Following the successful development of other hydropower facilities in Indonesia, a new project aims to study the potential of the “Romuku” run-of-river power plant in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. A first step is to undertake a pre-Feasibility Study which will result in a go no-go decision for a more detailed Feasibility Study. This pre-Feasibility Study resulted in a first order assessment of the expected flows into the proposed site location. The key output of the hydrological study was a flow-duration curve – critical input for economic feasibility studies of run-of hydropower plant capacity.
Following the successful development of other hydropower facilities in Indonesia, a new project aims to study the potential of the «Romuku» run-of-river power plant in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The project should turn this renewable energy opportunity into a source of economic empowerment for the region and a carbon-emission-free and reliable source of electricity for the people of Sulawesi. A first step is to undertake a pre-Feasibility Study which will result in a go no-go decision for a more detailed Feasibility Study. This study will encompass various components. FutureWater will focus on the hydrological assessment. The objective is to undertake a first order assessment on the expected flow at the inlet of the proposed Romuku run-of-river power plant.
Data for the proposed site are scarce and available data have often missing values. The traditional method of relying on discharge observations to derive the flow duration curve is therefore not possible. As alternative a hydrological rainfall-runoff model can be used to generate discharge data on which flow duration curves can be derived. It is proposed to use HEC-HMS in this pre-feasibility phase. HEC-HMS is a hydrological model that simulates the rainfall-runoff at any point within a watershed given physical characteristics of the watershed. It can be used for studying interventions and for watershed management to determine the effect on the magnitude, quantity, and timing of runoff at points of interest. It is one of the most commonly used rainfall-runoff models, freely available and somewhat less data demanding.
This pre-Feasibility Study will result in a first order assessment of the expected flows into the proposed site location. For the Feasibility Study a more extensive analysis is needed, including more field data, detailed analysis of spatial rainfall patterns, more advanced rainfall-runoff model, advanced calibration of model, and an analysis of potential threats to future water flows (land-use changes, climate change).
The key output of the hydrological study will be a flow-duration curve – critical input for economic feasibility studies of run-of hydropower plant capacity. The area below the curve and the maximum turbine-capacity can be used to asses primary (firm) power and secondary power generation.
Publicaciones relacionadas
2015 - FutureWater Report 141
Hunink, J.E., S. Contreras, P. Droogers. 2015. Hydrological pre-feasibility assessment for the Romuku hydropower plant Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. FutureWater Report 141X
Hydrological pre-feasibility assessment for the Romuku hydropower plant Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
Hunink, J.E., S. Contreras, P. Droogers
