On 11th July President of Uzbekistan, President Mirziyoyev, visited the Fergana region to participate in the “Ceremony dedicated to launching the construction of new projects in industry, energy and chemical fields in Fergana region”.

One of these new projects is the small hydropower plant at the Shakimardan river with the Francis Container Power Solution from GHE with a capacity of 2.2 Megawatt.

The ceremony itself took place in Fergana but a live video has been shown from two different small hydropower demo-sites, one is from the Hydro4U demo-site at the Shakimardan Village.

The head of the construction department at UGE, Mr Said Yusupov, announced that the Shakimardan HPP is ready for operation.

Hydro4U partners have contributed to this demonstration site with preparational work, technical design, ecological studies and the HPP Francis Container Power Solution and support on site.

An overview of the implemented technology is given on the website under: Demo 1 – Container Solution – Hydro4U  and an overview of the construction sites is explained on  this poster .

Further information:

Video about two small HPP from UGE out of which the one in Shakimardan Village is the one being the Hydro4U demo-site at the Shakimardan River: Official Launch of the Francis Container Power Solution in Shakimardan

Read more about the ceremony that took place on the 11^th July 2024:  Мирзиёев запустил строительство первой системы хранения электроэнергии (kun.uz)

Picture credits: UGE

The D-HYDROFLEX project is conducting a survey aiming to investigate the barriers that hinder the digitalisation of the hydropower plants and limit the potential of hydropower sector to provide flexibility. The questionnaire is structured upon 4 sections: (A) Participant profile, (B) Hydropower digitalization, (C) Hydropower flexibility, (D) Regulatory barriers to hydropower digitalization and flexibility.

The survey will be available through this link and should not take more than 10 minutes to complete: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUtT7prjjjIh-HIJIc-ir23swmTU8EMbAI80kDmo2tMjuj-w/viewform?pli=1

For further information visit: https://d-hydroflex.eu/

ETIP HYDROPOWER is pleased to announce the launch of the Virtual Postcard Summer Edition, inviting all stakeholders to participate in a photography initiative celebrating the synergy between hydropower facilities and their natural environments. This edition focuses on capturing the beauty, power, and sustainability of hydropower as it integrates seamlessly with the landscapes, highlighting the theme of summer.

Participants are encouraged to submit stunning images that reflect the essence of hydropower within its natural surroundings. These photographs will be used to convey summer greetings to all ETIP HYDROPOWER stakeholders and will be featured across all ETIP HYDROPOWER communication channels.

By showcasing the harmony between technology and nature, we hope to inspire greater appreciation and support for renewable energy solutions. We look forward to your contributions and to celebrating the vibrant spirit of summer through the lens of hydropower.

All entries must be received by 28 June 2024 no later than 11:59 PM CET

For further information visit: https://etip-hydropower.eu/latest-news/etip-hydropower-announces-virtual-postcard-summer-edition/ 

Sustainability is a crucial part of the developments in small-scale hydropower (SHP) in Central Asia, particularly ecological sustainability. Ecological impacts of SHP on aquatic ecosystems are numerous, such as hampered aquatic animal migration, altered flow regimes (reduced flow, fast flow changes), changed river morphology (sediment retention, increased embeddedness), habitat fragmentation or changes in physical-chemical water quality parameters. Investigations were performed by the consortium of partners from Europe: BOKU (Austria), EVINBO (Belgium), Hydrosolutions (Switzerland) and SJE
(Germany) in cooperation with the local partner TIIAME (Uzbekistan) in the demonstration sites Shakimardan at Koksu River in Uzbekistan, and Atbashy close to Naryn City at Atbashy river in Kyrgyzstan with a focus on the mitigation of ecological impacts.

Check out the full newsletter article here

The International Summer School organised by Hydro4U project partner KSTU enters a new round this year, putting special focus on the topic of Hydropower, Ecology and Hydro morphology in Kyrgyzstan.

This year’s Summer School will take place from 28.07. – 11.08.2024 at the Kyrgyz State Technical University (KSTU) in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic and is open to Bachelor and Master Students, Aspirants/PhD Students or young Researchers.

The Summer School will be held in English/German and consists of a variety of Events and Seminars such as Lectures, Russian or Kyrgyz language course as well as Excursions: 4 Micro Hydropower plants in Chui Region will be visited; including big Power stations in South Region of Kyrgyzstan: Toktogul, Kurp-Sai, Kambar-Ata and in the North Region of Kyrgyzstan: Orto Tokoi, (Naryn/Kotschkor). In addition, there will also be a cultural program (Ala-Archa, Burana, Issyk Kul, Cholpon-Ata, Petroglyph, Son Kul, Naryn, etc.).

The prerequisites for being part of the 2024 Summer School is being a student enrolled in civil or environmental engineering, power or hydro stations, which are currently in their Bachelor/Master degree. Especially young engineers are addressed who already have an engineering background in water related topics. Engineering students and related subjects with a keen interest in the topic and in the region of Kyrgyzstan can also apply.

The application deadline for DAAD scholarships ends on May 31 2024 and for Self-Funding Applications on June 15 2024.

If you are interested in applying for this year’s Summer School, please send in your CV alongside your photo as well as a 1 page Motivation letter and the completed Application form via E-Mail: kstusummerschool[at]gmail.com with venerabk[at]gmail.com in cc.

Further information:

Scholarship: GoEast Program of DAAD can funded about 6 student of a German university’s.

Participation fee: 1.200 € (including all costs for the Summer School program, except for air travel- visa – medical insurance).

Students of a German university can apply for a scholarship in parallel to their registration at the summer school “Kyrgyzstan – Hydropower, Ecology and Hydro morphology”.

Information for a DAAD scholarship: https://www.daad.de/de/im-ausland-studieren-forschen-lehren/sprachen-lernen-sommerkurse-im-ausland/

Self-Funding students from other countries can also take part in the summer school.There are no restrictions.

Other: The participants of the summer school to get a certificate of the Kyrgyz State Technical University (5 ECTS and a grade).

13 Partners from 8 European and Central Asian countries are collaborating to boost sustainable small-scale hydropower in Central Asia, including “TIIAME” National Research University, Tashkent, Uzbekistan. This project, demonstrating viability in a forward-looking cross-border water-food-energy-climate nexus has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation under grant agreement No 101022905. After almost 3 years of the start of the project activities in June 2021, the first in Central Asia ecologically sustainable hydropower plant equipped with most up-to date and eco-friendly European equipment and technologies and a fish pass, as well as downstream fish protection and migration facilities based on “Nature based solutions” was build up in Koksu River Shakhimardan exclave of Uzbekistan and ready for launch and operation.

During road construction works in 1970 – 1971 along the river Koksu the river bed was changed and banks modified. This resulted in an artificial waterfall of approx. 3.5 m height an insurmountable fish migration barrier in the river since no fish were observed upstream of the waterfall during the spring and autumn electrofishing surveys in 2021 and 2022. Following recommendations of Hydro4U-scientists this waterfall was demolished in 2024.

It should be noted that feasibility study and all the equipment necessary for the construction of this hydroelectric power plant and their installation and putting into operation of the hydroelectric power plant were paid for and implemented at the expense of the funds of the Hydro4U project. In particular, 2 Francis Container Power Solution (FCPS) with discharge of 1,6m³/s each Turbine and a maximum Power-Output of 1167kW each. The annual Power Output is equal to 11380Mwh – based on a rated flow auf 2,4m³/s. The project partner JSC “Uzbekhydroenergo” company paid and build most of the infrastructure.

Author: Prof., Dr. Bakhtiyor Karimov, Project Supervisor of the TIIAME NRU Team, Uzbekistan

Picture credits: Iana Kopecki, SJE

On October 17, Hydro4U project partner TIIAME NRU met with representatives of the German Ministry of Education and Research, discussing the state and prospects of cooperation in the field of scientific and potential development aimed at solving current problems of the world and the region.

The meeting was held between the head of the university and the delegation led by Gabriele Hermani, the head of the Department of Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia of the German Ministry of Education and Research. In addition, Dr. Rudolph Smolarshik, Head of the Central Asian Department of the Council of Rectors of German Higher Education Institutions, Dr. Stefan Schwartze, Head of the German Geosciences Research Center (GFZ_Potsdam), Dr. Abror Gafurov, Chief Research Officer of the research center, and the leader of the Zalf Research Center, Researcher Dr. Akhmad Khamidov, Researcher of IAMO Scientific Center Nodirbek Djanibekovs participated in the meeting.

At the end of the meeting, an agreement was reached on current and priority directions and approaches for the development of mutually beneficial cooperation.

Read the full article available in UZ and EN

Author and picture credits: TIIAME

The nexus of water and energy, two vital resources, is becoming critical in cities due to demographic movements, economic growth and an inexorable increase in demand. Water scarcity and the need for low-carbon solutions make it a challenge to deliver urban water services without increasing their impact on the environment.

In this context of clean energy transition, LIFE NEXUS wants to show the potential of micro-hydropower systems for recovering untapped energy, deriving from abundant pressure (water head) or kinetic energy (water flow) in European water networks. LIFE NEXUS brings together partners from Spain, Poland and Lithuania, a valuable cross-border network and is coordinated by Hydro4U project partner CARTIF.

The project will install a Small-hydropower plant at the Porma drinking water treatment plant in the Spanish city of León, integrating Pump-as-Turbine (PaT) technology with an energy storage. When fully operational in 2024, this system will supply the plant’s total annual energy demand.

In parallel, no systematic assessment exists of hydropower potential to produce ‘green’ electricity in European urban water networks. LIFE NEXUS is bridging this data gap with the first inventory of potential locations and existing installations. This already contains 104 sites in 10 different European countries, with the information georeferenced and available through a web platform.

The project is building a broad community of stakeholders linked to water services to help identify new locations for its inventory, via a simple online survey. The inventory will feature industrial locations and irrigation areas, as well as urban sites, to promote the project’s transfer.

LIFE NEXUS is a project funded under the LIFE Programme (Ref. LIFE17 ENV/ES/000252) coordinated by CARTIF Technology Centre.

Author: Raquel Lopez, CARTIF

For more information, visit: LIFE NEXUS website: LIFE NEXUS / Promotional material | LIFE NEXUS (available in EN, ES, LT, PL) 

During the workshop titled “Enhancing Water Security and Managing Water Resources in Central Asia”, which took place on July 31 2023 in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, Abdikhamid Urazkeldiev, the national consultant of IWMI (Hydro4U project), delivered a presentation on the topic “Small Hydro Power (SHP) in the Context of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Climate Change: Contributing to the Development of Green Energy through Cross-Sectoral relations.”

The workshop was part of a series of similar events focusing on enhancing capacity and promoting collaboration among stakeholders in the region for better water security organized by IWMI Regional Representative Office for Central Asia in partnership with local institutions in Central Asia. In addition, this workshop was also sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service.

During his presentation, A. Urazkeldiev highlighted the increasing relevance of Small Hydro Power (SHP) for the countries in Central Asia and emphasized the support they receive from various donors, including the EU regional project, “Hydro4U – Hydropower for You,” which covers Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. A more detailed explanation was provided about Hydro4Us’ Test-site “Badam” in Southern Kazakhstan.

The participants of the workshop discovered that through collaboration among representatives from the fields of science, industry, business, and research, advanced innovative technologies are being introduced to the countries of Central Asia, particularly in the development of small hydropower plants. The implemented technologies are based on European Small Hydropower technologies with the aim to find innovative solutions tailored to Central Asian needs and the use of green energy.

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В ходе семинара «Повышение водной безопасности и управление водными ресурсами в Центральной Азии», который состоялся 31 июля 2023 года в Шымкенте, Казахстан, Абдихамид Уразкелдиев, национальный консультант IWMI (проект Hydro4U) выступил с докладом на тему «Малые гидроэлектростанции (ГЭС) в контексте взаимосвязи Малые ГЭС в контексте Нексуса «Вода-Энергия-Продовольствия» и изменения климата (Вклад в развитие «зеленой» энергетики: преимущества межотраслевых связей)». Семинар стал частью серии мероприятий, направленных на укрепление потенциала и развитие сотрудничества между заинтересованными сторонами в регионе для повышения водной безопасности, организованных Представительством ИВМИ в Центральной Азии в партнерстве с местными учреждениями в Центральной Азии и спонсируемых Лесной службой США.

Во время своего выступления, А.Уразкельдиев отметил растущую актуальность малых ГЭС для стран Центральной Азии и подчеркнул поддержку, которую они получают от различных доноров, включая региональный проект ЕС «Hydro4u – Энергия для вас», который охватывает Казахстан, Кыргызстан, Узбекистан и Таджикистан. Было предоставлено более подробное объяснение об испытательной площадке Hydro4U под названием «Бадам» в Южном Казахстане.

Участники семинара узнали, что благодаря сотрудничеству представителей сферы науки, промышленности, бизнеса и исследований в странах Центральной Азии внедряются передовые инновационные технологии, в частности, в области развития малых ГЭС. Эти технологии получены из стран ЕС и направлены на продвижение использования зеленой энергии.

Author & picture credits: IWMI

On August 1, 2023, two trainings were held in Shymkent, Kazakhstan on “Application of water accounting facilities and automation in irrigation systems and river basins” and “Introduction of digital technologies in the water sector”. These trainings are part of a series organized by International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Regional Representative Office for Central Asia in partnership with local partners and sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service.

More than 25 participants attended the two trainings, including researchers, Ph.D. students, as well as practitioners from Kazakhstan. During the event, Oyture Anarbekov, country manager of the IWMI Regional Representative Office for Central Asia discussed the objectives and goals of the Hydro4U project and shared information about the institutional concept in transboundary small rivers, which was successfully tested in the At-Bashi and Shakhimardan rivers.

The audience at the training expressed their interest in O.Anarbekov’s speech and posed questions about the Hydro4U project, which were duly answered.

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1 августа 2023 года в г. Шымкент, Казахстан, состоялись два тренинга на тему «Применение средств учета воды и автоматизации в оросительных системах и бассейнах рек» и «Внедрение цифровых технологий в водном хозяйстве». Данные тренинги являются частью серии, организованной Регионального Представительства Международного института управления водными ресурсами (IWMI) по Центральной Азии в партнерстве с местными партнерами и спонсируемой Лесной службой США (USFS).

В двух тренингах приняли участие более 25 участников, в том числе научные сотрудники, докторанты и практики из Казахстана. На мероприятии выступил Ойтуре Анарбеков, региональный менеджер Регионального представительства ИВМИ в Центральной Азии. О.Анарбеков обсудил цели и задачи проекта Hydro4U и поделился информацией об институциональной концепции на трансграничных малых реках, которая была успешно апробирована на реках Ат-Баши и Шахимардан.

Слушатели тренинга проявили интерес к выступлению О.Анарбекова и задали вопросы о проекте Hydro4U, на которые были должным образом даны ответы.

Author & picture credits: IWMI