“Output from nine hydropower plants in the province peaked to 548,000 megawatt hours in 2019. But this will not exceed 431,000 MW hours this year that ends next March,” IRNA quoted Mohammad Shahriari as saying.
Electricity generation from plants is designed according to projected water conditions. Increase or decrease in power output depends directly on water levels in dams, the official noted.
“Due to high precipitation and satisfactory condition of water reservoirs last year, output from these plants was above normal. Production reached 548,000 MW hours, a record since inception,” Shahriari noted.
As such, when rainfall and water level in dams decline, hydroelectric power generation too is adversely affected.
Referring to normal water flow into dams around Tehran between March and July, he said it (1.9 billion cubic meters) has plunged by at least 15% compared to the same period in 2019.
Moreover, water in five dams around the sprawling capital is now about 1.1 bcm, down 8.5% compared to August 2019.
Five dams around Tehran, namely Taleqan, Latyan, Mamlou, Amirkabir and Lar can hold 1.93 bcm of water. Tehran has nine hydropower plants with 268 MW installed capacity.
Amirkabir Hydroelectric Power Plant adjacent to Amirkabir Dam has two 45 MW units, Taleqan Power Station near Taleqan Dam two 8.9 MW units, Latyan Plant close to Latyan Dam two 22.5 MW units and Kalan Power Station adjacent to Lar Dam three 38.5 MW units.
Dams across Iran can hold over 50 bcm of water and so far less than 60% of them are full.
Hydropower constitutes approximately 12,000 MW of the total installed power generation capacity of 84,000 MW and plays a key role during outages by quickly restoring supply and supporting other plants (mostly thermal).
Indigenizing Parts
In related news, IRNA quoted Jalaleddin Hojjati, deputy for operation affairs at Iran Water and Power Resources Development Company, as saying that domestic engineers have indigenized an important piece of equipment used in hydroelectric power plants.
The automatic voltage regulator, which is one of the main components in the hydroelectric business, has been manufactured.
AVR is used to regulate voltage. It takes a fluctuating voltage and changes it into a stable power. Fluctuation in voltage occurs mainly due to variation in load on the supply system. Variations in voltage, if huge, often damage power equipment.
“A few years ago, turbine governor, another major part in power stations, was indigenized and is being used in Sardasht hydropower station (West Azerbaijan Province) and Daryan hydropower plants (Kermanshah Province).”
Known as the “heart” of a power plant, the turbine governor ensures stable and efficient operation of the unit under versatile hydraulic conditions.
Global Status
Global hydropower installed capacity reached 1,308 gigawatts in 2019, as 50 countries and territories completed greenfield and upgrade projects, according to the 2020 Hydropower Status Report.
A total of 15.6 GW in installed capacity was added in 2019, down from the 21.8 GW in 2018.
China topped the list with 8,540 megawatts, followed by Brazil (3,866 MW), Pakistan (2,487 MW), Turkey (1,085 MW), Angola (668 MW), Tajikistan (605 MW), Ecuador (556 MW), India (535 MW), Norway (419 MW) and Canada (401 MW).
Hydropower is produced in 150 countries. The cost of hydroelectricity is relatively low, making it a competitive source of renewable energy.