“Yeghegis 3” SHPP: Monitoring Results (Photos)

EcoLur

In the framework of the project entitled “Support to SHPP-relating Reforms Through the Dialogue of Public and RA Nature Protection Ministry for Sustainable Use of River Ecosystems” the expert group visited “Yeghegis 3” SHPP. “Yeghegis 3” SHPP is located in the administrative area of Goghtanik community, Syunik Region. The SHPP is constructed on the Yeghegis River (length – 47 km). It’s operated by “Syunyats Vot” LLC.

As a result of the monitoring, the expert group found out:

• The SHPP has been operating since 2012.
• According to the project, the estimated pressure of the SHPP is 87.5 m. According to the certificate issued by the Public Services Regulatory Committee on 1 October 2015, the estimated pressure of the SHPP is 74.03 m. According to the project and PSRC certificate, the estimated yield used by the SHPP is 4 m³/s. According to the project and PSRC certificate, projected capacity – 2377.2. According to the PSRC, the factual useful delivery of the electricity is 6.265 million kWh, duration of license - 17.04.2013-17.04.2028, water usage permit 14.06.2013- 14.06.2016.
• The real coordinates of the SHPP water intake point and height above sea level comply with the coordinates laid down in the water usage permit.
• The head section of “Yeghegis-3” head section is located around 50 meters down the building of “Yeghegis-1” SHPP.  The length of the SHPP dam is 8 m, its height is 1.5 m.
• The environmental flow runs through the fish passway constructed on the right side of the dam.
• The fish pasway has length of 7.5 meters, height of 2.3 meters and width of 1.5-2.5 meters. There are metallic angles to increase the level of the fish passway entrance and to close it entirely, if needed. The lowest stair of the fish passway is around 60 cm higher than the river level, which creates additional difficulties for the fish flowing up the river. In general, the fish passway sets favourable conditions for the migration of the mainly brown trout, but not for other fish species.
• There are no fish-protecting nets in the head section. Instead, there are three garbage-collecting cage nets, each 1.4 meters long, while the distance between the slots is 8-10 cm. Such slots can be an obstacle for 20-centimer-long fish to find themselves in the pressure pipeline.
• You can meet the following fish species in the following section of the Yeghegis River: brown trout, South Caucasus Sprilin, Kura barbell, Sevan Khramulya (red-listed). Rainbow trout may regularly penetrate from the fish farms.
• The pipeline is made of steel, its length complies with the project data – 1391 m, its diameter is 1.2 m. The pipeline is completely over the surface, which is a deviation from the project.
• Percentage correlation of aggregate length of SHPP derivation pipelines (24188 meters) of “Yeghegis 1” SHPP (the length of the derivation pipeline is 4000 meters, according to the certificate issued by the Public Services Regulatory Committee on 1 January 2015), “Yeghegnadzor” SHPP (according to the project, it’s length is 3250m, 54m), “Yeghegnadzor SHPP 1” SHPP (the length of the derivation pipeline is 2650 meters, according to the project), “Yeghegis 3” (the length of the derivation pipeline is 931.37 meters, according to the certificate issued by the Public Services Regulatory Committee on 1 January 2015), “Yeghegis 2” SHPP (the length of the derivation pipeline is 2138 meters, according to the project), “Yegheg” SHPP (the length of the derivation pipeline is 1924 meters, according to the project), “Goghtanik” SHPP (the length of the derivation pipeline is 1400 meters, according to the project), “Yeghegis” SHPP (the length of the derivation pipeline is 2450 meters), “Tigran Mets” SHPP (the length of the derivation pipeline is 2691 meters), “Khachi Qar” SHPP (the length of the derivation pipeline is 2240 meters) with the length of Yeghegis River makes up 51.46 %.
• The following SHPPs are planned to be constructed on the Yeghegis River: “Alnars” SHPP  - “Alnars” LLC developer (according to the PSRC certificate, the length of the pipeline is 2300 meters), “Yeghegnut” SHPP – “VTV Energy” developer (according to the PSRC certificate, the length of the pipeline is 2665 meters), “Elis” SHPP – “Elis HPP” LLC developer (according to the PSRC certificate,  the SHPP will be constructed on the Yeghegis and Soghanlu Rivers, the length of the pipelines is 2360,0 and 2288,0 meters).
• According to the water usage permit, “Yeghegis 3” SHPP can take water in all months, annually 43204.0 cum ensuring 0.18 cum/s environmental flow in the river.
• According to “Computation Center” CJSC data, in 2014 “Yeghegis 3” SHPP operated for 12 months in 2014 and produced 6265397 kW electricity.
• The equal distribution of the electricity production per months is explained with the fact that a large amount of water is let out into the Yeghegis River from the Kechut reservoir through Arpa-Sevan tunnel above the water intake points, which ensures artificial increase in the river flow in low-water seasons. For example, it’s impossible to produce 704,002 kWh electricity with the water intake of 0.17 m³/s set in the water usage permit produced by the SHPP in August 2014. The same refers to other low-water months.
• Only one out of three turbines installed in the station was operating at the moment of observation and ensured a projected capacity of 720 kW (the project planned three turbines).
• There is no automatic management and registration of water intake and environmental flow.
• There is not entire automatic management system in the station.
• There is no water-meter sealed by a relevant environmental body in the water intake.
• The transformer substation is tin plated, all three transformers are not equipped with oil-collecting system.
• The requirements posed to the conservation and use of fertile soil layer are not complied with.
• Free water usage requirements are complied with.
• The solutions for the discharge of household wastewater are missing.
• The station area is not improved: there are construction and metallic wastes: there are newly planted trees in the area.
• The nearby specially protected area of nature is “Yeghegnadzor” reserve, the location of which is the Yeghegis River basin, a right-bank tributary to the Arpa River in Vayots Dzor Region 1200-2800 meters above sea level.
• The Nature Protection Ministry has fined the SHPP in the amount of 200,000 AMD.

Proposals

1.To reconstruct the water intake section in line with the set environmental flow equipping it with automatic management systems regulating water intake and environmental flow amounts.

2.To ensure online control of environmental flow.

3.To remove the construction designed to close the entrance of the fish passway.

4.To calculate the real amount of the water flowing in the Yeghegis River taking into consideration the water amount let out into the Yeghegis River from the Kechut reservoir through Arpa-Sevan tunnel.

5.To review the environmental flow of 0.18 m³/s set in the water usage permit: it’s too small for the Yeghegis River and can’t ensure the natural state of the river and biodiversity.

6.To install up-to-date efficient equipment to operate with little water amount and to ensure projected capacity.

7.To implement sufficient greening and improvement works.

8.To carry out the discharge of household wastewater through water-proof well or “mini” cleaning station.

9.To equip the transformers with oil-collecting system.

10.To clean the station area from the garbage and wastes and to carry out garbage removal in set procedure.

The material was  developed in the frames of “Supporting reforms in the sector of small hydro power plants through enabling a dialogue between civil society  and the Ministry  of Nature Protection for sustainable use of river ecosystems” supported by UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme".

March 11, 2016 at 18:56