Small Hydro Power

Faber Maunsell can offer all of the skills required to develop a small hydro power scheme from hydrology, civil, mechanical and electrical engineering, geotechnics and environmental.  Faber Maunsell has assisted in the development of small hydro power schemes up to 20MW in capacity from feasibility study and investigation, to design and supervision of construction of run-of-river, storage and pumped-storage schemes, including the inspection, rehabilitation and certification of dams and reservoirs.

Faber Maunsell has been involved in the design of small hydro power schemes and dams and reservoir engineering in the UK since 1952.  Services provided cover:-

• Initial engineering concept design and Feasibility Studies for run-of-river low head and high head schemes, storage schemes and pumped-storage schemes
• Power generation and economic studies
• Environmental studies and consultations required for planning applications
• Detailed design of civil mechanical & electrical works.
• Geotechnical Investigations and Design 
• Construction Supervision 
• Dam and reservoir engineering and certification

Feasibility Studies

Faber Maunsell has experience in investigating the engineering and economic feasibility of small stand-alone hydro power schemes including the hydrology, hydraulics, geotechnical engineering, environmental review and financial/economic review.  Studies have conducted for high head schemes up to 250 m head, low head schemes with flows up to 20 m3/s, and pumped-storage schemes of at about100 m head with cycle transfer volumes of up to 500,000 m3 (20 MW generating capacity).  Schemes have also been studied and implemented for power generation from required compensation releases from reservoirs.

Power Generation and Economic Studies

Power generation studies are carried out as an integral part of the hydrological and scheme optimisation studies. Economic aspects including tariff studies can be included if required.

Environmental Studies

Specialist staff are available to address all of the environmental issues to be considered for a successful planning application to be lodged.  These often include issues relating to ecology, landscape character and visual amenity, cultural heritage, noise, recreation and community effects all of which can be addressed by our experienced staff. The process will normally require a screening opinion and if significant adverse impacts are considered likely then a full Environmental Impact Assessment will be needed to support a formal application for consent.  All specialist survey work, mitigation design and assessment can be undertaken in house by our specialist staff as well as the necessary consultation with statutory and no-statutory bodies which is a key requirement throughout the EIA process.

Design

Faber Maunsell has been responsible for the outline and full design of schemes including impounding dams, intakes, penstocks, turbine houses and access roads.

Geotechnical Investigation and Design

Geotechnical investigation and design for dam and hydropower projects has included design, supervision and interpretation of ground investigations for foundations and penstock routes, slope stability analyses (soil and rock slopes) design of slope support schemes, tunnels and seismic hazard studies

Construction Supervision and Commissioning

Faber Maunsell has staff experiences in the site supervision of civil engineering works including small hydro schemes including dams, reservoirs, intakes and penstocks.

Dam & Reservoir Engineering

Dams have been designed to create reservoirs for both new hydro-power schemes and augmenting existing run-of-river schemes, as well as for water supply and irrigation. In addition, the firm carries out safety inspections of the reservoirs and designs and implements rehabilitation works where necessary.

The firm has been responsible for the design of more than 30 new dams and major upgrades to dams in the UK and overseas, notably in the UK, UAE, Yemen, and Hong Kong. These have included new earthfill and rockfill embankments and concrete dams as well as major improvements to existing dams for upgrading stability, spillway capacity and outlet works including installation of micro-hydro units. Embankment dams have included CFRDs, central cores of asphaltic concrete, concrete and clay, and homogeneous embankments.

Independent design reviews of new dams, including tailings dams, have been carried out in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Lebanon and Azerbaijan. These reviews have included dams up to 125m high and have also included risk studies of the various options available. In Indonesia, review of upgrading proposals for existing dams was a major part of the IBRD funded Dam Safety Project.

Project Audits and Due Diligence Reviews have also been carried out for major lending agencies on dam and hydropower projects worldwide.

Faber Maunsell Inspecting Engineers carry out approximately 30 safety inspections per year on dams in the UK under current UK Dam Safety Legislation. In addition they also provide Supervising Engineers services for over 180 reservoirs to a major Utility Scottish Water and a number of private clients throughout UK.

Overseas, we have provided the Advisor on Dam Safety to the Government of Hong Kong since 1986. This has included safety inspections and provision of advisory services for both impounding and service reservoirs, under procedures based on the UK Reservoirs Act 1975.  Inspections have also been carried out for PUB Singapore, for PLN and PU in Indonesia as part of the IBRD funded Dam Safety Project, in Vietnam, and in Kosovo as part of the reconstruction effort following the end of the recent war there.

Major rehabilitation works on dams in the UK have included improvements to stability of concrete dams using post stressed anchors as well as improvements to spillways and prevention of leakage using diaphragm walls and geosynthetic membranes.

Faber Maunsell has on its staff 3 "All  Reservoirs Panel" Engineers, 1 "Service Reservoirs Panel" Engineer and 2 “Supervising Engineer Panel” engineers under the UK Reservoirs Act 1975.

For more information on our experience and capabilities please contact Ken Turnbull.