Qairokkum Hydropower Rehabilitation Project: Basic Engineering and Design Services, Tajikistan

Country: Tádžikistán
Year: 2016
Customer: OSHC BarqiTojik
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Category: Dam engineering, Hydropower engineering, Civil engineering

Dam – earthfill – length 1 200 m
Dam – concrete – length 130 m
Dam – earthfill – height 44 m
Dam – concrete – height 17 m

HPP – turbine type Kaplan vertical
HPP – number of machines – 6
HPP – head – 12-22,5 m
HPP – absorption capacity – 6x 180 m3/s
HPP – output 174 MW

Barqi Tojik obttained financing from the EBRD for the project “Qairokkum Hydropower Rehabilitation Project: Basic Engineering and Design Services”. The main aim of the project is an overall rehabilitation of Qairokkum HPP for improving its stability and its output from 6 x 21 to 6 x 29 MW (174 MW). Barqi Tojik entrusted the consortium Stucky – Sweco as project consultants to prepare the basic design and technical specifications for two service packages: E/M + H/M and Civil works.

Qairokkum HPP is designed for fulfilling two main purposes – irrigation water management on the Syr Darya River and hydropower energy utilization. Qairokkum HPP consists of approx. 1,200m long earthfill dam and a 130 m long concrete dam. The dam object creates a Qairokkum reservoir with a volume of approx. 4 bio. m3. The overtopped power plant building is integrated into the concrete dam part. Six spillways are placed above the energy units. The engine room contains 6 Kaplan vertical turbines, each of a capacity of 21 MW. The design head is between 12 and 24.5 m. The design capacity is 6 x 180 m3/s (1080 m3/s). The maximum height of the concrete dam is 44 m, maximum height of the earthfill dam is approx. 17 m.
The international project team consised of Swiss, Swedish, Czech, Serbian, Bulgarian, Iranian and Tajik experts.

Responsible for the Civil part of the planned rehabilitation, including, among the basic interaction between the Civil and the E/M and H/M parts, a reconstruction of civil objects of the powerhouse, concrete dam and spillway object, a stability assessment taking into account the impact of climate change and a change of safety factors for the water works assessment. Furthermore, responsible for arranging the inspection visit, co-ordination of activities of the international team, communication with local experts and the overall project agenda including management of project economy.