Vancouver-based Los Andes Copper Ltd. has entered into an agreement with Icafal Inversiones SA to develop and finance a 28-30 MW hydroelectric plant on the Rocin River in Chile.

Acting through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Rocin SpA, Los Andes will incorporate a new subsidiary company to own, develop, build and operate the Rocin project.

Meanwhile, Icafal SA, parent company of Icafal Inversiones, has agreed to invest US$7.5 million into the subsidiary. $2 million of the investment will be used to finance the development of the plant, with the remainder to partially fund construction pending the project’s regulatory approvals. The investment also gives Icafal a 36.3% stake in the unnamed subsidiary.

Los Andes said it expects the development and construction of the Rocin project to take a maximum of four years to complete, at which point revenues generated by the plant will provide working capital for exploration and feasibility work at the company’s Vizcachitas mining operation.

The company acquired the non-consumptive water rights to the Rocin River this past August.

Voith Hydro’s manufacturing plant in Hannibal, Ohio, has made a shipment of three stators and three distributors to American Municipal Power’s 72-MW Smithland hydroelectric project in Kentucky.

The global supplier has previously provided equipment for AMP’s other Ohio River projects, including the 88-MW Cannelton and 105-MW Meldahl in Kentucky and 44-MW Willow Island in West Virginia.

Voith’s shipment to Smithland is the last it will make for the Ohio River projects, which, when taken together, the company said, represents the largest new hydropower development undertaken in the United States in recent years.

“The shipment of stators and distributors to the Smithland hydroelectric project is another exciting development in a project that will soon bring thousands of households and businesses clean and affordable hydroelectric power,” Voith Hydro President and CEO Kevin Frank said.

The stators were manufactured entirely in Hannibal, while the distributors were assembled in Hannibal with parts manufactured at Voith’s facility in York, Pa. The equipment was then shipped by barge to Smithland.

“Voith Hydro is proud to continue to play a manufacturing role in providing the sustainable energy that spurs economic development and supports jobs in communities across the U.S.,” Frank said.

Siemens has been awarded a contract by SPV-Rafako to supply a turbine island for the Jaworzno III steam power plant in Poland.

Under the €208m contract, Siemens will engineer and deliver the turbine island comprising a model SST5-6000 steam turbine, a model SGen-3000W generator, a SCon-7000 condenser, the condensate and feedwater system and the high-voltage components.

Siemens will also provide technical consulting for the installation and commissioning of the supplied components and systems.

In a consortium with Mostostal Warszawa, SPV-Rafako, which is a 100% affiliate of Rafako, will install the plant for Tauron Polska Energia.

Siemens Energy Sector Energy Solutions CEO Rainer Hauenschild said, “This order for the supply of the turbine island for the Jaworzno lll power plant marks a significant milestone for Siemens in Poland.”

The SST5-6000 steam turbine will allow the plant to provide an installed electrical capacity of 910MW while the maximum net capacity is specified as 843.5MW, with a net efficiency of approximately 45.9%.

Rafako member of the management board Krzysztof Burek said, “For us, cooperation with Siemens for Jaworzno 910MW project is one of the most important factors for a successful execution of the project. We are looking forward to our smooth and efficient collaboration.”

With ultra-supercritical steam parameters, the Jaworzno lll coal-fired power plant is expected to be one of the most efficient steam power plants in Europe.

Slated to be commissioned in April 2019, the new plant will result in reduction of CO2 emissions by around 25% and will replace older units currently installed by Tauron.

Developers of a mixed-use project in Durham City, England, have installed a 100 kW Archimedes screw turbine that will provide about 75% of the energy needed by the complex.

Located at the new Freeman’s Reach scheme, the area is being developed by a consortium consisting of Carillion Developments, Arlington Real Estate and Richardsons Capital LLP. The project is the United Kingdom’s first such city center to be planned with the incorporation of a hydroelectric power element, the developers said.

The 13-meter long, 20 ton turbine unit was manufactured by Spaans Babcock Ltd. and was also designed to help improve fish passage along the River Weir. The inclusion of the turbine helped Freeman’s Reach earn an “A”-Rated Energy Performance Certificate and BREEAM Excellent status.

The unit is expected to begin generating power in the fall.

“The hydro turbine is a great example of the innovative methods we are employing in order to achieve the highest possible standards of sustainability in this very important location,” Arlington Real Estate managing director Allan Cook said. “It is a testament to what can be achieved when the development team engaged positively with stakeholders to design a solution that works for all parties.”

The location has a long history of hydropower, developers said, with the weir fueling the medieval Bishop’s Mill more than 800 years ago. More recently, hydroelectricity was generated by a turbine installed during the 1930s that powered buildings and an ice skating rink.

“We are pleased to have been able to continue a long tradition of energy generation at Freeman’s Reach,” Carillion Developments director Neil McMillan said. “This 21st Century technology will harness the power of the River Weir for many years to come.”

The site of the new Archimedes screw will also include a visitor site called the Energy Centre, which will feature a public art installation charting the history of energy generation on the site.

European trade organization Scottish Renewables has announced a call for a new body intended to examine the potential of pumped-storage hydroelectric power within the United Kingdom.

Renewable energy developer Boralex has commissioned its 22-MW Jamie Creek hydroelectric plant.

Located near Gold Bridge, British Columbia, the run-of-river plant is the company’s first high-head project. The facility features two water intakes, consisting of a bypass line longer than 1.1 km and a penstock pipe of more than 2.6 km that supply two Pelton turbines.

“After a year of construction, we’re proud of the newest addition to our asset portfolio,” Boralex president and CEO Patrick Lemaire said. “Boralex has over 20 years’ experience building and operating hydroelectric assets, which it leveraged to complete this project and will continue leveraging over the assets lifetime.”

Power generated at Jamie Creek will be sold under a 40-yeaer contract to BC Hydro. The utility also has rights to a 20-year renewal period.

HydroWorld.com reported this past August that Boralex had acquired the project from Sequoia Energy Inc. Boralex said in November 2012 that hydropower remains an important asset for the company.

“The commissioning of Jamie Creek is a perfect fit with our growth strategy aimed primarily at hydroelectric and wind power assets covered by long-term contracts,” Lemaire said. “It also expands our footprint in British Columbia, where Boralex now has 36.5 MW of hydroelectric power and is actively pursuing development efforts.”

Toshiba has been awarded a contract from Hokkaido Electric Power (HEPCO) to provide a high efficiency combined-cycle thermal power generation system for the Ishikariwan Shinko Power Plant Unit 1.

The Ishikariwan Shinko Power Plant Unit 1 is the HEPCO’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled thermal power plant.

Expected to achieve a thermal efficiency of 62%, the combined-cycle thermal power generation system will feature GE’s high efficiency 9HA gas turbine and Toshiba’s most advanced steam turbine.

Toshiba and GE, through the alliance, will further strengthen cooperation, and their plans to develop highly efficient and environmentally friendly low-NOx and CO2 emission combined-cycle thermal power generation systems while expanding their thermal power generation business globally.

Toshiba Power Systems Company Thermal & Hydro Power Systems & Services Division vice-president Yoshihiro Aburatani said: “Toshiba and GE’s LNG fueled combined-cycle thermal power generation system contributes to achieving the balanced power supply mix, essential for securing long-term stable power supply.”

Toshiba will serve as prime contractor for the project.

Scheduled to begin construction in October 2015, the plant is expected to have an output capacity of 569.4MW.

Toshiba and GE will use their experience to promote combined-cycle systems joint marketing to offer the world’s highest level of thermal energy efficiency.

GE Power & Water power generation products vice-president Victor Abate said: “As the centerpiece of Toshiba’s power generation system, GE’s 9HA Gas Turbine provides the highest combined cycle efficiency, power plant availability and unprecedented operational flexibility, while also being more economical in construction, operations and maintainability over the product lifecycle.”

Alstom has received two contracts for the modernisation of two hydro power plants in the Canton Glarus and the Canton Valais, Switzerland, worth more than €9m.

Under the first contract, Alstom will upgrade the exciters and discharges of the 37.5MWA hydro generators units 1 and 2 in the Löntsch power plant located in the Canton Glarus for Axpo Power.

The contract scope includes the conversion of the excitation system for brushless regulators, replacing of voltage transformers and circuit breakers with enclosed switchgears and the installation of fully insulated shockproof busbars for the discharges.

The contract includes consecutive processing of machinery, which is scheduled to be completed during the middle quarters of 2015 and 2016 respectively.

With an average annual power generation of 120 million kWh, the Löntsch power plant uses the water of Lake Klöntal fed by a catchment basin of 82km² in the Glarus Alps (central Switzerland).

As part of the second contract, Alstom will replace the four rotors and poles on the Sécheron machines at the Nendaz power plant in Valais for Grande Dixence and Hydro Exploitation.

Alstom Switzerland and Germany sales and project management service head Christoph Ortmanns said, “This order endorses our strategy to support customers with a full services and retrofit offering to secure operational reliability and to optimise their asset management throughout the plant’s lifespan.”

Alstom has commissioned its Uri II hydropower project in India’s Jammu and Kashmir province.

The 240 MW plant, comprised of four 60 MW units, is located on the river Jhelum near Uri, in the Baramulla district. It uses downstream water discharge from the 480 MW Uri I hydropower plant.

Synchronization of Uri II’s four Francis vertical turbines was completed in phases, Alstom said, with units 1 and 3 synchronized in September 2013 and unit 2 in November 2013. Unit 4 was synchronized in February 2014.

The project was challenging due to limited water availability during commissioning and difficult terrain, Alstom said.

Developer NHPC Ltd awarded Alstom the Uri II contract in 2007.  The scope of work included turnkey execution of the electromechanical package comprising hydro turbines, generators and auxiliaries, according to the company.

Frederic Teyssedou, unit managing director of Alstom Hydro India, said, “Following the successful execution, this project is certainly amongst major references for Alstom Hydro in India. The team overcame the challenges presented by the project and worked relentlessly to stick to the timelines. The completion of the project and satisfaction of our customer is testimony of the efforts and commendable work done by the team.”