VGB POWERTECH 7 (2020) - International Journal for Generation and Storage of Electricity and Heat

A journey through 100 years VGB | Hydropower | VGB POWERTECH · Issue 10 (2006)
Hydro-power in Europe
Gavet power plant
Romanche
Peage de Vizille
Figure 4. The new plant Gavet replaces six old stations.
These projects primarily concern facilities for
which the title has been renewed and those
which can be made profitable over the remaining
duration of the title.
In total, the members of the Steering Committee
“Hydro-power” are planning to build
approximately 2,000 MW of new capacity
over the coming years with an investment of
1.6 billion €. For Europe as a whole, we regard
potential new construction of some
8,000 MW over the coming years as realistic.
Focal points will be the Alpine countries and
Eastern Europe. In the Alpine countries the
focus is expected to be on expansion and new
construction of storage and pumped storage
power plants, while in Eastern Europe the
cost-effective run-of-river sites available will
be expanded.
Alongside construction of new plants, optimisation
of the current fleet is another focal
point. One example is the bundling of control
and monitoring functions for hydro-power
plants and the associated water management
in central control rooms.
The third example shows that the centuriesold
technology of hydro-power use can exploit
new and innovative fields of application.
Gavet: New for Old,
with Added Benefits
The future Gavet facility (near Grenoble) is
currently in the instruction phase for commissioning
in 2013, is an good example of site
energy improvement and optimisation.
This project originated when considering the
rehabilitation of six existing run-of-river power
plants which had been constructed at the
end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th century.
For an equivalent cost (€ 160 million),
instead of rehabilitating the existing
power plants, EDF decided to replace them
with a single underground power plant
(41 m 3 /s under a head of 270 m), making it
possible to (Figure 4):
Riouperou
X
Les Clavaux
Pierre Eybesse
Weir and river embankment Livet
Livet
Les Vernes
Les roberts
Present power plants
Romanche
700 m
600 m
500 m
400 m
300 m
200 m
100 m
0 m
– increase the power: the Gavet power plant
will be equipped with two units having a
total power of 92 MW, whereas the six
existing power plants have a total power
of 82 MW.
– substantially increase the production of renewable
energy by 60 GWh compared
to the rehabilitated facilities. Total production
will be 540 GWh compared to
480 GWh at present.
– better meet customer requirements by
combining the advantages of a run-of-river
power plant which produces electricity
continuously with the flexibility of an installation
which, during peaks in consumption,
benefits from water being released
from the Grand-Maison and Saint-
Guillerme dams located upstream.
– improve operating safety by virtue of new
installations which are designed to meet
the latest design and operating requirements.
The safety conditions in the river
will therefore be improved and will make
Gavet power plant
Romanche
Peage de Vizille
it possible to develop new tourist activities.
– substantially improve the appearance of
the valley and the environment by dismantling
structures that are often not very
attractive. Pipelines, channels and medium-voltage
lines will also disappear.
Many environmental protection measures
are planned (waterways, countryside, ecosystem).
–initiate further opportunities for rehabilitating
and developing the valley with a view
to transforming its industrial image and
creating new activities for tourism and leisure.
Improving and Optimising
the Existing Generating Fleet
Alongside the creation of new facilities,
which is usually a long and expensive process,
a significant source of power or even
production which is waiting to be exploited
consists in improving and optimising the
existing generating fleet using modern, highperformance
telecontrol tools. EDF
has done just this for its hundred or so of
its largest power plants. These plants are
controlled from four large centres which
thus provide a total power of 16,000 MW,
14,000 MW of which can be mobilised in a
few minutes.
Further advantages of these centres:
– monitoring flows and adhering to programmes,
– acting at any moment on the operation of
the power plants,
– informing operators
Tidal Energy Converter
The upturn in hydraulic power also involves
innovation, whether this is aiming at reducing
construction costs, increasing the performance
of the machines or meeting new eco-
Riouperou
X
Les Clavaux
Pierre Eybesse
Weir and river embankment Livet
Livet
Les Vernes
Les roberts
Present power plants
Romanche
700 m
600 m
500 m
400 m
300 m
200 m
100 m
Figure 5. New development: Tidal energy converter. The pilot-scale machine is being tested in
autumn 2006.
0 m
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