NEWSLETTER #2 _ May 2022

Dear Reader,

Let’s start with an update on our project activities. Recently, our Hydro4U ecologist team undertook their 2^nd fieldtrip to Central Asia to assess the ecological conditions at the selected demonstration site for Small Hydropower Deployment in Shakimardan Enclave (Uzbekistan). Read more about it in our news section.

Moreover, the first Hydro4U demonstration site “Shakimardan” is presented in more detail in our focus topic. Learn more about the site selection, the location and special characteristics of the site as well as the technology demonstrated.

In autumn 2022, Hydro4U partner Kyrgyz State Technical University (KSTU) is organising a new edition of the International Summer School “Kyrgyzstan – Hydropower, Ecology and Hydro morphology” in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. If you are a Bachelor/Master student or aspirant, a PhD student or young lecturer/teacher this could be a very interesting experience for you. Read more in our news & events section.

Besides, the Hydro4U consortium is very happy to have finally the occasion to meet in person, exchange ideas and work together on the project at Hydro4U’s General Assembly organised by IWMI and Uzbekgidroenergo (UGE) end of June in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. We will give you an update about this meeting in our next newsletter edition.

Finally, we would like to announce that main parts of our website are now also available in Russian to reach stakeholders and the general public in Central Asia.

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We hope you enjoy reading!

Dr.-Ing. Markus Reisenbüchler
Hydro4U Coordinator
Technical University of Munich
Chair of Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering

Author: Bertalan Alapfy, Project Board Manager Hydro4U, Technical University of Munich

One of two demonstration activities of the Hydro4U project comprises the planning, installation and assessment of a medium-head small hydropower facility using the Francis-Container-Power-Solution manufactured by Global Hydro.

The site for this activity has been selected already before the project had started, so that planning and preparation for implementation could begin immediately after the start of the project.

The local partner in charge for the site-specific works and later operation of the facility is the national electricity supplier Uzbekgidroenergo (UGE). A comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding between the Hydro4U Consortium and UGE has been signed by both parties to underline the focus on sustainable implementation and operation of the plant, both from an environmental and social point of view.

The site is located at the River Koksu within the Uzbek enclave Shakimardan, where both reliable electricity supply as well as the fair transboundary use of water resources play an essential role for the sustainable development of this region.

Photo credits: Daniel Hayes, BOKU

The planning and construction of a small hydroelectric power plant by UGE began at this location 30 years ago. However, due to logistical problems and the partially limited accessibility of the enclave, the project could not be completed back then.

Therefore, UGE and the Hydro4U consortium have now set themselves the goal of jointly implementing an innovative and sustainable solution with the use of already existing components, such as the penstock.

First, the site was jointly visited by experts from the consortium and UGE in September 2021 to clarify the most important issues. This was followed by an intensive phase of communication, during which relevant data and plans were exchanged. Recently, a large-scale surveying campaign took place in April 2022, during which Hydro4U partners together with local experts collected data relevant for the planning. This involved surveying the site using drone aerial surveys and ground surveys, as well as habitat mapping and electrofishing. This information will serve as the basis for an environmentally compatible design of the technical plant components, thus ensuring, for example, the optimum ecological residual water quantity or the correct dimensioning of the fishway.

Up to now, all tasks in Shakimardan could be carried out according to the original schedule, thus a start of construction in autumn 2023 and a commissioning in spring 2024 is still the target.

Fieldtrip of the Hydro4U ecology team to Shakimardan Enclave (Uzbekistan)

After the successful first field mission to Central Asia of the Hydro4U consortium members in September 2021, the second mission took place from 31.3 to 12.04.2022 to Shakimardan Enclave (Uzbekistan). The mission was jointly organised by Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and led by the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) and SJE Ecohydraulic Engineering (SJE) with the participation of further Hydro4U partners to explore the demonstration site “Shakimardan” and surrounding stretches of the river system. Read more

Hydro4U Website now available in Russian language

Our Hydro4U project consortium is very international including partners from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In order to better reach stakeholders and the gerneral public in Central Asia, we are happy to announce that main parts of the Hydro4U website are now also available in Russian language. Visit our website in Russian under: https://hydro4u.eu/ru/

EGU General Assembly 2022: Abstract by Hydro4U partners HSOL and IWMI accepted!

Hydro4U partners HSOL and IWMI have successfully submitted an abstract for an oral presentation at this year’s European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly which has been accepted. The short oral presentation is titled “Accountability and Transparency through Water-Energy-Food Nexus Accounting in Central Asia” and was held in Session HS5.1 “Water resources policy and management – managing trade-offs at the nexus between water, food, energy and the environment”. Read more

Application for international summer school on hydropower is open!

One task within Hydro4U is the development of academic programmes and courses on sustainable hydropower for students from Europe and Central Asia. Hydro4U project partner Kyrgyz State Technical University named after Iskhak Razzakov (KSTU) is hosting annually a two-week Summer School for students titled “Kyrgyzstan – Hydropower, Ecology and Hydromorphology”. The 2022 edition of the Summer School will take place from 21.08.2022 - 04.09.2022 in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. Interested in the programme and how to participate? Read more

Hydro4U partner GLOBAL Hydro: smarT technology & modular Kaplan design

GLOBAL Hydro is the world’s first contact for digital small hydropower technologies. In Hydro4U, they develop turbine technology that meets the requirements in Central Asia in terms of costs, installation, maintenance and operation while ensuring the highest European quality standards. 

Assessments and benefits sharing in the context of the Water-Food-Energy-Climate nexus in Shakhimardan river basin 

In Hydro4U, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) carries out the quantification of shared benefits and trade-off analyses from small-scale hydropower (SHP). They discussed with local stakeholders from Fergana district (Uzbekistan) the importance of the Water-Energy-Food-Climate nexus in the context of SHP installation in Shakhimardansay.

Understanding the Complex Hydrology of Semi-Arid Central Asia

hydrosolutions GmbH (HSOL) is the lead expert on hydrology and remote sensing in the Hydro4U project. The team has over 15 years of experience in the region. It draws on a pool of local experts to unravel the complex hydrology in Central Asia and to study climate impacts, with a focus on implications for the development of sustainable small-scale hydropower solutions. 

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences draws upon 150 years of international research and management expertise

In a time where sustainable development and management of the globe’s resources is more important than ever, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) draws upon 150 years of international research and management expertise. Within Hydro4U, BOKU plays a key role in finding sustainable hydropower development solutions in Central Asia’s multidisciplinary and complex environment.

SJE Ecohydraulic Engineering – Linking Hydraulics with Ecology in Hydro4U

SJE Ecohydraulic Engineering GmbH celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2021. Founded in 2001, the company works at the interface between river hydraulics and river ecology. Since then, SJE has been involved in various research projects, while at the same time developing new technologies, in particular modelling tools for eco-hydraulic studies, and applying these new tools to environmental impact assessment, especially with regard to hydropower plants.
In Hydro4U, SJE and its associated partner KJ Consult are responsible for the planning of sustainable small-scale hydropower (SHP) at several demonstration and planning sites.

HyPeak: Webinar Series on Hydropeaking

The HyPeak research network is organising a webinar series around the topic of hydropeaking. The webinars take place every second month to share relevant knowledge about hydropeaking issues and foster knowledge exchange and discussions. Attendance is free of charge. After the first two webinars on “Hydropeaking Impacts and Mitigation in the Alps” and “Sustainable Hydropeaking Management”, the 3rd webinar of this series will take place on 8 June 2022, 17:00 – 18:00 CEST and will focus on “Effects of Hydropeaking on bio-physical processes. More information on the event is available here.

• General Assembly 2022 of the European Geosciences Union (EGU), 23-27 May 2022 in Vienna, Austria and online (hybrid event)
• 27th ICOLD World Congress, 27 May - 03 June 2022, Marseille, France
• 2nd High-level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018-2028, 06-09 June 2022 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan
• HyPeak webinar “Effects of Hydropeaking on bio-physical Processes”, 08 June 2022, online
• 45th Dresden Hydraulic Engineering Colloquium, 14-15 June 2022, Dresden, Germany
• 39th IAHR World Congress, 19-24 June 2022, Granada, Spain
• INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL 2022 “Kyrgyzstan – Hydropower, Ecology and Hydro morphology”, 21 August - 04 September 2022, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic

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