ASSESSMENT OF MICRO TO SMALL HYDRO POWER POTENTIAL IN BARO AKOBO RIVER BASIN

Abstract

Considering the vast untapped hydropower potential of the country, this study envisages the Potential Assessment of Micro to Small Hydropower in Baro-Akobo River Basin. In this study spatial variation of average annual rainfall of the area and average monthly stream flow of different dependability has been analyzed. Average annual discharge was determined from catchement characteristic for ungauged sites by empirical relations and distributed over the month of the year. In addition to this for ungauged sites, adjacent to the gauged sites, stream flows data from gauged sites were transformed to the interest site by area ratio method. Different potential sites identified and their potential power generation capacity also calculated using flow duration curve and found to be 1266GWh per year. In addition to this appropriate type of scheme was proposed depending on the suitability of the sites for construction of Reservoir as storage dam, Run-off the River plant or Diversion plant. Hence there are about 7 Run-of the River plant, two storage dam and 14 diversion type plants. The potential sites have been also ranked for further considerations by setting different criteria and weighting these criteria as per their importance. The future energy demand was forecasted from power generation trend of Sore hydro power plant and energy consumption pattern of the area from 1999 to 2004 recorded data and compared with the existing supply plus Micro to Small hydropower potential of the area.