Potential by technology / Hydro
Introduction
Hydropower currently is the most developed part of renewable energy utilised in Armenia. Total installed capacity of the Hydro Power Plants (HPP) in Armenia is about 1000 MW. Installed HPPs are grouped in two main hydro cascades: Private owned Sevan-Hrazdan HPP and state owned Vorotan HPP Cascades. The economically justified hydropower potential is around 3.6 billion kWh. From this amount, 1.5 billion kWh (or about 42% of economically justified hydropower potential) has been developed already. The remaining hydro potential is to be developed during the next 15 years. According to the National Energy Development Strategy Paper (2007) till 2015 it is planned to put into operation 140 MW Meghri (800 mln kWh/y), 60 MW Loriberd (200 mln kWh/y) and 75 MW (300 mln kWh/y) Shnogh Hydropower Plants. Till 2025 it is planned to put into operation in total 260 MW of Small Hydropower Plants (600 mln kWh/y) as well.
Shnogh Hydropower Plant
Shnogh HPP uses the cross-head of the r. Debed after junction of rivers Dzoraget and Pambak. Design head 228 m, design discharge 35 m3/s, installed power 70-75 MW, with average annual production of 270 GWh. The total construction cost of recommended project assessed as $121.15 million in 1998 $ prices. Annual costs: $795 000 and includes labor, materials, vehicles, spare parts, equipment, insurance, administration and general expenses as well as sinking fund for replacement of major equipment. Applied tariff: $0.04/kWh.
Loriberd Hydropower Plant
Loriberd HPP uses the cross-head of the r. Debed. Design head 228 m, design discharge 35 m3/s, installed power 60 MW, average annual production 200 GWh.
Small Hydropower Plants
Recent World Bank supported study “Updating and Correction of the Existing 1997 Scheme of Small hydropower Plants in Armenia” essentially improve the assessments of currently not utilised SHHPs power potential in Armenia. The table bellow summarize the obtained results. As could be sse from this table, currently not utilise potential of SHPPs in Armenia is about 147 MW with annual average generation of about 540 mln. kWh for 115 SHPPs. The highest potential is for Aghstev, Debed and Voghgy river basins.
The detailed information about Updated Scheme of SHPPs, including their technical (design head, discharge, derivation length, installed capacity and annual production, etc) and economical main parameters (capital cost, internal rate of return, net present value, etc) are freely available through the Internet (please see the web sites bellow) and upon request.