WSHPDR_2013_Final_Report-updated_version

Selected small hydropower projects and programmes
Rural donor projects
Description
USAID funded by the Alternative
Development Programme —
Eastern Region (ADP/E)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE)
Since 2006
Financed by Japan Fund for
Poverty Reduction (JFPR)
National Solidarity Program (NSP)
funded by World Bank
Support of the construction of the Dodarak micro hydro (60 kW) – approximately US$107,000—including
US$17,000 for local labour—to engineering and construction works. The plant was opened in April 2009 and
is expected to remain functional for the next 40 years. The Community Development Council (CDC) of
Dodarak village has implemented a transparent system for managing electricity accounts. Each family pays Af
3 and each business Af 5 for one kilowatt hour of electricity. The CDC collects the money, which is used to pay
the power plant technicians and maintain the plant. If revenue exceeds regular expenses, the CDC can
allocate funds for other development projects in the village. 6
Project aims to train, manufacture and install micro hydropower plants in isolated Afghan villages and
connect the villages to the grid.
The construction of 105 units in seven of 34 Afghan provinces until July 2011 was planned. The average
system has a capacity of 10 kW, but the largest one, Daste Riwat plant has a capacity of 130 kW. All the
components of this project were fabricated locally, apart from the imported alternators. 7
Development of four mini hydro plants in Bamyan and Badakhshan Provinces, each about 500 kW, of a total
capacity of 2 MW. The micro hydropower plants are expected to provide basic infrastructure in support of
improving services, increasing productivity, facilitating income generation, and contributing towards
improved health and environmental protection through increased access to electricity. 3
Together with local CDCs, over 500 micro hydro projects were built between 2003 and 2007. CDCs
participation has involved operations and maintenance, established viable systems of cost-recovery, in return
providing sustainability 4
Source: DAI-International Development Company 6 , Sgt. O’ Connor 7 , Asian Development Bank 3 and Ministry of Energy and Water, Afghanistan 4
Small hydropower sector overview and potential
The 2011 draft Afghanistan Power Sector Strategy
classified hydropower into the following capacity
ranges: large >10 MW, small 1 to 10 MW, mini 100 kW
to 1 MW, micro 5 kW to 100 kW and pico