Construction Of Hydroelectric Projects Research Articles

Environmental Impact and Life Cycle Costs of Large-Scale Hydroelectric Power Plants

Utilization of water resources as a renewable primary energy source can be utilized synergistically for many benefits. Hydroelectric power is a renewable energy source with large reserves in Indonesia. In principle, all development activities have environmental impacts in the form of positive (beneficial) impacts and negative (harmful) impacts, so an analysis of environmental impacts and life cycle costs is needed. This paper aims to analyze the environmental impacts and life cycle costs of hydroelectric power plants using the literature review method to reach conclusions regarding the possible environmental impacts and life cycle costs required for a hydroelectric power plant. Interactions between hydroelectric project locations and environmental areas suggest that hydroelectric project construction may adversely impact certain important habitats, and impacts may worsen in the future. By planning life cycle costs before a hydroelectric power plant is installed, the costs that will be incurred will be focused.

Assessing regressive erosion effects: Unveiling riverside land use land cover changes post hydroelectric project construction

In Ecuador, the Coca Codo Sinclair Hydroelectric Project (CCSHP) provides 34 % of the country's energy demand. However, since its inauguration in 2016, regressive erosion in the Coca River has accelerated, causing the collapse of the San Rafael waterfall in 2020 and damage to oil and electricity infrastructure. This study aimed to assess the effects of regressive erosion along the Coca River through changes in land use and land cover (LULC) to identify the impact of CCSHP operations on migration, deposition, and river channel erosion during 2017–2021. The methodology includes: i) Creation of cloud-free mosaics with Sentinel-2 satellite imagery; ii) LULC classification LULC classification post-operation of the CCSHP (2017), before (2019) and after (2021) the San Rafael waterfall collapse, using the Random Forest algorithm; iii) Estimation of variations in the fluvial dynamics of the Coca River. The results showed that between 2017 and 2019, the extent of water bodies and bare soil increased by 258.58 ha (25 %) and 5195.45 ha (71 %), respectively. Meanwhile, between 2019 and 2021, the extent of sand deposits increased by 387.71 ha (42 %). These changes reflect an acceleration of regressive erosion since the construction and implementation of the CCSHP, information that can be used as an initial tool to analyze the impact of hydropower in the upper Amazon and strengthen environmental protection and risk management policies.

Relationship between the main economic, environmental and social impacts of hydroelectric dams

Hydroelectric power plants have been a growth tool to supply communities with water resources and electricity. In the last seven decades, large dams increased their environmental and social impacts, which caused the fragmentation and transformation of rivers. It is estimated that around 80 million people are displaced by its construction and operation; and its greatest impact comes from reservoirs by flooding large tracts of land permanently. In this sense, this study seeks to determine the relationship between the main economic, environmental and social impacts of the construction of hydroelectric power plants.It addresses the different non-participatory methods, such as secondary data, documents, records and databases were reviewed. From this information, principal component analysis, simple regression, correlations, multivariate and 3D dispersion graphs were performed. Once the different methods were applied, a significant correlation was identified between the variables of installed capacity and number of displaced people. The study concludes that natural resources are a source of attraction for people to settle around them, the water resource is of special interest, therefore, it is not strange that when establishing a hydroelectric project, there is invariably displacement of people in order to benefit a greater number of them through the generation of energy, prevent floods and droughts among other benefits, depending on the category that the dam have, as there are single purpose and multiple purpose. It is undeniable that there is a very strong correlation between the construction of dams and the economic development of a region, however, the correlation that exists between the construction of dams and the displacement of people is also undeniable, hence the importance of this study that is presented, since it allows having clearer economic, environmental and social perspectives that allow identify whether large hydroelectric project construction projects succeed or fail in their purpose of sustainable regional development.The results indicate that by increasing the installed capacity, there is a social impact as it will increase the displacement of people due to the construction or operation of hydroelectric power plants.

Evaluating the sustainability of a hydropower project in the Himalayas: A case study for resolving legal disputes in tribunals

Land use controversies often dog the construction of hydroelectric projects. Many important projects are battling in the tribunals because of Geo-environmental concerns. The paucity of scientific studies objectively investigating the litigations further aggravates the unsolvability of the disputes.The Sawra-Kuddu Hydroelectric project, India, became a subject of litigation when project affected persons filed a suit in the National Green Tribunal questioning the sustainability of the built environment. The litigants petitioned that the additional adit's blasting vibrations can trigger the landslide of slip zone, and Thana village situated above it. The petitioners further claimed that vibrations had cracked the houses. They also asserted degradation in the apple cultivation due to tunnel construction. The tribunal took a stern note of the petition and banned the construction activities. The tribunal further ruled that a scientific investigation must be conducted to ascertain the cause of petitioners' claims.The study results revealed that the vibrations originating from adit excavation are insignificant and cannot destabilize the slip zone. The high fluctuation of annual rainfall and tectonic strain were deemed responsible for the differential settlement of foundations and cracks in the houses. The horticulture study indicated that the physiological processes of apple crops were normal. The study's findings convinced the tribunal, and construction activities were resumed, resulting in the disputed 111 MW project's commissioning. Many run-of-the-river hydroelectric projects in the world are battling similar litigations addressed in the present study. A similar objective methodology is a need for the hour to resolve other hydroelectric projects' sustainability issues. The study findings will pave the path for the swift resolution of land disputes related to similar projects.

Las técnicas de la “gestión social” de poblaciones impactadas por proyectos hidroeléctricos como instrumento de gobierno

El presente artículo analiza las técnicas y prácticas de la “gestión social” en la construcción de proyectos hidroeléctricos, como elementos de un dispositivo de gobierno para fijar las condiciones favorables a la expansión del sector. Este es un tipo de dispositivo compuesto por formas de visibilidad, enunciación, poder y subjetividad. La información empírica fue recopilada en 2014 mediante trabajo etnográfico con las poblaciones impactadas por el proyecto Hidroeléctrico Porce III, construido en Antioquia-Colombia en la década de 2000. Este abordaje permitió la desnaturalización de esas técnicas y prácticas, para situarlas en una lógica más amplia de expansión del capital, donde la autogestión de los afectados juega un papel central.

Resiliência socioecológica em comunidades deslocadas por hidrelétricas na Amazônia:

Este artigo apresenta um estudo interdisciplinar sobre processos de adaptação e resiliência cultural em situações de deslocamento e reassentamento forçado de grupos sociais por implantação de hidrelétricas na Amazônia. São apresentados resultados de uma pesquisa participativa realizada entre a comunidade de Nova Mutum Paraná, Rondônia, após seu deslocamento forçado devido à construção da Hidrelétrica de Jirau. A abordagem teórica integra conceitos das teorias dos sistemas socioecológicos complexos com conceitos originários no corpo teórico da antropologia do desenvolvimento. Métodos incluíram observação participante, oficinas participativas e atividades com grupos focais por um período de quase três anos logo depois do reassentamento. Foram pesquisados o processo de reorganização social e as estratégias de negociação da comunidade com o consórcio construtor, relacionadas ao acesso a recursos de uso comum, priorizando dois espaços de lazer e importância cultural: balneário natural e campo de futebol. Resultados sugerem que o capital social presente na comunidade nas fases iniciais de planejamento e tomada de decisão para a construção de hidrelétricas é um fator crítico no processo de negociação de acões de mitigação relativas ao acesso a bens comuns e serviços. O envolvimento e o apoio de gestores municipais também foram elementos importantes para o fortalecimento da organização social da comunidade. Apesar dos obstáculos e dificuldades, a comunidade persiste em reconstruir os espaços sociais e de convivência comum, buscando assim manter raízes de sua história por meio dos hábitos e costumes praticados na antiga comunidade ribeirinha.

Anthropogenic disturbances and their impact on vegetation in Western Himalaya, India

The present study assesses anthropogenic disturbances and their impacts on the vegetation in Western Himalaya, India on the basis of various disturbance parameters such as density, Total Basal Cover (TBC) of cut stumps, lopping percentage and grazing intensities. On the basis of canopy cover and frequency of disturbances (%), the studied forests were divided into highly disturbed (HD), moderately disturbed (MD) and least disturbed (LD) categories. The HD forests had the lowest canopy cover, lowest density and lowest TBC and the LD had the highest canopy cover, highest density and highest TBC. The MD forests occupied the intermediate position with respect to these parameters. Species richness was least in HD forests, highest in one of the MD forests while LD forest occupied an intermediate position. The percentage of regenerating species was lowest (54%) in HD and highest (72%) in MD. The density of seedlings and saplings was higher in one of the MD forests as compared to HD and LD. We concluded that the moderate disturbances do not affect the vegetation adversely; however the increased degree of disturbance causes loss in plant diversity; affects regeneration and changes community characteristics. Construction of hydroelectric projects at various places in the study area was found to be one of the most important sources of anthropogenic disturbances in addition to the routine anthropogenic disturbances like grazing, fuelwood collection and fodder extraction. If all proposed dams in the Indian Himalaya are constructed combined with weak national environmental impact assessment and implementation, it will result in a significant loss of species. Therefore, various agents of disturbances should be evaluated in cumulative manner and any developmental activities such as hydropower projects, which trigger various natural and anthropogenic disturbances, should be combined with proper cumulative environmental impact assessment and effective implementation to minimise the anticipated loss of vegetation.

Assessing the impact of hydroelectric project construction on the ecological integrity of the Nuozhadu Nature Reserve, southwest China

Regional ecological degradation induced by hydroelectric project construction (HPC) is of great concern in the field of landscape ecology research. Using GIS-based spatial analysis, we predicted and assessed the impacts of HPC on the ecological integrity of the Nuozhadu Nature Reserve (NNR). The results show that, after Nuozhadu HPC, the naturality of the NNR will be modified due to changes in the landscape composition such that larger areas covered by vegetation will be occupied by construction land and flooded by water areas. Meanwhile, landscape diversity will increase due to the additional landscape types of construction land and submerged areas, while landscape stability will decrease because of the splitting and contagion of the landscape after Nuozhadu HPC. The human disturbance index shows that the HPC will contribute to increasing the disturbance of the ecosystem. From buffer analyses, we conclude that the impacts of HPC will mainly occur in buffer zones over the distance of 800 m from the Lancang River in the NNR, and tend to be moderate in the 800–5,000 m buffer zone. Therefore, within the 800 m buffer zone, taking the naturality, diversity and stability of the ecosystem as well as anthropogenic interference as evaluation indicators, we calculated the ecological integrity index; the results indicate that the ecological integrity of the NNR will decrease by 7.6 % after project construction.

An Analysis on Risk Factors of High Risk Operations in Hydroelectric Project

In the process of the enterprise's production, safety is the key concerned matter. Hydroelectric project construction is the industry with frequent accidents; these accidents have great influences to the society, so the effective measures are taken to prevent accidents and thus change the management style from “post processing” to “predictive control”. The accidents data of objects striking of Xiluodu projects in the year of 2004 to 2006 are analyzed, all the factors causing the accidents are determined, and the factors are analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively analyzes with Bayesian network method, finally the safety management program is determined to guide the safety operations. The bad condition of geological environment has the greatest posterior probability; therefore, it is a sensitive factor that might cause the objects striking accidents. More attention should be paid to the geological environment when preventing accidents.

Genetic diversity and differentiation between populations of <I>Glyptothorax zanaensis</I> in the middle and lower reaches of the Nujiang River

The development of hydroelectricity in the Nujiang River would have adverse impacts on the populations of Glyptothorax zanaensis. In order to assess the genetic diversity and differentiation of this species, we sequenced the cytochrome b gene of the mitochondria in 102 individuals of the fish collected from 6 sampling sites (Gongshan, Gudeng and Lushui in the Nujiang Prefectural District and Daojie, Mengnuo and Mucheng in the Baoshan Municipal District). A total of 87 variation sites were detected in the fragment of 1 137 bp in length, with which the 102 samples were defined as 36 haplotypes. The haplotype diversity (h) and the nucleotide diversity (pi) of total samples were 0.851+/-0.028 and 0.01356+/-0.0008, respectively. Therefore, the genetic diversity of G. zanaensis was relatively low. However, the genetic diversity of the Nujiang population was significantly higher than that of the Baoshan population. The pairwise Fst value between the populations (0.475-0.846) was higher than that within the population (0.002-0.108), which implied that the Fst value was positively related to geographic distance. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that the genetic differentiation between the populations and within the populations were 53.65% and 46.35%, respectively. The fixation index (Fst value) was 0.5365, indicating that there existed significant differentiation between the Nujiang population and the Baoshan population. The phylogentic tree and networks of the haplotypes of G. zanaensis showed that there were two separate lineages: the Nujiang lineage and the Baoshan lineage. Each lineage represents at least one separated management unit, or belongs to an evolutionary significant unit. It was suggested that in the construction of hydroelectric projects the measures for protecting G. zanaensis should be adopted in fully considering the populations of G. zanaensis and the status quo of their population structure to avoid the occurrence of gene exchange among populations.

Assessment of diversity, distribution, conservation status and preparation of management plan for medicinal plants in the catchment area of parbati hydroelectric project stage — III in Northwestern Himalaya

The developmental activities, particularly the construction of hydroelectric projects are causing a great loss of biodiversity in the Indian Himalayan Region. The Himachal Pradesh, a part of IHR is well known for the development of hydroelectric projects. The Parbati H.E. Project is amongst the major projects of the State. The different stages of the project are all causing loss of biodiversity of the area. Stage III of the Parbati H.E. Project is a run of the river scheme on the Sainj River downstream of Power House of Parbati H.E. Project Stage II. The project shall utilize regulated discharge of Parbati H.E. Project Stage II and inflow of River Sainj for power generation, and has been contemplated as a peaking station operating in tandem with Stage II. The present study has been undertaken to see the impact of hydroelectric project on the biodiversity, particularly on medicinal plants. A total of 104 species of medicinal plants, belonging to different life forms, i.e., trees (23 spp.), shrubs (22 spp.), herbs (57 spp.) and ferns (2 spp.) were recorded. The species have been analyzed and studied for their distribution, classification, altitudinal zones, part (s) used, indigenous uses, nativity, endemism and rarity. DDifferent parts of these species, such as whole plants, roots (including rhizomes and tubers), leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, stems, barks, spikes, nuts and insect galls are used by the inhabitants for curing various diseases and ailments. 30 species are native to the Himalayan region, 9 species native to the Himalayan region and adjacent countries also and 65 species are non-natives. 9 species are near endemics. Considering the whole Himalaya as a biogeographic unit (sensu lato), the near endemics are endemic to the Himalaya. Among these species, Zanthoxylum armatum is categorized as Endangered and Valeriana wallichii as Vulnerable. Hedychium spicatum, Rhus javanica, Berberis lycium, Thalictrum foliolossum, Salvia lanata, Rubia cordifolia and Bergenia ligulata may be considered as threatened species due to their over exploitation for trade. 90 species are propagated by seeds, 8 species by seeds and rhizomes/roots/tubers, 4 species by seeds and cuttings, and 2 species by sori. A management plan for the cultivation and conservation of the medicinal plants in the dam submergence area, and the commercially viable medicinal plants with high value in the catchment area is suggested.