Power is patchy 2 Hydropower potential is enormous repair; a new forecasting method to increase accuracy and improve short-time pumped-storage balancing; and an overview of improved BREAKING NEW GROUND online assessment processes for hydro-components. GERMANY One of the most exciting innovations 645 million being introduced at Voith Hydro in 2016 is the Africans have no access to electricity. 300 - 400 GW construction of a small hydropower plant (called Potential hydropower capacity in 'Alte Bleiche') at the Heidenheim site, to act as a Europe and Africa is similar... demonstration facility for customers, employees and the public. The 35 kW plant will also feed electricity directly into the local grid – enough to Power consumption per head power 100 homes. Construction work started ...but Europe has an installed in Africa in Europe with a groundbreaking ceremony in April, and capacity of 218 GW. Africa has only 30 GW. 1 the plant should be operational by year end. 181 kWh/y 6,500 kWh/y Voith apprentices are involved in the design and manufacturing, and are working to an eco- friendly design – created in cooperation with the Technical University of Munich – that eliminates the need for a new powerhouse. The plant will feature Voith’s new StreamDiver generator unit, recently showcased at a series of roadshows across Latin America. StreamDiver is designed 2 3 for low-head river plants and deployed underwa- ter, eliminating noise emissions, minimizing local 1 Voith exhibition booth. Africa produces 4% 2 Customer event banquet. environmental impact and making small hydro- of the world’s total 3 Bob Gallo, Bill Malus and Martin Andrä at HydroVision 2016. power plants more cost-effective. energy, but is home 218 GW 30 GW to 13% of the global in Europe in Africa 4% population. MORE POWER FOR UGANDA 2015 UGANDA Voith Hydro has been awarded a contract for the Berkeley Energy and customer ARPE Ltd. Commenting on complete design, manufacturing, supply, installation and com- the project, Head of Voith Hydro’s Small Hydro Business Between 2010 and missioning of the electromechanical equipment for the new Klaus Schädler said, “We are happy to be part of the project 2,174 MW Frequent power outages are the norm in across Africa 2015, 2,174 MW of hydropower plant on the Achwa River in northern Uganda. that supports reliable power production and sustainable eco- hydropower capacity The plant features four vertical Francis turbines and vertical nomic development in the region. We look forward to putting 30 African countries. 2010 was added across synchronous generators with an installed capacity of 42 MW. our ideas into practice, and to foster our collaboration for Africa. The project