Ashta’s construction progress on schedule for 2012 completion

TIRANA, April 11 – Progress for the construction of Albania’s 48-MW Ashta run-of-river hydropower project, the fourth big hydropower on River Drin cascade and the biggest HPP project during the past 20 years, is on schedule for completion by 2012, developers have reconfirmed.
Until 2012, the project company “Energji Ashta,” a 50/50 joint venture between Austria’s Verbund and EVN is constructing a world innovation in Albania, the largest matrix power plant using small turbines. Hydropower plant Ashta is being erected in northern Albania, close to Shkoder, the country’s fourth-largest town.
Project managers told Voice of America in the local Albanian service they will install the plant’s first turbines in the next few weeks.
Some 200 people are currently involved in the project’s implementation expected to finish by the end of 2012. Construction works started in March 2010.
The hydro project’s estimated cost is EUR 160 million (US$227 million).
The project is to feature Hydromatrix technology, a trademarked product of Andritz Hydro, employing about 90 small turbine-generators installed in modules.
In autumn 2008, the Albanian government concluded a 35-year concession agreement with VERBUND for the construction and operation of the hydropower plant of Ashta situated on the Drin river in the north of Albania.
By means of the particularly efficient and innovative matrix technology, 240 million kilowatt hours of electricity are to be generated in the future starting at the end of 2012. With that, 100,000 Albanian households will be supplied with electricity from clean hydropower.
The river Drin is currently used by a chain of HPPs. The planned Ashta HPP will be the last in this chain and located below Vau I Dej쳠HPP, about 50 km from the outflow of river Drin in the Adriatic Sea.
The reservoir is fed from the Vau i Dej쳠HPP and from minor side inflows. Currently the major part of the water passes the weir without being utilized and flows back into the river Drin while another quantity feeds a small irrigation system.
With energy being a hot topic for Albania, the construction of this HPP will guarantee the reliable supply of electricity of the Albanian electricity system, reduce energy imports from abroad and only moderately affect the environment. The project’s environmental impact is almost negligible, especially since HPPs do not produce any emissions
Instead of one large turbine, this innovative technology employs several small ones. As a result, it is possible to utilize even low heads and thereby increase efficiency. The matrix turbines for both Ashta power plants are being supplied by Andritz Hydro (previously known as VA Tech Hydro), and are therefore an Austrian product.
However, one power plant is not enough: electricity will also be generated for a second time, after a five-kilometer long, low-lying bypass channel close to the small village of Ashta, which is part of the community of Bushat. Again, matrix turbines will be used.
The total capacity of the two plants (Ashta I and Ashta II) with matrix turbines amounts to more than 50 megawatts; 242 million kilowatt hours are to be generated annually.
Starting from 2012, the electricity generated will be fed into the Albanian 110-kV grid.