SCHOOL OF POST GRADUATE

STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF ARBA MINCH
M. Sc. Thesis Proposal

IDENTIFICATION
Name: - Dereje Tadesse Desalegn
Facility: - School of Post Graduate Studies
Department: - HYDRAULIC and HYDROPOWER
ENGINEERING
Major: - Hydraulic/hydropower Engineering
Advisor: - …………………………………………..
……………………………………………
Title of thesis: - ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION OF
HYDROPOWER POTENTIAL SITES WITH
THE AID OF GIS. (A case study in Blue Nile Basin,
Ethiopia)

1
 I . Bac k Ground
Sustainable energy development is essential and inevitable for
socio- economic development of a country. Satisfying the
energy needs of the population th rough sus tainable energy
based approach helps to avoid defores tation and
improvement of standard of living in developing countries.

The optimum development of water resources is considered to

be a key element in the socio -economic development of a
country. Apart from meeting requirements for drinking water,
irrigation and flood control, hydropower is a cheap,
environmentally friendly and renewable source of energy.
Studies conducted in various countries revealed that optimum
development of hydropower has b een daily recognized as the
panacea for the developing nations’ for ailing economics [ 1].

Ethiopia is fortunate in having a combination of vast water

resources and suitable topography those permit much of this
potential to be developed at rem arkably low –cost, especially
in the Blue Nile, Baro-Akobo and Omo-rver Basins [1] . However,
the developed hydropower potential, currently 656.6MW
(www.eepco.com ) and only about 9% of the population get
service from hydropower [2] .

2
I I. In trod uc tion
Owing to rapid growth in population, the need for the optimum
development of water resources has become more urgent than
ever. Water is becoming a scarce resource as a result of the
growing demand for its use in various purposes such as
hydropower, irrigation, water supply, etc.

Hydropower development is the base for energy supply,

supported on large availability of water resources [3] . The
development of hydropower in E thiopia has been minimal so
far. Even through the a iling economy is the main causes not to
exploit the available power up to the maximum possible limit,
other factors are not studied in details. For instance various
documents put different figures (or magnitu de) on the
potential sites of the country. Moreover, categorizing the
schemes depending on the available potential head, capacity
of the scheme, etc is not mentioned else where. This is the
implication of little research has been done on the sector.

Accurate and clear source of data is a key for every step on

the development of hydropower. Thus the purpose of the s tudy
is conducting exhaustive assessment and evaluation of
hydropower power potential sites , categorizing and ranking of
the sites according to the established criteria.

3
I II. Pro ble m Sta tem ent
Ethiopia is a country endowed with a large hydropower
potential [4]. Hydropower is a key to sustainable development
and also its contribu tion for alleviation of poverty is greater.
However, the development of hydropower in Ethiopia has been
minimal so far. The table shown below is an indicative that the
contribution of the existing scheme is low till now. According to
studies made in river basin by WAPCOS (1990), the hydropower
resource is estim ated to have a potential in the order of
160,000GWH/Year.

The contribu tions of the existing hydropower schemes for the

I CS are (www.eepco.com )

Installed
Type of the Year of
S.No Plant Name capacity
Schemes commissioning
(MW)
1. K ok a St or ag e 43.2 1960
2. A was h - II Ro R 32 1966
3. A was h - II I Ro R 32 1971
4. Fin cha a St or ag e 128 1973,2002
5. Mel ka St or ag e 153 1988
Wak an e
6. Tis A ba y - I Ro R 11.4 1964
7. Tis A ba y - II Ro R 73.0 2001
8. Gilg el G ib e St or ag e 184 2003
Tot al 656.6

Various source indicates different fi gures for the

hydropower potential site of the country (WAPCOS,1990;
E t h i o p i a n P l a n n i n g a n d P r o j e c t D e p a r tm e n t , M o W R ; B N C B N -
RE, a research cluster ) that is there is no a clear consensus
on the magnitude of the selected hydropower potential of
the country. For instance, document written by WAPCOS
1990 reported that the consul tancy service had identified
132 hydropower potential site in Blue Nile basin and a total
of 315 potential sites in the country. Where as a research
cluster report by BNCBN -RE has mentioned 299 hydropower
potential sites have been identified through out the
country.

I t has been noticed that this discrepancy was introduced

as a resul t of implementing different selection criteria.

4
Moreover, there is no detail ed report which shows catego ries
of the schemes depending on the available head, capacities
of the schemes, cons truction feature (either runoff river type or
storage type) etc… that can guide decision makers to prioritize
hydropower development options.

In order to exploit the hydr opower potential of the country

based on the prevailing socio-economic condition of the
country and from the regional perspec tive and others , it is
essential to rank the available power potential sites in ranking
order [5] . However, the author of this prop osal hasn’t come
across any prioritized or ranked hydropower development.

The above mentioned problems are the indication of little

research based study has been done on the sector. With the
view of this and other related documents, this stu dy will try to
assess the hydropower potential of Blue Nile Basin, and
evaluate the existing scheme with the view of categorizing and
ranking.

5
I V. O bje ct ive o f the Study
The general objective of the s tudy is to assemble and prepare
an accurate source o f data for the potential site of the basin
and locating the sites on a map. Besides th ese, site evaluation
for ranking potential hydro -power project will be conducted.

I ts specific aim of the study:-

1. Assessment of hydropower potential sites

2. Categorize each scheme depending on head,
capacity of the scheme, construction feature etc…
3. Assemble and prepare an accurate source of data
and other relevant information for each identified
and existed schemes.
Such as:-
 Categories of the schemes
 The available head and discharge
 Crest length of the of the dam
 I nstalled capacity (for the existing schemes)
 Technical potential of the assessed schemes
 Number of units
 Type of turbine (Depending on Discharge and
Head)

4. Mapping of all existing and assessed hydropower

potential sites
5. Ranking of the selected sites using spatial
technologies.

Data base of the selection criteria, category and ranks of

sites, will be implemented in the GI S environment to
develop an automatic identification procedure. That may
help for other basin as well.

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V . M ethodo logy
1. Collection of relevant data
 Topographical map
 Arial photos
 Geological map
 Hydrol ogical Data
2. Assembling source of data for the existing schemes
from different documents.
3. Assessment of hydropower potential sites
4. When deciding upon the l ocation and general l ayout
of a power plant, the following main items should be
considered [6].
 Potential power of the river or river section
selected for utilization. Before any power
plant is contemplated it is essential to asses s
the inherent power available from the
discharge of the river and the head available
at the site.
 Topographical condition of th e river vall ey
and the stream bed play on important rol e in
deciding upon the types and location of the
plant.
 The general l ay o ut w ill be greatl y infl uenced
by the geol ogy of the site.
 Easy access and availability of construction
material for the dam or diversion structure in
the vicinity.
 Energy generation should be coordinated
with other purpose. A significant reduction in
the cost of the hydroelectric power may
resul t from a multipurpose Utilization.
 Distance from the national grid system.
 Predictable greatness of power demand.
5. Ranking of the selected sites using special
technology. The major criteria for preliminary ranking
of the sites are:-
i. Reconstruction and rehabilitation
ii. Access to the site
iii. Height to the dam
iv. Hydro power potential of the site

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 v. Typical schemes( Runoff -river or storage
type)
v i . I n te r n a t i o n a l a s p e c t
vii. Distance from the national grid system
viii. Status of the existin g schemes

The selection of hydropower potential site is governed

by the topography map of the area, geological
condition, hydrology of the catchments and distance
from the grid system etc. I t is the net sum of all these
components which helps us to decidi ng the potential of
the site and its economical feasibil ity.

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VI. Gene ral Pro ced ur e
1. Data collection
2. Collecting relevant information and data from
different documents
3. Data processing and anal ysis
 Topographical map
 The gross head of any proposed scheme ca n
be assessed by sim ple surveying
techniques [7]
 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 topographic are
essential for the assessment of the sites.
 Arial photos are helpful [4]
 Site investigation will be done based on the
study of topography sheets on 1:250,000
scales and 1:50,000 scale maps wherever
available. Besides topographic sheets, other
reports will be referred wherever relevant
 Longitudinal profile of the river will be done
 Identify the available head for the proposed
scheme.
 Geological maps which shows
 F a u l ts a n d j o i n t s z o n e s
 Active zone
 Types of rocks
 Hydrol ogical data
 Hydrol ogical data on rainfall and runoff
are essential in order to assess the
availability of water quantity. Hydropower
potential also depends on the available
discharge [8].
 Daily, Weekly or monthly flow over a
period of long years.
 Low flows, to assess the primary, firm or
dependable power
 Data processing and analysis for the
proposed site
 Data qual ity checking
 Estimating missing data
 Data record extension
 Data transfer for un -gauged sites
 Identify the available discharge
 Identify the available discharge

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4. Categorized the schemes depending on head,
capacity of the scheme, construction feature, etc
5. Prepare source of documents
6. Mapping the schemes on the topo maps
7. Ranking of the schemes.

10
VII . Re fe re nc e
1. “Research Linkage between MoWR, STC and Academic
Institution”, April 2003
2. “Water Reform (policy, Strategy and program) ”, paper
presented by planning and projects department,
MoWR.
3. “Hydropower Usage” from I nternet
www.naturemade.org
4. “Preliminary Water resource Development Master Plan
for Ethiopia”, Final Report, Volume VII , WAPCOS 1990
5. “Site evaluation for ranking study of potential
hydropower project: An Indian perspective using
spatial technologies.
6. “Water Power Development ”, by EMI L MOSONYI ,
Dr.Techn., Dr.Eng., Academiai Kiado Publishing House
of the Hungarian Academy of Science.
7. “Hydraulic Structures” P.Novak, A.I .B. Moffat,
C.Nalluri, R.Narayanan
8. “Basic hydropower ” Lecture note by Dr. I ng. Seleshi
Bekele
9. “Nile Basin Capacity Building Network for River
Engineering (NBCBN-RE)”, Executive summaries,
research cluster report.
10. “Abbay River Basin Integrated Development Master
Plan Project”, Phase 2 & 3, Section II , Sectral Studies,
Sept. 1998

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VII I. T im e T able

Com ponent s o f the wo rk Time Schedule

Days Total Month
from to Duration Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
1. Preparatory works
 Acceptance for the proposal
 Literature review
2. Data collections
 Metrological and hydrological data
 Geological maps
 Topographic maps
 Aerial photo
3. From the geological and topographic maps of the site
 Depending on head site selection (contour map )
 Preparing the river longitudinal profile
 Check the geological condition of the proposed sites
4. Hydro-metrological data processing and analysis for proposed
sites
 Data quality checking
 Data consistency
 Estimating missing data
 Data record extension
 Data transfer for un-gauged sites
 Double Mass curve analysis
 Flow Duration curve analysis
5. Mapping of the selected and the existed HP schemes on the
topo maps, Preparing Source of document and categorize the
scheme
6. Ranking the selected schemes
7. Report writing and completion of the thesis

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I X. F inanc e Br ea kdown
Pe rsonal Cos t
S.No Descriptions Number of days Cost/day Total cost

1 Data Collection 30+20 70 3500

2 Data from different documents
3 Data from MoWR, NMSA
4 Transport cost 10 trip to Addis 100/trip 1000

Sub total 4500

Ma te rial cos t
S. No Descriptions Qut. Unit
price
Total price

1 Top maps1:50,000 50 13 650

2 Geological maps 50 15 750
3 Lap Top computer 1 20,000 20,000
4 Computer diskets (31/2 floppy) 30 4 120
5 Rewritable CDs 15 20 300
6 Removable disk (256MB) 1 1500 1500
7 CD writer ( External type) 1 800 800
8 Photocopying (for supplementary materials ) 1000 0.30 300
9 Photo copy papers 5 30 150
10 Stationeries (pen, pencil, notebook etc…) x x 300
11 Millimeter paper (roll) 2 30 60
12 Transparent paper (roll) 1 X 200
13 Internet service 30hr 24 720
14 For communication X X 200
15 Typing & printing the report 120*4 5 2400
16 Thesis compiling & binding 12 100 1200

Sub total 9650

Total = Subtotal 1 + Subtotal 2 + Allowance

= 4500 + 29650 + 2000
= 36,150

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