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DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL SCALE HYDROPOWER (<10 MW)

FOR RESTORATION OF IMPOUNDMENT AT HARTBEESPOORT
DAM
ML Griffioen 1, S. Natha 2 and B. Barta3
1&2

Department of Civil Engineering Science, University of Johannesburg, 3Retired

Professional Engineer

Hydropower is a useful conversion of renewable energy derived typically from the constant
head and variable water flows. Currently, of the 45 500 MW installed generation capacity in
South Africa, hydropower contributes a mere 5%. This is primarily due to relatively cheap and
plentiful energy available in SA for many decades mainly from burning fossil fuels (i.e. coal
and oils). Along with the world-wide tendencies in cutting down on the greenhouse gases
emissions the SA Government created an enabling environment in introducing the Integrated
Resource Plan 2010 (IRP 2010) and the National Energy Efficiency Strategy (NEES) to
encourage energy use efficiency and implementation of renewable energy technologies
including hydropower. The University of Johannesburg recognizes a need for capacity
building in renewable energy technology development and offers the guidance in
development and implementation of such projects. The development of small scale
hydropower (<10 MW) installation for restoration of impoundment at the Hartbeespoort Dam
is the first such project compiled and guided at the university. The Hartbeespoort Dam
impoundment has been seriously affected with eutrophication for many years and its storage
capacity has dramatically been reduced by sedimentation. The Department of Water Affairs
(DWA) as a custodian of this water source will have access to the sustainable and substantial
source of energy to be made available for mitigation of the negative environmental impacts
and gradual restoration of critical water storage. Given the current state of electricity supply
from the national grid, the estimated contribution of 19,5 GWh obtainable annually from the
hydropower installation at the Hartbeespoort Dam could ultimately help ESKOM in making
this amount of energy available to other consumers elsewhere.
INTRODUCTION
At present two important areas of the national economy which are attracting attention are
energy efficiency and the development of renewable resources available in South Africa. The
University of Johannesburg recognizes a need for capacity building in renewable energy
technology development and offers the guidance in development and implementation of such
projects. A project is currently underway where the aim is to develop a small scale
hydropower (<10 MW) installation for restoration of impoundment at the Hartbeespoort Dam.
Small scale hydroelectricity technology (typically below 10 MW of capacity) is recognized as
well tested and efficient renewable energy technology in the electricity generation sector. This
is mainly due to the most efficient conversion process of energy from moving water into
electricity. Hydropower is a useful conversion form of renewable energy derived typically from
the constant head and variable water flows. Currently, of the 45 500 MW installed generation
capacity in South Africa, hydropower contributes a mere 5%. Along with the world-wide
tendencies in cutting down on the greenhouse gases emissions, the SA Government created

an enabling environment in introducing the Integrated Resource Plan 2010 (IRP 2010) and
the National Energy Efficiency Strategy (NEES) to encourage energy use efficiency and
implementation of renewable energy technologies which includes hydropower.
The Hartbeespoort Dam impoundment has been seriously affected with eutrophication for
many years and its storage capacity is dramatically reduced by sedimentation. The
Department of Water Affairs (DWA) as a custodian of this water source will have access to
the sustainable and substantial source of energy to be made available for mitigation of the
negative environmental impacts and gradual restoration of critical water storage. The increase
in optimal utilization of the Hartbeespoort Dam is one of the main aims of the DWA. To extend
the schemes lifespan, the DWA introduced the restoration process named Metsi-A-Me (My
Water) programme with the main objective in upgrading the dam reservoirs water quality and
capacity. The removal (dredging) and management of a top sediments layer from
Hartbeespoort Dam is one of the tasks in the dam facility restoration.
A study carried out for the DWA in 2008 concluded that the sediments in the impoundment
should be considered as a resource and not a waste. Beneficiary use of dredged sediments
(e.g. land conditioning, compost production, building blocks manufacturing, rehabilitation of
mine tailings dams, etc.) could provide substantial savings in dredging operational costs. To
achieve all that, the energy in the form of electricity and oils is needed for at least the next five
years. The original estimate of energy annually required to recover and to dry dredged
sediments is about 10 to 12 GWh. The national electricity supplier indicated to the
stakeholders in the Metsi-A-Me project that for the next several years there will be no energy
available for this type of consumption. Subsequently the interest in the potential of
hydroelectricity generation at the Dam came into consideration.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPERATION OF THE DAM FACILITY
The Hartbeespoort Dam facility is situated on the Crocodile River some 40 km west of the
Tshwane Metro urban area in the DWAs Limpopo Water Management Area (No. 1). The
Dam was constructed after the Great War between 1918 and 1923 making the dam wall and
storage reservoir some 90 years old. In 1924 the micro hydropower unit was installed at the
right flank of the dam wall providing hydroelectricity to the close vicinity of the Dam until the
mid 1960s. The wall of Hartbeespoort Dam is connecting the right (east) and left (west) banks
of the Crocodile River by a single vehicle all year round weather road. A short roadway tunnel
is situated on the right flank just upstream of the dam wall. The dam wall has on its left flank a
side channel spillway equipped by a system of ten radial gates measuring 10 m wide by 2,7 m
high each. The gates were installed in 1969 resulting in the dam capacity increase. There are
no direct river outlets other than the side channel spillway gates. Two outlet systems, one at
each flank of the wall are providing for the water releases into the right (east) and left (west)
irrigation canal systems. The combined maximum outflow through these outlets at FSL is
approximately 12,0 m3/sec.
i. Right (east) bank main canal system is 48 km long and serves irrigation areas around
Brits and as far as the Roodekopjes Dam;
ii. Left (west) bank main canal system is 56 km long and serves large irrigation areas
situated west of Brits.
The right (east) bank outlet works comprise a free standing tower equipped with four 760 mm
diameter wall mounted sluice valves arranged in pairs opposite one another providing for a
flow of water into the outlet tunnel approximately 110 m long. The tunnel opens into the free

flow canal supplying right (east) bank canal irrigation system. The tunnel is inclined from RL
1138,49 m at the upstream intake tower floor to RL 1155,00 m at the exit of the tunnel. There
is a bend of about 90o in the half length of inclined tunnel. A disused micro hydroelectric
installation has its penstock off-take of unknown size connected into the tunnel not far from
the exit of the tunnel. The maximum carrying capacity of the existing tunnel is estimated by
the DWA at 9,3 m3/sec. The right (east) outlet works control the flows for irrigation as well as
releasing water into the Crocodile River. The left (west) bank outlet works comprise a single
1,5 m diameter cast iron pipe leading from a wet-well tower fixed against the dam wall. The
water is discharged via the isolating valves control room to the sleeve control room into the
irrigation canal stilling basin and from there to the left (west) irrigation canal system.
To evaluate the hydroelectric potential of the existing but disused installation situated on the
right bank downstream of the dam wall, information only from the site visits and limited
historical records was used. According to the historical and limited technical information
available on this installation, the plant started operation in 1924 and was equipped with a
turbine unit of the Francis type manufactured in the UK in 1923. The conversion calculation
based on the original imperial parameters indicated that one turbine unit of 37 kW in capacity
output was originally installed with the structural provision for another similar unit. The
penstock off-take connected to the right bank control works tunnel has a head of 22 m and
the flow to the turbine is determined at 0,22 m3/sec from available data. The purpose of this
micro hydroelectric installation was to electrify the dam facility and the nearby residential
dwellings. The 37 kW plant supplied electricity to the Hartbeespoort Dam for about 40 years
and was finally decommissioned in the mid 1960s. By the field assessment the whole
mechanical installation is in a moderate state and can be easily refurbished. The old electrical
equipment is, however, in a very poor physical state. The civil housing structure and a steel
penstock are in a good general condition. Although the renovation and upgrade of this micro
plant will be relatively non-expensive and even with a second turbine added, it certain that the
new capacity estimated at 80 kW will not be sufficient for the purpose of the dam
impoundment restoration.
HYDROELECTRICITY POTENTIAL AT THE HARTBEESPOORT DAM
The configuration of water outlet works at both banks downstream of the Hartbeespoort Dam
offers several viable small scale hydropower alternatives. Each viable alternative has its
advantages and disadvantages. The analysis of dam flow balance data shown that although
total inflow and outflow are increasing, the gross evaporation of the dam is on a steady
decrease, despite rainfall patterns showing a decreasing trend. In all likelihood this trend is
due to sediment build up and eutrophication allowing less surface water area to be subject to
evaporation, highlighting the importance of the sediment removal.
About 90% of the natural and artificial inflows reaching the Hartbeespoort Dam are collected
by the Crocodile River with the Hennops, Jukskei, Magalies and Upper Crocodile as major
tributaries. The extent of urbanization taking place in the upper reaches of the dam catchment
and around the immediate banks of the dam impoundment are main reasons for the
increases in surface runoff. The visible negative tradeoffs being experienced over the years
from increasing urban runoff into the dam impoundment are manifesting in the serious
eutrophication, salination and sedimentation problems. The water volume of dam storage
capacity of some 205 million m3 is allocated to residential (12%) and irrigation (82%) water
uses with a small volume proportion (6%) released for the river compensation. The water from

the dam allocated for irrigation and river compensation has to be released through dam
outlets situated on the right and left flanks of the dam. Theoretically that is water which can be
used for hydropower generation.
From the records available on the dam water releases through the right (east) outlet works via
existing tunnel almost doubled since 1971 from average flow of 4 m3/sec up to almost 8
m3/sec at present. However, the right bank outlet tunnels maximum flow capacity is limited to
9,43 m3/sec. Despite lower average annual rainfall expected, the flow of water through the
right bank canal is increasing. This is due to increasing return flows from the Johannesburgs
Northern Wastewater Works. The flows likely available for hydropower generation at the
Hartbeespoort Dam are available from DWAs recorded data from the gauging stations
situated at the right and left banks. These were extended for another 20 years into the future
(with irrigation releases and right canal releases forecasted separately), using the historical
trend line of the inflows into the dam. The period of 20 years is generally the minimum life
span of a conventional hydropower station. Using the frequency function on Microsoft Excel
the flow duration curves were generated for every year showing the frequency of certain flows
that could be expected throughout the duration of the year (Hall, 2011).
During the original investigation to identify potential for hydroelectric development at the
Hartbeespoort Dam facility, which took place in 2008 during the DWAs Sakhile Asset
Register project, a first order estimate of a moderate capacity of 600 kW has been mooted.
Since then a focus has been aimed to the dam outlet works situated on the right bank of the
Crocodile River. It was obvious from the onset of initial investigation that the energy of flowing
water can be harnessed conveniently from the irrigation canal situated on the right bank
downstream of the dam wall. The irrigation canal has favorable geometric configuration,
sustainable water flows as well as existing outlet assembly, which might be incorporated into
the proposed small scale hydroelectric scheme. The further investigation concluded that if a
small scale conventional installation would be considered (i.e. an offtake from a free flow
irrigation canal) there are a few possible locations suitable along the right (east) bank canal
with a hydropower housing to be located in the Crocodile River bed. When the opportunity for
a more serious investigation of the hydroelectricity potential at the Dam manifested at the
University of Johannesburg, three possible alternatives were outlined for a pre-feasibility
investigation and defined in the following descriptions.
Alternative 1:
Rehabilitation and upgrade of existing hydropower plant equipment and adding another new
electromechanical unit to already existing unit in a need of upgrade.
This alternative is attractive enough, however, it is envisaged that the capacity which can be
installed without large investments and efforts is in order of only 80 kW. Estimated annual
power production from the refurbished and upgraded installation is about 0,672 GWh which is
a marginal output of the energy needed in the restoration programme. Based on the economy
of scale principles this alternative has not been considered for further attention.
Alternative 2:
Design and build a new conventional hydropower plant situated in the Crocodile River bed to
be fed with the free flow water from the right (east) irrigation canal elevated 35 m above the
river bed. This alternative will require a short steel penstock pipe diverting most of irrigation

canal flows into the newly build hydropower station housing from which it will be released into
the Crocodile River. The schematic illustration of Alternative 2 is given below.

Figure 1: Schematic illustration of Alternative 2 New hydropower plant on right bank.

The location of an intake for this plant can be anywhere along some 100 m distance after the
water is released from the right (east) bank outlet works tunnel, preferably before the river
discharge waterfall where irrigation flows are measured (i.e. before stilling basin and Parshall
flume) and the compensation flows released into the Crocodile River. The kinetic energy of
moving water available in the irrigation canal flowing under certain fall toward a
turbine/generator assembly located in a power house can be converted into the electricity.
The power capacity output (kW) is proportional to the flow (m3/sec) and a height (m) of a fall.
The small scale hydroelectricity generation is entirely non-consumptive use in contrary to any
other water uses. Using essential parameters determined for this alternative as Qmax = 4,8
m3/sec; Hgross = 30 m and assuming 5 percent losses manifesting within the penstock and
valves assembly as well as applying the overall plant efficiency of 90 percent the hydroelectric
capacity is determined at 1200 kW. The subsequent estimated annual power output is in
order of 10 GWh which is very close to the annual energy requirements of the DWAs MetsiA-Me programme.
A similar most suitable example of the typical small scale conventional hydroelectric
installation in South Africa is the Friedenheim Hydropower Plant (2,5 MW) situated in
Nelspruit, Mpumalanga Province. The scheme cosists 5 km of earth irrigation canal, diversion
weir and inlet sluice gates inlet works and two (2) 900 mm dia 460 m long penstocks, two (2)
11 kV at 1000 kW asynchronous generators powered by two (2) Francis turbines with full
automatic operation. Transmission is over 2,7 km by 11 kW overhead power line. Annual
maintenance expenses are on average about R300 000 with some 45% spent on the power
house equipment.
Alternative 3:
Design and build new plant as an extension of existing disused hydro plant situated at the
right bank of the Crocodile River at the toe of Hartbeespoort Dam. This alternative will require
a short penstock pipe to be connected directly to the right bank outlet works tunnel, which will
have to be pressurized to take advantage of all available water head between the FSL and
the river bed estimated at some 37,5 m).

Figure 2: Schematic illustration of Alternative 3 New hydropower plant as extension on

existing plant.
The schematic arrangement of Alternative 3 as given above illustrates the short penstock pipe
connected directly into the pressurized tunnel. In order to utilize the full hydroelectric potential
of the right (east) bank dam outlet works infrastructure and available flows from the dam, the
outlet works tunnel will have to be pressurized at the tunnel exit. The extra hydrostatic head of
about 7 m will be resulting in a capacity gain of about 300 kW against Alternative 2 over
above conventional 1 200 kW. The operational advantage of this arrangement is that the
irrigation flows will be controlled as per daily demand at the pressurized tunnel exit providing
at the same time for the constant flows through the new hydroelectric installation.
Using essential parameters determined for this alternative as Qmax = 4,8 m3/sec; Hgross = 37,3
m and assuming 5 percent losses manifesting within the penstock and valves assembly as
well as applying the overall plant efficiency of 90 percent the hydroelectric capacity is
determined at 1500 kW. The subsequent estimated annual power output is in order of 12,6
GWh which is more than the annual energy requirements of the DWAs Metsi-A-Me
programme. This alternative is worthwhile of consideration for implementation.
At present the costs of one MW small scale hydroelectric plant (<10 MW) installed in South
Africa will be ranging between Rand 15 and 25 million depending on the location (the hydro
plants added to existing water supply infrastructure will be cheaper), size and type of
installation. The costs of electromechanical equipment (i.e. turbine and generator) will
presently amount to at least 30% of the total cost of installation. The local market for new
hydropower electromechanical equipment practically does not exists in South Africa and all
equipment is designed and manufactured abroad mainly in Europe and North America. To
obtain relevant design and costs for the electromechanical equipment several manufacturers
are typically approached to provide this type of hydroelectric installation project.

TURBINE AND GENERATOR SELECTION

The rated flow and net head determine the set of turbine types applicable to the site and flow
characteristics. The suitable turbines are those for which the given rated flow and net head
plot within the operational envelope s illustrated in the graph below.

Figure 3: Turbine selection using net Head (m) and rated flow Q (m3/sec)
As a turbine can only accept discharges between maximal and the practical minimum, it might
be advisable to install several smaller turbines instead one large turbine. It is necessary to
seek advice from the manufacturers to select most appropriate turbine type and size. The
investment costs and the annual production will allow for the final choice.
Turbine efficiency
The small hydropower turbines at design flow can range from 80% to 90%.
Table 1: Maximum efficiency values for small turbines
Turbine type
Maximum efficiency
Specific speed
Single regulated Kaplan
0,91
0,19 1,55
Double regulated kaplan
0,93
Ns = (rev/min)*(kW)1/2/(m)5/4
Francis
0,94
0,05 0,33
Pelton with one nozzle
0,90
0,005 0,025
Turgo
0,85
Ns = (rev/min)*(kW)1/2/(m)5/4
Souce: European Small Hydropower Association (2004)

Generator type and efficiency

There are two types of generators (i) synchronous and (ii) asynchronous. The efficiencies of
generators can range from 93 to 97 percent. It is important that the transmission assembly
between a turbine and generator allows to match the rotational speed of each.
Other essential components

The other essential mechanical and electrical components of a small hydropower plant may
include: (i) water shut-off valve(s) for turbines, (ii) river by-pass gate and controls, (iii)
hydraulic control system for turbines, (iv) electrical switchgear, (v) transformer(s).
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACTS EVALUATION AND COSTING
The environmental viability of a proposal is commonly related to the magnitude of
environmental impacts that can be associated with the hydroelectric development. These
impacts can vary significantly and are depending mainly on the location and overall
configuration of proposed development. The key environmental issues typically refer to the
status of environment around proposed site:
a development within a pristine environment (usually a conservation area or national park,
etc.);
a development in altered environment (i.e. already affected environment by extensive or
limited human activities, etc.); and
a development in a completely altered/adjusted environment (e.g. urban/metropolitan
area).
The environmental issues generally associated with the development of the small hydropower
installations are principally two folds: short term (i.e. typically during the construction period)
and medium to long term (i.e. the impacts related to the operation of a scheme). The currently
applicable regulations to be consulted are as follows:
Regulations in terms of Chapter 5 of the National Environmental Management Act, 1996
(Government Gazette No. 28753. No. R. 385. 21 April 2006);
List of Activities and Competent Authorities Identified in Terms of Sections 24 and 24D of
the National Environmental Management Act, 1996 (Government Gazette No. 28753. No.
R. 386. 21 April 2006); and
List of Activities and Competent Authorities Identified in Terms of Section 24 and 24D of
the National Environmental Management Act, 1996 (Government Gazette No. 28753. No.
R. 387. 21 April 2006).
REGIONAL BENEFITS FROM UTILIZATION OF HYDROPOWER AT THE
HARTBEESPOORT DAM
The regional benefits which can be gained from implementation of hydropower are as follows:
can be built on a wide diversity of scales (e.g. pico, micro, mini, small and macro) ;
sustains the multiple use of water in non-consumptive manner;
technology is robust, high-efficiency and long lifetime up to 30 years;
allows for peak load energy optimising the base load generation;
enables meeting fluctuations in energy demand ;
requires low energy demand in its creation produces 200 times more energy that is
needed ;
has the highest energy payback ratio;
can provide indispensable back-up for other energy sources (i.e. wind and solar sources);
reduces fossil fuel prices;
decreases greenhouse gas emissions;
optimises utilisation of available water resource;

aids existing electricity grid stability, and be easily synchronised with the national grid;
and
creates direct and auxiliary jobs.

Exemplifying 1MW small scale hydroelectric plant which will be attached to existing dam
facility can utilise legislated ecological flow released annually for 95% of theoretical time
downstream of the dam. Some 8,322 GWh of electricity can be generated in an average year.
If it is assumed that the utilisation lifespan of a plant is 20 years before major refurbishment
will have to take place, the gross energy output over a plant lifespan is about 166,4 GWh. The
1 MW plant can thus offset about 148 132 tons of CO2 if the World Bank baseline conversion
rate of 890 tons CO2 per GWh is applied. The same size plant can also replace in 20 years
about 6 000 tons of fossil fuel while supplying some 1000 sub-urban households with
electricity.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
South Africa as one of the signatories of the Kyoto Protocol (1997) committed itself in
reducing greenhouse emissions by 34% in 2020 below projected emissions level. The load of
greenhouse gas emissions from various sources in South Africa as whole, is currently
estimated at about 500 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per annum. If the
South Africa is to achieve its estimated target the process of extensive implementation of
renewable energy technologies has to be facilitated.
To provide suitable enabling environment for emissions reduction and reliable energy supply
for the SA economy the Department of Energy (DoE) with the endorsement from the National
Energy Regulator of SA (NERSA) introduced the Integrated Electricity Resource Plan (IRP)
for South Africa 2010 2030. The DoE subsequently allocated different capacities across
various renewable energy technologies from the total development capacity of 3725 MW. The
hydropower sector has been allocated overall capacity of 75 MW to be commercially
operational by June 2016. One of the critical qualification requirements is that only the small
scale hydropower installations above 1 MW are to be included in the forthcoming selection
process. The new REBID requirements exclude the renewable energy projects including the
hydropower projects with capacity below 1 MW meaning that the proposed hydropower
development at the Hartbeespoort Dam will qualify for inclusion in the REBID process.
In view of the international pressures on South Africa and internally rising positive sentiments
about speedily implementation of the renewable energy producing projects the Hartbeespoort
Hydro appears as most suitable and sustainable option. The desk top investigation,
summarized in this paper indicates that there is a good hydroelectricity capacity potential at
the Hartbeespoort Dam. The preliminary calculation and basic field surveys indicate that it
might be possible to develop potential hydroelectric capacity up to 1,5 MW described in the
Alternative 3.
It is recommended that the preliminary investigation study of hydroelectric potential at the
Hartbeespoort Dam will be based in principle on the methodology illustrated in this report,
taking in consideration and be stimulated by the requirements of REBID. In this way the
proposal on development of renewable energy potential from existing infrastructure will
comply with regulatory framework on renewable energy currently observed in South Africa.

It is also recommended that all further investigation will observe principles and methodology
as prepared and defined by the International Hydropower Association (IHA)s Hydropower
Sustainability Assessment Protocol (June 2011). The protocol represents significant
advancement toward achieving sustainability in the hydropower sector and it is a
complementary tool enabling the users in practical evaluation and assessment of social,
economic and environmental issues.
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