Chivor’s Life Extension Project (CLEP): From Sediment Management to Development of a New Intake System

Abstract

Sedimentation is an important issue that has been studied for the watershed of reservoirs, since it increases operational costs of hydropower installations, reduces the life expectancy, and compromises the generation capacity due to volume reduction. This work addresses the implementation of Chivor’s Life Extension Project (CLEP), developed in order to extend the life of La Esmeralda reservoir, which is used for power generation in Colombia. Sediment dynamics studies are first described and connected to the need of the AES Corporation to extend the life expectancy of the Chivor Hydropower Project. The geotechnical and hydraulic designs are described and the main considerations and tools for the execution of such a project are addressed. The construction of the new intake system was developed under favorable geomorphological, geological, and hydrogeological conditions, and the project is being developed without affecting the current operation. Such an innovative project is the first of its class in Colombia and goes from studies of sediment transport and sediment management strategies in the watershed to the design and construction of new intakes, in order to extend the life of an existing 1000-MW (6% of Colombia’s demand) powerplant for 50 more years, contributing to a sustainable energy supply for the future.

Digital Transformation of Energy Companies: A Colombian Case Study

“…Although hydropower plants often create negative environmental and social impacts over specific regions, AES Colombia is extending the life of the Chivor Hydropower Plant [68], its main asset that covers 6% of Colombia's demand and that was built in the 1970s. This, together with the digital transformation project, represent key efforts to benefit the entire national electricity sector, thus contributing to its stability and helping to make sustainable energy available at all times to the entire population and any productive sector in the country, thanks to the use of modern tools that allow reducing risks and improving decision-making processes.…”

“…As described in [68,69], Chivor is a 1000-MW hydropower plant (eight 125-MW Pelton turbines) that represents the main asset of AES Colombia; this plant entered service in 1977 (Chivor I) and 1982 (Chivor II). The project is located at Santa María, Boyacá, 160 km northeast from Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia, and was built to operate at least for 50 years using mainly La Esmeralda reservoir (with a basin area around 2420 km 2 ), and two additional small reservoirs, Río Negro and Tunjita.…”

“…The hydropower plant has now two different intake systems, the original intakes are 165-ton steel/concrete structures located at 1195 m.a.s.l. and will operate until 2027, and a new intake system reported by [68] that will extend the life of the reservoir for 50 more years. Water is then conducted to the powerhouse through two independent seven-meter-high tunnels: Chivor I and II conduction (headrace tunnels).…”

How Management Efforts of a Large Hydropower Firm Impact Sustainability in the Colombian Andes: A Multivariate Analysis of Society’s Perceptions

“…The sustainability of the hydropower sector in Colombia has gained increasing awareness and financial support [44]. In recent years, sustainability issues related to hydropower in Colombia has been assessed, i.e., the management of sediments [45], [46], the sediments generation according to the land use [47], the payment for ecosystem services [48], the benefit sharing scheme [35], the governance for sustainability in a context of violence [20], the equity and sustainability of water allocation [49] and the political events that have led to social conflicts related to hydropower [16]. Other authors have modelled different scenarios and proposed policies to aid in the decision-making process [50].…”

Technological and Operational Aspects That Limit Small Wind Turbines Performance

“…Nevertheless, the construction of large dams carries a significant environmental footprint because reservoirs modify the river's ecosystem [11]. Many in-service water resources and hydropower plants are in the aging stage, being sedimentation a significant issue in the watershed of reservoirs around the world [12], following the implementation of strategies for its management [13]. On the other hand, thermoelectric plants energy costs are dominated by fuel prices volatility, and at the same time, are a growing source of Greenhouse Gases despite some efforts to use alternative fuels [14], thermal energy storage [15] and waste heat recovery technologies [16,17] that provide valuable energy sources reducing the overall energy consumption.…”