“Argitchi” 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 “Argitchi” SHPP. “Argitchi” SHPP is located in Gegharkounik Region. The water intake is carried out in the administrative area of Madina community, while water outlet is carried out in the administrative area of Verin Getashen community. The SHPP water usage permit says that the SHPP water intake is carried out in the administrative area of Geghhovit community. The SHPP is constructed in Lake Sevan basin, on the Argitchi River, which flows into Lake Sevan (length – 51 km). It’s operated by “Hydrocorporation” CJSC.

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

• The SHPP has been operating since the autumn of 2013.
• According to the certificate issued by the Public Services Regulatory Committee on 1 October 2015, the estimated pressure of the SHPP is 2274.8 m, the project says it’s 253.1 m, the company says it’s 223m. According to the project and PSRC certificate, the estimated yield used by the SHPP is 4 m3/s. According to the PSRC certificate, the projected capacity – 9720 kW, the project says it’s 8400 kWh. According to the PSRC, the factual useful delivery of the electricity is 14.36 million kWh as of October 2015, while the PSRC certificate as of 1 January 2015, the factual useful delivery of the electricity is 34.28 kWh. The estimated production of the SHPP is 30.5 million kWh according to the project, duration of license - 20.11.2013-20.11.2028, water usage permit 21.03.2014-21.03.2017.
• The water usage permit doesn’t say the coordinates of water intake and discharge of the SHPP. The heights above sea level mentioned in the water usage permit comply with the data mentioned in the PSRC certificate.
• The length of the dam is 28 meters, its height is 4 meters. According to the project, the length of the dam is 40 meters, its height is 40 meters.
• There is an artificial reservoir around 1 km long generated at the back of the dam in the riverbed.
• The project plans to have a fish passway of 1.5 m wide, 2.5 m long and stairs of 1.5x1.5 m. In fact, there is a concrete stair-like fish passway in the head section of “Argitchi” SHPP, which is 24.6 m long, 1.6 m high and 2.0 m wide. The fish passway consists of 14 stairs, out of which each is 20-30 cm high. The fish passway with such structure can ensure the migration of the trout and brown trout, but it can create additional difficulties for other fish species.
• The sand trap is equipped with a garbage-collecting cage net, and the distance between its bars is 4 cm. Such distance between the bars can’t be an obstacle for the small fish 10-12 cm long to appear in the pressure pipeline.
• You can meet the following fish species in the upper reach of the Argitchi River, where the SHPP head section is constructed: the brown trout, the Sevan Khramulya, Gegharkouni (these fish species are red-listed in Armenia). The South Caucasus Sprilin may also flow up here, as it has appeared in Sevan basin recently and we noticed it in the area adjacent to “Argitchi” SHPP. On the other hand, the employees deal with letting out fish into the river, and according to them, the fish is regularly let out into the reservoir of the head section. These fish species may contain also the rainbow trout. Additional ichthyological studies are needed to find out the current state.
• The SHPP pipeline is made of steel, its length complies with the project data. According to the project, the length of the pipeline is 9527 m, its diameter is 1420 mm. Nine-kilometer-long section of the pipeline is buried under the ground in a covered trench. In a section of 300 meters near the SHPP building the trench was not covered and reclaimed. According to the employee, the reason is the technical accident with the pipeline, which resulted in the flooding of the adjacent areas, as well as complete violation of the landscape, which is dangerous for people and animals thus creating inconveniences and other hazards for movement. The current state may promote generation of probable engineering and geological phenomena in the adjacent areas (landslides etc). The pipeline has been damaged several times.
• Percentage correlation of aggregate length of “Argitchi” SHPP derivation pipeline (9527 meters) with the length of Argitchi River (51 km) makes up 18.68 %.
• The section of the river flowing past the station is “blocked” with pipelines, which, as the locals explained, are pipelines supplying irrigation water to different communities. The irrigation water designed for the land areas of Verin Getashen land areas (200 l/s) is provided through the SHPP pipeline.
• According to the water usage permit, “Argitchi” SHPP can take water in 11 months, annually 50.1 million cum ensuring 1 cum/s environmental flow. The SHPP doesn’t carry out water intake only in August. At the moment of observation, the environmental flow of 1 cum/s laid in the water usage permit was not ensured. The environmental flow set for “Argitchi” SHPP is more than laid by the Armenian legislation. This amount of environmental flow was sent when “Hydrocorporation” CJSC applied to proceed to Clean Development Mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which didn’t take place. The water usage permit allows the SHPP to take ore water in February, March, July, September, October and November than it’s left in the river after the environmental flow. It means the SHPP is allowed to use the water of the environmental flow.
• According to “Computation Center” CJSC data, in 2014 “Argitchi” SHPP operated for 7 months in 2014 and produced 14360248 kW electricity.
• The SHPP didn’t produce any electricity in June, July, August, September and October.
• There are five hydroaggregates of local “Khorda” production installed in the SHPP building, out of which 1 has 2150 kW projected capacity, 2,3 and 4 have 1700 kW and 5 has 3150 kW projected capacity (a total of 10400 kW projected capacity). At the moment of observation, only one aggregate was operating, which ensured 1250 kW projected capacity with 460 l/s water amount. The aggregates don’t have automatic management system. The project envisaged 4 aggregates. According to the employee, the SHPP operation completely stops in irrigation season (April-September), as the water is used for the irrigation of Verin Getashen, Madina, Nerqin Getashen and Geghhovit communities, which is proved by the availability of 4 irrigation pipelines. The maximum yield set 5.0 cum/s set for the SHPP is used only in April-May months, according to the employee.
• The transformer substation is fenced, the installed transformers are not equipped with oil-collecting system.
• There is no water-meter sealed by a relevant environmental body in the water intake.
• The station area is not improved at all: the works were incomplete and the area was full of construction garbage.
• The SHPP employs 14 people.
• The SHPP is close to “Sevan” National Park, a specially protected area of nature.

Conclusion

In the process of the preservation and reproduction of the fish fauna in Lake Sevan all the SHPP structures and the amount of the environmental flow in the river shall not hinder the natural movement of the fish in any way. The environmental flow of 1.0 m3/s set in the water usage permit is strictly adhered to. If these conditions are unable to be met, all these structures and other SHPPs constructed on the rivers in Lake Sevan basin shall be dismantled. The effectiveness of the aggregates installed in the station is suspicious, which, most probably, causes not adhering to the volumes of the set environmental flows. If the SHPPs shall continue operating in this manner, equipment of European production shall be installed.

Hydrological data are not reliable, which results in the lack of irrigation for affected communities. Technical solutions shall be found to clearly ensure environmental flow. After changing previous plastic pipelines in the SHPP, around 300-meter-long trenches are not covered, soil reclaiming hasn’t been carried out, which requires quick solutions: there are project deviations.

Proposals

1.To ensure automatic management of environmental flow in the head section, installation of water-measuring devices and online control.

2.To review hydroeconomic estimates to add the water amount of environmental flow adequately.

3.To equip the water intake section with automatic management system.

4.To recover violated landscapes to avoid any emergencies.

5.To equip the entrance of the pipeline with cellular fish-protecting cage net.

6.To re-equip the SHPP with new and up-to-date hydroaggregates having high efficiency to have entirely automated management system, to operate with little water amount and to ensure the projected capacity

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

8.To carry out sufficient greening and improvement works.

9.To apply to State Committee on Water Industry of Agriculture Ministry through the Nature Protection Ministry with a requirement to give engineering solutions to the irrigation pipes.

10.As “Argitchi” SHPP is constructed on the river constructed on Lake Sevan, a special regime shall be set for this SHPP, particularly it shall be permitted to operate from the middle of March till July, to take irrigation and spawning season into account.

11.To review the water usage permit and to replace it with an environmental passport, where the main indicator will be the environmental flow from the water intake point to water return point.

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 23, 2016 at 19:27