GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 483

SUMMARY OF DEVELOPED AND 

POTENTIAL WATERPOWER OF THE 

UNITED STATES AND OTHER 

COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD, 1955-62
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 483

SUMMARY OF DEVELOPED AND POTENTIAL WATERPOWER OF THE 

UNITED STATES AND OTHER COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD 1955-62

By Loyd L. Young
United States Department of the Interior

STEWART L. UDALL, SECRETARY

Geological Survey

THOMAS B. NOLAN, DIRECTOR

Washington 1964

Free on application to the U.S. Geological Survey, Washington, D. C. 20242
CONTENTS

Introduction - - - 1

Summary of development, January 1, 1955 to

December 31, 1962 1

Large rivers - -- - 4

Unmeasured waterpower sources ---___-___-_ 6

Developed and potential waterpower 7

World 7

North and Central America and West Indies 7

United States 8

Canada 11

v-jOSLd t\ IC-d - - - - - -"- - - - - *-- - *-- - *-- *- -- *- - -- J_J^

El Salvador 11 

Honduras 11

Mexico- - 11

Nicaragua '- - - 11

Panama Republic and Canal Zone 11 

West Indies 12 

South America 12 

Argentina 12 

Bolivia 12

British Guiana - 13

Colombia -- 14 

Dutch Guiana (Surinam)- 14

Ecuador 14

Uruguay 

Venezuela

Algeria

15

15

1 "% j>t_j

16

Congo 16 

Egypt 16 

Ethiopia - --- - 17

Ghana 17

Ivory Coast

1^" £T"l\/i3 .*.-- .

Mozambique - - 

Nigeria

Rhodesia and Nyasaland 17

South Africa 18

South-West Africa 18

Sudan 18

Tanganyika 18

Tunisia JLUtlLOld. ________ _______________________________ ___ _ _ 1RJ_Q

Uganda 18

.tVQ AGIO i-d - .... - - - _-«.^-» _ .--- . . .-- ..>_._.«.>.>wj_fj 1t

Afghanistan- -- - - 20

rVvIrm \^>^y ivxii - _____ ____________ t* 9O\j

China ____________________________________ 20

Formosa 20 

India 21

Iran 

Iraq

21

- 21

 - _-_-«. -. . _ "_^_L 91

»««-» -»-»-»- -»-» -«. «. __ __ _ ^ j_

«. «,_-«.«._- _._._*» ...... .._....._._. .. itjJL 9 1

 -_-«. _- _-«, -. 99_^_j

_- _- _-_-_- _. . _-_._._._. _. _. iij 99

.... ..... .... «, .- - _-_-_- .. --99_^_j

 -._._. _..._- . -. _-_-.. _ .. i 99i

22

___ _______ _ _ _ ____ ____ £,£, 99

Thailand 23

Tihiaf 00 JL IJJ^l, _________ _ _ _ _ £*\J

Turkey ______-____-_-_-____-___--_________ 23

Vietnam Republic 23 

Australia and Oceania -- - -- 23

Philippines

Indonesia- - -- - 25

Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Celebes 25

New Caledonia 26

New Zealand- - - 26

Austria 28 

Bulgaria 28 

Czechoslovakia 28 

Finland 28 

France 29 

Germany (Federal Republic) 30

Hungary -- - - 30 

Ireland 30 

Italy 30 

Luxembourg - - 31 

Netherlands 31

Portugal 32 

Romania 32 

Spain - - - - 32

Sweden 33

Switzerland -- 33

U c c p -14. ,IJ kj« 1\» ___ _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ \J^

United Kingdom -- - 35

Vi i o^os I^VIA -»« -»« « -»-» -»-»-» -»-» -»- -»-»-»-» -»-»- ^S

References ---- - 36
TABLES

Table 1. High dams completed or under construction between 1955 and 1962 -- 2

2. Large reservoirs completed or under construction between 1955 and 1962 - 3

3. Large powerplants completed or under construction between 1955 and 1962 4

4. Large dams completed or under construction between 1955 and 1962 4

5. High-head waterpower projects completed or under construction between 1955

and 1962 4

6. Large rivers of the world - - - - - - 5

7. Selected pumped-storage plants placed in operation or under construction

between 1955 and 1962 6

8 15. Installed capacity of hydroelectric plants, 10-year growth ratio, hydroelectric as percent of total generating installations, and estimated gross 

theoretical power of developed and potential sites.

8. World 7

9. North and Central America and West Indies 8

10. United States (10-year growth ratio and hydroelectric as percent of total

installations are not included) -- 8

11. South America---- - 12

12. Africa - --- - 15

13. Asia 19

14. Australia and Oceania - 24

15. Europe - 27

IV
SUMMARY OF DEVELOPED AND POTENTIAL WATERPOWER OF THE UNITED STATES AND 

OTHER COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD, 1955-62 

By LOYD L. YOUNG

ABSTRACT

Estimates of potential waterpower and historical 

data on waterpower developments in various parts of 

the world are assembled in this report. Salient characteristics of the period studied, 1955-62, include 

increased use of the underground powerhouse, multiple-purpose developments, and use of storage (including pumped storage) to increase the value of waterpower for peaking purposes. High-voltage longdistance transmission has been improved, especially 

in the United States, Sweden, and the U.S.S.R., and 

generating facilities tend to be larger than ever 

before. Asia leads the continents in total potential 

waterpower; Europe is first in use of waterpower. 

In rate of increase of waterpower installations and 

in percent of hydroelectric to total installations 

Africa is first among the continents. The 1955-62 

period saw a great increase in per capita consumption 

of electric energy. Norway leads all countries with 

annual consumption of about 9,000 kwhr per capita. 

Waterpower development was carried on in a majority 

of the countries of the world and in most of them at an 

accelerated rate.

INTRODUCTION

The Geological Survey first made an estimate of 

the potential waterpower of the United States in 1908 

and of the world in 1918. The latter estimate (U. S. 

Geological Survey, 1921) was prepared for the Versailles Peace Conference. Jones and Young (1954) 

presented revised estimates as of December 1952, 

and Young's report (1955) brought them up to December 

1954. The present paper reviews developmental progress between January, 1, 1955, and December 31, 

1962, and contains estimates as of December 31,1962.

The literature reviewed is mostly from the free 

world but is restricted to it only because published 

material about current happenings elsewhere is limited. Statistical information on developed waterpower 

is included for all countries where such information 

has been found, and estimates of potential power at 

discharge available 95 percent or more of the time 

and for arithmetical average discharge are also included for most countries.

SUMMARY OF DEVELOPMENT, JANUARY 1, 1955- 

DECEMBER 31, 1962

With the development of atomic energy for peaceful use, many expected that water as a source for 

electrical energy had almost fulfilled its usefulness. 

Insofar as hydroelectricity is affected, the opposite 

has taken place, however, and present investigations 

of some fabulous waterpower sites in remote areas 

of the world indicate that the future contribution of 

hydroelectric power to world progress may exceed 

that made by it in the past. When nuclear power becomes a material factor in the overall power picture, 

it is expected that waterpower, especially at reservoirs and from pumped storage, will gain importance 

as a peaking source. Once a large atomic plant is 

operating, it can continue to run in the offpeak hours 

pumping water to high-level reservoirs for release 

during peaking hours. Also, reservoirs with capacity 

to regulate can hold the natural flow of a stream for 

peaking-hour use.

Use of underground powerhouses is increasing. 

Such plants have been constructed in at least 29 countries (Lawton, 1959). Italy and Sweden lead in underground plant construction and usually choose the 

underground site for economy. An underground plant 

may be placed almost directly under the stored water 

and eliminate the necessity for a surge tank. Penstock 

length is often reduced and the tunnel required to 

carry the water from the tailrace may be relatively 

inexpensive. Other benefits are: greater heads, larger 

plants, use of blasted rock in dam construction, highly 

developed blasting techniques, and reduced maintenance and depreciation costs (Nilsson, 1960).

Another significant recent trend is the addition 

of power facilities at dams already in service for 

flood control, irrigation, or municipal supply. The 

60-MW (megawatt) plant planned for the exist ing Lucky 

Peak flood-control reservoir on Boise River, Idaho, 

is an example of this.

The South Carolina Electric and Gas Co. will have 

atomic, hydroelectric, and coal-fired plants at one 

location near Parr, S. C., when a 17-MW nuclear plant 

now under construction is completed.
High-voltage long-distance transmission has increased, especially in the United States, Sweden, and 

the U.S.S.R. The U.S.S.R. transmits the highest voltage 

(525 kilovolt) and is planning an 800-kv line for the 

Urals. Direct-current transmission is being seriously 

studied in many countries and some important lines 

are now in operation. Leaders in this field are England 

and France (cross channel), New Zealand, Sweden, and 

the U.S.S.R. An experiment in direct-current transmission is now being conducted by the Bonneville Power 

Administration, Dept. of the Interior. A 5-mile 1.1- 

million volt d.c. line at The Dalles Dam on the 

Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, is the experimental line.

Several estimates of potential power have been 

made since 1955. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe has made official or preliminary 

estimates for most of the European countries. In 1962 

the Geological Survey's Branch of Waterpower Classification completed a revised estimate of potential 

power at all sites judged technically feasible of exploitation in the public-land States. Table 10 in the "United 

States" section of this report presents the new estimate 

by States for the various sections of the country.

The installed capacity of waterpower plants on 

December 31, 1962 was 38,600 MW (1,000 kilowatts) 

for the United States and 180,938 MW for the world. 

Potential waterpower for aver age discharge of streams 

and gross head sites is estimated to be 121,346 MW 

for the United States and 2,724,044 MW for the world.

The principal hydroelectric developments in North 

and Central America and in the West Indies were in 

the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In South 

America, Brazil effected the most installations; but 

growth rates were greatest in Venezuela, Argentina, 

and Ecuador. Notable developments in Africa included

Kariba Gorge dam, reservoir, and powerplant on the 

Zambezi River, the installation of generating facilities 

at the existing Aswan dam, and the beginning of work 

on the High Aswan dam on the Nile. Japan continued 

to lead Asian countries in waterpower installations, 

but many significant developments were achieved 

elsewhere on the continent. The Snowy Mountain project in Australia was outstanding among world engineering achievements. Leading waterpower developers 

in western Europe were Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, 

France, Austria, Norway, Portugal, and Spain. In 

eastern Europe and in Asia, the U.S.S.R. accelerated 

the rate of waterpower development concentrating on 

largeness in all aspects of dams, reservoirs, generating plants, and transmission lines.

In 1954 Hoover Dam on the Colorado was the 

world's highest 726 feet. Including dams under construction, Hoover is now ninth in height, as indicated 

by table 1. Not shown in table 1 are 3 dams approved 

for construction in the U.S.S.R. (Chirkeyskaya 755- 

foot concrete, Sayanskaya 738-foot rockfille, Charvakskaya 505-foot rockfill) and 13 dams built in the 

United States before 1955 (Hoover on Colorado River, 

Nev.-Ariz. 726-foot arch; Shasta on Sacramento River, 

Calif., 602-foot gravity; Hungry Horse on South Fork 

Flathead River, Mont., 564-foot arch; Grand Coulee on 

Columbia River, Wash., 550-foot gravity; Ross on 

Skagit River, Wash., 540-foot gravity; Fontana on 

Little Tennessee River, N. C., 480-footgravity; Lower 

Baker on Baker River, Wash., 465-foot gravity; 

Anderson Ranch on South Fork Boise River, Idaho, 

456-foot earth; Detroit on NorthSantiamRiver, Oreg., 

454-foot gravity; Pine Flat on Kings River, Calif., 

440-foot gravity; O'Shaughnessy on Tuolumne River, 

Calif., 430-foot gravity; Mud Mountain on White River, 

Wash., 425-foot rockfill; andOwyheeonOwyheeRiver, 

Oreg., 417-foot gravity arch).

Table 1. High dams completed or under construction between 1955 and 1962

Dam

\)QZ ----------------

Portage Mountain 1 ---

Trinity 

Ypllowtaill ----------

Country

U O O "D

 do 

Italy 

U.S.A., Calif 

U q A A 1*17 ---------

Iran -

U.S.A., Calif 

TT S A Mrmt_______ 

River

Vakhsh 

Dranse de Bagnes ---

Sutlej 

Height 

(ft)

988 

984 

932 

873 

777 

780 

740 

735 

710 

650 

636 

630 

617 

600 

593 

590 

537 

52(1

Type

Arch. 

Rockfill. 

Gravity arch. 

Arch. 

Do. 

Cupola arch. 

Gravity. 

Earth gravel. 

Gravity arch. 

Multiple arch. 

Arch. 

Do. 

Cupola arch. 

Earth rock. 

Arch. 

Do. 

Earth rock.

Arr>h
Table 1. High dams completed or under construction between 1955 and 1962 continued

Dam

Carters^ - _______

Round Butte 1 --------

Bratsk --__ ____ __

Country

Thailand -- --- 

U Q A rT-friV-»

River

S. F. McKenzie 

Ping 

U.S.A., Calif '

U.S.A., Ga 

U ^l A Or^cr- _______

TT S !=S R ________ _

M. F. Stanislaus ----

Sho 

Height 

(ft)

515 

515 

512 

508 

502 

490 

484 

464 

450 

440 

430 

420 

410

Type

j Gravity. 

JDo. 

Earth. 

Gravity arch. 

Arch. 

Do. 

Do. 

Earth rock. 

Gravity. 

Rockfill. 

Do. 

Arch.

"Flar-th

^Under construction.

In 1954 Lake Mead's 30 million acre-feet behind 

Hoover Dam was surpassed in capacity by only one 

manmade reservoir Owens Falls on the Nile in 

Uganda, which added 169,500,000 acre-feet of storage

capacity to Lake Victoria. Thirteen reservoirs capable 

of storing more than 30 million acre-feet of water 

were completed or under construction between 1955 

and 1962. Some of the larger reservoirs of the period 

are shown in table 2.

Table 2. Large reservoirs completed or under construction between 1955 and 1962

Reservoir

Mangla -

Glen Canyon

TT1 TTiiciT'tci _______ ___

Oahp----_--_--_- -

Country

U Q O O

Egypt 

U Q Q O

U Q Q O

U o o O

_ do ------ - -

U.S.A., Ariz.-Utah 

TT C! A fanarla-------

r " -

River

Angara ________ 

Volta ----------

Manicouagan --- 

Nile 

 do 

Storage 

(millions of 

acre-feet)

149 

145 

120 

115 

104 

62 

59 

53 

47 

45 

43 

37 

33

28 

25 

25

24

94.

lUnder construction. 

2storage added.

The Grand Coulee powerplant, largest in 1954 

with an installed capacity of 1,974,000 kw (kilowatts),

is now in ninth 

shown in table 3.

place. The eight larger plants are
Table 3. Large powerplants completed or under construction between 1955 and 1962

Plant name

Nurekl 

RnHor-t T\/Tr>c:pic:_ _______

Country

U C C D

U.S.A., Oreg.-Wash --

U C C D

U C C E?

TT C A W V_ _ ______

River

Vakhsh -

Capacity (kw)

6,000,000 

4,500,000 

3,105,000 

2,700,000 

2,530,000 

2,300,000 

2,300,000 

9. ion nnn

lUnder construction.

place dam 32-million-cubic-yard Kingsley Dam 

(completed in 1942) on the North Platte River, Nebr. 

when all dams under construction between 1955 and 

1962 are completed. The dams in this group are shown 

in table 4.

Table 4. Large dams completed or under construction between 1955 and 1962

Now as in 1954, Fort Peck Dam (constructed in 

1940) on the Missouri River in Montana holds first 

place for volume of dam at 125.6 million cubic yards, 

but 17 dams will have moved ahead of the 1954 secondDam

Oahe>l_ ___________ __

Kievl 

Aswan High Daml ____ 

Fort Randall 

South Saskatchewanl--

Country

U C A c r>alr-_- __-_

U.S.A., Calif 

U.S.A., CalifrU C A i\j r»ak ___ ___

U C c rj

 do 

Egypt 

U C A c r»alr -- --

U C C R

U

o Q rj

 do 

 do 

River

San Joaquin tributary -

Vakhsh 

Nile 

 do 

 do 

Volume of dam 

(millions of 

cubic yards)

92 

78 

75 

75 

67 

60 

59 

59 

53 

50 

47 

45 

44 

44 

36 

36 

33

*Under construction.

Table 5 High-head waterpower projects completed or 

under construction between 1955 and 1962

Plant '

Kolbnitzl 

Lungchien---

Guadeloupe -- 

McKay Creek 

Murray No. 1

Country

Italy 

Formosa ----

Colombia----

Australia---- 

Australia----

Head (ft)

5,810

 3 QAf]

 3 1 Qf)

2,930 

2790

2,558

1 *700

1,762 

1,730 

1,719

Turbine

Pelton.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Pelton.

Do. 

Do. 

Francis.

^ World's highest head.

LARGE RIVERS

In 1961 the U. S. Geological Survey's Water 

Resources Division prepared a worldwide list of rivers 

with an average discharge of 35,000 cfs (cubic feet per 

second) or greater from data collected as part of a 

study on worldwide runoff of dissolved solids. These 

rivers make an important contribution to waterpower 

production and potential and the list is presented in 

table 6. Attention is called especially to the column 

indicating rank of average discharge, which has been 

added for this report. South America's Amazon exceeds 

all rivers in average discharge; Africa's Congo is 

second, and Asia's Yangtze, third. Of the first 15 

large rivers, 9 are in Asia. The Mississippi, our 

largest river, is seventh and the Columbia is nineteenth. Australia is the only continent without a river 

with average discharge great enough to be included in 

the tabulation.
Table 6. Large rivers of the world

River

Mobile - -

Susquehanna _____ __

Country

Drainage Avg discharge 

area at mouth 

(thousands (thousands 

of sq mi) of cfs) Rank

North America

U.S.A. and Canada---- 

U.S.A. and Canada----

U.S.A. and Canada --

 do 

 do 

U Q A

 do 

1,244 

498 

697 

258 

360 

92 

414 

42 

28

611 

500 

280 

256 

180 

113 

80 

58 

38

7 

11 

17 

19 

24 

32 

37 

43 

48

South America

Sao Francisco _______

T3 - 'I

fqt__________________

Brazil - -----------

2,231 

340 

890 

350 

93 

90 

260

2 7,500 

600 

526 

360 

265 

136 

100

1 

8 

10 

16 

18 

26 

34

Africa

Nigc-r 

Milo ___ ___ 

1,550

500

4.Qf)

i i F,n

1,400

ocn

91 R

inn

9

90

99

33

Asia

Ob 

Indus _____________

Hwang Ho (Yellow) ---

Shatt-al Arab4 

Yana ----------------

E t>Qb- i u4nn

U.S.S.R 

 do 

U.S.S.R 

Thailand 

U.S.S.R. 

W. Pakistan 

U.S.S.R 

U

Q 0 D

U Q Q t>

U.S.S.R 

750 

361 

409 

1,000 

936 

166 

959 

310 

712 

358 

249 

46 

115 260' 

74 

119 

139" 

108- 

209 

95

770 

700 

660 

614 

547 

479 

441 

390 

388 

196 

134 

127 

127 

116 

90 

6Q 

64

; 53

51 

35

3 

4 

§ 

6 

9 

12 

13 

14 

15 

23 

27 

28 

29 

31 

36 

39 

40 

44 

45 

49

Europe

U.S.S.R 

 do 

 _ do 

QIC

1 OC

>=iR

9 1 Q

144

1 94.

Q9

7R

91

9K

Qfl

O <J

3R
Table 6. Large rivers of the world--continued

River Country

Drainage 

area

thousands 

of sq mi)

Avg discharge 

at mouth

(thousands 

of cfs) Rank

Europe--continued

Dnep r---------------

Rhone-- -------------

Po------- _____

Vistula-- ------------

U.S.S.R -------------

France---------- -- --

Italy----------------

Poland --------------

194

37

^ t

76

59

59

51

38

41

42

46

47

^-Includes Atchafalaya River.

Department of Interior News Release 41939-64, Feb. 24, 1964

3 Argentina and Uruguay.

^Tigris, Euphrates, and Karun.

UNMEASURED WATERPOWER SOURCES

Pumped storage, evaporation, and'tidal power are 

three sources of waterpower frequently mentioned in 

the literature but not measured in this report although 

they seem of sufficient importance to be briefly discussed here.

The utility of pumped storage has now become 

widely recognized and its use is increasing rapidly.

The largest pumped-storage plant in operation in 1950 

was probably Witznaw in Germany (1943), which had a 

generating capacity of 212 MW in four 53 MW-units 

(Cooper 1956). Table 7, listing selected .pumpedstorage plants placed in operation after January 1, 

1955, or under construction at the end of 1962, illustrates the present trend to larger pumps and generating 

units.

Table 7. Selected pumped-storage plants placed in operation or under 

construction between 1955 and 1962

Plant

*^1 i T* A Ha TY~I T-^f^r^lr

American Niagara--- -

Country

U.S.A., N. Y 

Generating capacity(MW)

Unit size

60 

30

20 

75 

175 

100 

100

Total

120 

180 

225 

240 

300 

350 

400 

900

Pump and generator sizes have grown in about the 

same proportion as size of total plant installations. 

Limburg is equipped with two 60-MW units, Taum 

Sauk will have two 175-MW units, and pumped-storage 

sets of 200 MW or larger are predicted. The investigations leading to decisions on Taum Sauk, located on 

the Ozark Plateau on the East Fork of the Black River 

in southeastern Missouri, eliminated an economic 

barrier to feasibility by increasing the head and thereby reducing the storage requirements. The smaller 

reservoir reduced the cost of land acquisition, as less 

land was required and its new location was on less 

valuable land (Water Power, Feb. 1961, p. 45). 

McCormack (1962) described Taum Sauk as one of the 

boldest hydroelectric undertakings of the 1960's.

Hassan, an Egyptian oceanographer, suggested 

(1961) that the Red Sea be dammed at both ends, 

allowing evaporation to lower it. He estimated that 

the evaporation in the area equals 12 feet per year 

and that eventually 1M million cfs could be admitted 

to produce 50 million kw. Another scheme would admit 

water to the Qattara depression and would combine 

pumped storage with evaporation in a manner that 

would assure 100,000 kw and make as much as 

340,000 kw available when the pumps are not running 

(Gohar, 1961).

The world's first major tidal-power project is 

now under construction on the Ranee estuary near 

Saint Malo, France, where tides are among the strongest in the world. There are two high and two low tides
in 24 hours and 50 minutes, and the difference in level 

between consecutive high and low tides may be as much 

as 44 feet. The project was started in 1960 and actual 

construction began in 1961. Completion is scheduled 

in 6 years. Installations will total 240 MW in 24 bulb 

sets, which can operate as pumps or turbines in either 

direction, and production will be equivalent to a plant 

factor of 26 percent for a conventional waterpower 

plant.

Many other parts of the world have sites favorable 

to the development of tidal power, including Passamaquoddy on the east coast of the United States, several 

locations along the west coast, and the Gulf of Alaska. 

Australia is actively investigating tidal powersites 

along the Kimberly coast.

DEVELOPED AND POTENTIAL WATERPOWER 

WORLD

A summary of the developed and potential waterpower estimates for the world is shown by continents 

in table 8. The installed capacities are published 

figures or were estimated by adding to the latest 

published figures, capacities of installations believed 

to have been put on the line by December 31, 1962. 

The 10-year growth-rate column is based upon the

assumption that it is normal to double power-generating facilities every 10 years. This general rule of 

thumb applies to all generating facilities and may not 

be applicable to waterpower facilities alone in a 

specific instance. Nevertheless, with the exception of 

North and Central America and West Indies, waterpower installations are currently being made in all 

parts of the world at a rate faster than would be 

necessary to maintain the normal growth rate for all 

installations. The column for percent of waterpower 

installations to total generating installations is included for the readers who wish to determine approximately a country's total electric-generating installations.

The potential power estimates in table 8 and 

those that follow represent, at 100-percent efficiency 

and gross head, that part of theoretical potential 

considered to be technically feasible of exploitation 

without regard to time (the total theoretical power of 

sites that may reasonably be assumed to be practicable). No estimate of economic potential or of time of 

development has been made although such estimates by 

others may be mentioned. For those who wish to make 

a deduction from 100 percent to an efficiency 

that might occur in practice, a multiplier of 0.75 to 

0.80 is suggested (U. N. Econ. Comm. for Europe, 

1961).

Table 8. Installed capacity of hydroelectric plants, 10-year growth ratio, .hydroelectric as 

percent of total generating installations, and estimated gross theoretical power 

of developed and potential sites of the world

Area

America: 

North, Central, 

and West Indies -- 

South - 

Australia and Oceania

Total -- -----

Weighted avg

Installed 

capacityl 

(approx, 

in MW)

61,230 

6,865 

3,185 

19,992 

3,860 

2 85,806 

180,938

10-year 

growth ratio 

(normal = 2 

Jan. 1, 1955 * 1)

1.70 

2.08 

4.00 

2.13 

2.60 

2.20

2.04

Percent 

of total 

(approx)

24 

50 

60 

50 

40 

40

33

Estimated gross 

theoretical .potential (MW)

Q95

90,065 

50,750 

176,677 

160,826 

18,600 

54,687 

551,605

Arithmetic mean

270,089 

471,350 

684,680 

944,153 

143,750 

209,505 

2,724,044

lAs of Dec. 31, 1962.

^Includes Asian U.S.S.R. Most of the U.S.S.R. developments are in Europe.

The columns in table 8 and those that follow are 

arranged so that the reader may judge a continent's 

or country's stage of development, progress, and 

possibilities, rather than compare one country with 

another. The tables may contain listings of countries 

that are not included in the discussions that follow. 

Only those countries are discussed for which either 

exceptional potential or recent significant activities 

can be reported.

NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA 

AND WEST INDIES

The principal hydroelectric development in North 

and Central America and West Indies between 1955 and 

1962 was in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. 

(See table 9.) However, other countries in the area 

made progress. International development of the 

Niagara and St. Lawrence sites was achieved, and 

progress toward agreement in the Columbia River
basin was made jointly by the United States and 

Canada. Mexico and the United States continued 

cooperative developments on the Rio Grande.

United States

A reappraisal of the gross theoretical potential 

waterpower of all sites, developed and undeveloped, 

was made during 1962 for 15 Western States, Alaska, 

and Arkansas. The objective of the study was to determine total "technically feasible" potential power at 

sites that may logically be considered for development. 

The estimators used the latest standards of the World

Power Conference (1962) in order to obtain estimates 

comparable to those made in other parts of the world. 

The new estimates are consistently higher than the 

values reported by Young (1955) for these states. The 

increase can be credited to added information on 

streamflow and improved maps for locating and determining the capacity of powersites. The tendency of 

appraisers to make conservative estimates is lessened 

when the data available are sufficient and accurate. 

Table 10 presents the estimates by section of country 

and by State. The values in table 10 are from unpublished data by Mr. Arthur Johnson.

Table 9. Installed capacity of hydroelectric plants, 10-year growth ratio, hydroelectric as 

percent of total generating installations, and estimated gross theoretical power 

of developed and potential sites of North and Central America and West Indies

United States -- ------

British Honduras-----

f*1 r\Q"i~£i R i r*J3 _ _ _

El Salvador---- --

N^caraffua 

Panama and Canal Zone

Total --

Weighted avg

Installed 

capacityl 

(approx, 

in MW)

38,600 

U 

20,315 

80 

80 

2lO 

30 

6 

1,900 

9 

65 

3 135 

61,230

10-year 

growth ratio 

(normal =2 

Jan. 1, 1955 = 1)

1.66 

U 

1.80 

1.63 

5.66 

U 

1.20 

U 

2.47 

1.06 

1.32 

1.95

1.70

Percent 

of total 

'approx)

17

83 

74 

60 

261 

51 

17 

44 

12 

47 

24

24

Estimated gross 

theoretical potential (MW)

Q95

34,000 

75 

43,240 

1,050 

225 

750 

1,575 

1,050 

6,375 

825 

525 

375 

90,065

Arithmetic mean

121,346 

375 

71,250 

6,000 

1,125 

11,250 

9,000 

6,000 

33,750 

4,500 

3,000 

3,000 

270,596

lAs of Dec. 31, 1962. 

2 From United Nations (1961).

3Cuba 3 MW, Jamaica 13 MW, Martinique 9.6 MW, Puerto Rico 109.2 MW, 

St. Thomas 0.2 MW.

Table 10. Gross theoretical waterpower in the United States at developed and undeveloped sites, and installed capacity of 

developed sites, December 31, 1962

New Hampshire --

Massachusetts ---

Middle Atlantic - 

Pennsylvania ----

tfrolTs theoretical power 1 

(MW)

Q95

784.7 

345.3 

220.1 

79.8 

100.0 

5.2 

34.3

3,330.9 

3,120.5 

9.0 

201.4

Q50

1,831.5 i 

826.6 

411.8 

205.9 

240.2 

14.2 

132.8

5,866.6 

4,813.2 

64.2 

989.2

Arithmetic 

mean

2,737.1 

1,130.2 

684.1 

320.0 

374.5 

20.9 

207.4

7,357.1 

5,727.0 

93.3 

1,536.8

Installed 

capacity2 

(MW)

1,255.4 

349.9 

397.2 

186.5 

185.9 

2.5 

133.4

4,407.4 

3,968.4 

6.1 

432.9
Table 10. Gross theoretical waterpower in the United States at developed and undeveloped sites, and installed capacity of 

developedsites, December 31, 1962--continued

Maryland and the 

District of

West Virginia---- 

North Carolina--- 

South Carolina---

East South Central 

East North Central 

Ohio 

West North Central -

North Dakota ----

West South Central 

New Mexico -----

Utah 

Pacific------

A 1 o aL- Q

Total, all states

Gross theoretical powerl 

(MW) i

Q95

1,542.0 

1.5

59.7 

188.7 

182.8 

343.9 

431.9 

327.5 

6.0

1,984.3 

235.7 

990.7 

720.6 

37.3

755.9 

18.7 

40.3 

211.9 

238.0 

247.0

1,213.1 

160.4 

81.3 

311.8 

150.0 

229.4 

229.0 

51.2

499.2 

102.4 

38.0 

135.0 

223.8

7,147.7 

1,767.9 

3,058.0 

282.8 

418.9 

67.5 

1,109.8 

306.0 

136.8 

16,512.6 

7,872.9 

4,067.8 

2,119.9 

2,385.0 

67.0 

33,770.5

Q50

3,866.6 

5.2

249.2 

568.5 

786.3 

845.2 

766.1 

614.0 

32.1

3,756.2 

460.3 

1,775.5 

1,420.4 

100.0

1,712.9 

81.3 

138.8 

530.4 

426.0 

536.4

3,157.0 

393.9 

246.9 

700.5 

293.9 

849.2 

492.6 

180.0

1,251.1 

562.5 

72.4 

310.3 

305.9

14,626.7 

3,231.2 

5,928.6 

578.4 

978.3 

201.3 

2,612.7 

754.2 

342.0 

35,981.6 

14,107.1 

7,819.1 

6,563.6 

7,305.8 

186.0 

72,050.2

Arithmetic 

mean

5,716.6 

8.2

410.3 

909.4 

1,194.3 

1.085.4 

914.6 

1,133.2 

61.2

5,574.9 

871.3 

2,419.3 

2,004.5 

279.8

2,596.1 

156.0 

243.9 

847.5 

628.1 

720.6

4,285.1 

639.3 

407.3 

1,050.4 

347.5 

961.3 

620.6 

258.7

2,573.3 

1,170.0 

246.2 

590.1 

567.0

26,939.7 

4,899.6 

11,374.1 

1,410.2 

2,439.8 

433.0 

4,361.4 

1,604.7 

416.9 

63,566.2 

20,659.9 

12,389.2 

13,073.1 

17,164.0 

280.0 

121,346.1

Installed 

capacity^ 

(MW)

3,844.3

274.2 

395.9 

100.9 

1,266.0 

932.1 

833.0 

42.2

4,193.0 

540.9 

1,921.2 

1,730.9

820.3 

5.0 

29.7 

38.7 

370.9 

376.0

1,760.3 

152.5 

138.0 

392.6 

400.0 

433.0 

".38.3 

5.9

1,033.6 

478.3

165.4 

389.9

4,610.0 

1,318.9 

1,031.5 

291.4 

265.5 

24.3 

892.7 

102.9 

682.8 

16,675.4 

9,245.7 

2,695.4 

4,624.4 

76.0 

33.9 

38,599.6

lvalues for Mountain and Pacific Divs. (except Hawaii); Dakotas, 

Kansas, and Nebraska in West North Central Div.; and Arkansas in West 

South Central Division from studies made during 1962. All other 

values from Young (1955, table 3).

^Values for Mountain and Pacific Divs. (except Hawaii); Dakotas, 

Kansas, and Nebraska in West North Central Div. from studies made 

in 1962. All other values from Electrical World (1963).
New interest is being shown in waterpower resources in all parts of the United States, and the need 

for more reliable information is being realized by 

officials and the public alike. In 1960 a U. S. Senate 

Select Committee conducted an investigation of water 

resources activities and made a report. The status of 

our knowledge of the amount of waterpower technically 

or theoretically capable of development in this country 

and the proportion of it that we expect to develop was 

examined critically by Netschert (1960), who pointed 

out the need for a more thorough estimate of our 

waterpower resources and examined the question of 

reduction from theoretical to technical waterpower 

potential and from technical to economically developable power. We must learn more about our waterpower resources and how best to use them. How much 

will economic, social, political, and other considerations reduce them? The findings of the Select Committee and of the Ford Foundation show the urgent need 

for comprehensive and accurate inventories of our 

resources. The new inventory of hydroelectric power 

just completed for the Western States is a step in 

this direction.

Notable accomplishments and plans for development have taken place in the Northeast, the Northwest, 

the Colorado Basin (Upper Colorado River storage 

project), the Missouri River basin, California (where 

the State has adopted a long-range plan and initiated 

its construction), and in many parts of the South and 

Southwest.

The trend to large installations continues in the 

United States, as elsewhere. The John Day project in 

construction on the Columbia will have a 3,105-MW 

powerplant, and an installation of 4,760 MW has been 

suggested at Rampart Canyon on the Yukon River in 

Alaska. At Rampart Canyon a dam 500 feet high and 

a reservoir with an area of 10,700 square miles (larger 

than Lake Erie's 9,940 square miles and five times 

larger than Lake Kariba's 2,000 square miles) are 

contemplated.

The largest powerplant in the Western World was 

completed last year at Niagara Falls, N. Y. It is the 

Robert Moses Niagara Falls plant with installations 

totaling 2,190 MW (Moses, 1962). This project also 

pioneers further the pumped-storage field. Even though 

the Niagara is regulated by the Great Lakes, the nonuniform demand for electricity made it economically 

profitable to utilize, by pumped storage, up to 50,000 

cfs of water not required by treaty to pass over the 

falls during night hours. Water is lifted as much as 

100 feet and produces 20 to 28 MW of power as it 

flows back through the reversible units of the Tuscarora pump-generating plant. The pumps and generators 

are located upstream from the Robert Moses Niagara 

Falls plant so that the pumped water is used by the 

reversible pump-generating sets and then dropped an 

additional 300 feet through the Robert Moses units 

(Chappin, 1961).

In the Pacific Northwest, Chief Joseph, Rocky 

Reach, Wanapun, Priest Rapids, McNary, John Day, 

and The Dalles dams on the main stem of the Columbia 

River were completed or placed under construction 

between Jan. 1,1955, and Dec. 31,1962. These projects 

are by both private and public builders. A number of 

sizable projects have also been completed on smaller 

streams throughout the Northwest.

Oroville Dam, now under construction on Feather 

River in California, will be the highest earthfill dam 

in the world and the highest of all dams in the United 

States. The dam will be 735 feet high, 6,800 feet long, 

and will contain about 80 million cubic yards of gravel, 

earth, and rock. This is a multiple-purpose project 

including flood control, waterpower generation, irrigation, domestic water supplies, conservation, and recreation. It is scheduled for completion in 1968 and 

will be an important unit in the planned diversion of 

water from northern California to the central and 

southern parts of the State (Cullen, 1962).

In the Colorado River basin the Bureau of Reclamation is currently constructing four very important 

dams in the upper basin. In downstream order these 

dams are Flaming Gorge on Green River, Curecanti 

onGunnison River,Navajoon San Juan River, and Glen 

Canyon on the Colorado River. These dams are units 

in a 17-dam plan for the upper basin. Glen Canyon 

Dam, the largest of the 17, is 370 miles upstream 

from Hoover Dam in Arizona near the Utah-Arizona 

boundary. It will be 710 feet high, surpassed in height 

only by Oroville and Hoover among United States dams. 

The reservoir, Lake Powell, will have a capacity of 

28 million acre-feet, almost as large as and second 

only to Lake Mead among United States reservoirs. 

Lake Powell will extend 186 miles up the Colorado 

and 70 miles up the San Juan River. In addition to its 

other considerable benefits, the lake will have great 

recreational value as it is in an outstanding scenic 

and recreational area. The lake will extend to the 

vicinity of the Rainbow Bridge National Monument and 

will make possible boat travel to Rainbow Bridge. The 

dam is scheduled for completion in 1964 (Cullen, 1962).

Pumped storage has made rapid gains in the United 

States as in other countries. McCormack (1962) described the Taum Sauk pumped-storage project now 

under construction in Missouri as one of the boldest 

hydroelectric undertakings of the early 1960's. The 

plant's peaking capacity of 350 MW will cost about 

$115 per kilowatt without transmission. Water for the 

lower reservoir will come from the East Fork of the 

Black River, Mo., the discharge of which is sufficient 

to fill the lower reservoir twice a year. This will 

compensate for leakage and evaporation. The upper 

reservoir has an area of 50 acres and a capacity of 

4,000 acre-feet. To save right-of-way costs the reservoir was blasted out of the top of a 900-foot high 

mountain. Pumping head varies from 764 feet minimum 

to 875 feet maximum. The units are Francis pump

10
turbines and constructed much like conventional 

Francis turbines except that the bearing grooving is 

designed to permit rotation in both directions. Automatic operation of Taum Sauk will reduce the cost of 

the power by a considerable amount, and the benefits 

from automatic operation will increase as timepasses 

(McCormack, 1962).

Canada

Canada added about 210 MW to installations in 

1961 (a low for the past 15 years) and about 310 MW 

were scheduled for completion in 1962 (Canada Water 

Resources Br., 1962). Investigations now in progress 

may substantially increase the potential estimates.

Canada is investigating the Yukon River and may 

divert its waters south through Atlin Lake to low 

valleys in British Columbia. An assumed development 

in four stages would eventually increase the project 

to 3,660 MW (Wardle, 1957).

The principal areas of activity in Canada are in 

the east and the west. Quebec has a plan that will add 

4,500 MW during the 1960's. It will include Manicouagan 

reservoir (one of the world's largest at 114 million 

acre-feet), five powerplants, and a 650-foot buttressed 

dam with multiple arches. An under ground power house 

of 522-MW capacity will also be included (Eng. NewsRec. Sept. 8, I960, p. 23). In Newfoundland work is 

underway on the Twin Falls project on the Unknown 

River, a tributary of the Hamilton River. The initial 

installed capacity of 90 MW was scheduled to go on the 

line in June 1962. The plant is to be run-of-river 

initially, but 12 feet of storage will be provided later 

in two large lakes in the Unknown River headwaters 

(Water Power, May I960, p. 166).

In British Columbia work has started on the 

Portage Mountain site on the Peace River. The first 

power is scheduled to be available by 1968. The Duncan 

Lake, High Arrow, and Mica storage developments are 

being actively investigated in connection with the 1961 

Columbia River Treaty (Canada Water Resources Br., 

1962).

Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, construction of a 30-MW hydroelectric plant on Rio Macho will be financed by the 

World Bank. This project is planned for 1963 as the 

first of a three-stage development where an ultimate' 

capacity of 90 MW is expected (Burz, 1958).

El Salvador

Installations estimated to be a little less than 20 

MW at the close of 1954 had increased to 65 MW by 

1957 and are scheduled to reach 80 MW early in 1962. 

The entire increase has been made at one plant, the 

Guajoyo, on the Rio Lempa. The project includes 

regulation of Lake Guija in the headwaters and a regulating dam and underground powerhouse at a downstream site where 15-MW units are being installed

as required and as money is made available. The 

present capacity, reported to be 45 MW, ultimately 

will be 75 MW (HarzaandZowski, 1957). A new hydroelectric plant being planned at Lake Guija near the 

Guatemalan border will have an initial output of 15 to 

20 MW (Eng. News-Rec., July 28, I960, p. 49).

Honduras

No additional installations were put on the line in 

Honduras between 1955 and 1962, but construction of 

one plant on the Linde River is reported to be underway. 

Honduras plans to interchange electric power with El 

Salvador. This will be feasible because peak consumption hours of the two countries are different (Eng. 

News-Rec., July 28, 1960, p. 49).

Mexico

Mexico is making rapid progress in hydroelectric 

development. The Gingambato underground plant, with 

an installed capacity of 135 MW, was recently completed on Rio Tilostoc southwest of Mexico City. In 

comparison with waterpower plants being constructed 

in Canada and in the Pacific Northwest, the plants in 

Mexico are relatively small; however, one, the Mazatepec project, will have an ultimate capacity of 208 

MW in four Pelton units. Head will be about 1,740 feet 

(Bier, 1959). Diablo Dam, a joint project with the United 

States, is now under construction on the Rio Grande 

12 miles upstream from Del Rio,Tex. The power from 

the 40-MW plant will be divided equally between the 

two countries. Plans for hydroelectric power in Mexico 

include eight more dams on the Papaloapan.

In 1958 Mexico had 2,623 power plants of all types. 

Waterpower plants accounted for 45 percent of the 

total installed capacity (Water Power, Aug. 1959, p. 

285). The States of Mexico, Pueblo, Veracruz, and 

Michoacan have about 50 percent of the country's 

electric-power installations.

The most notable project in Mexico is probably 

Infiernillo on the Rio Balsas. It will have an installed 

capacity of 600 MW in four 150-MW vertical axis 

Francis sets in its underground powerhouse. Average 

head will be 390 feet. Mexico's next largest plants are 

Apulco and Mazatepec, each with 208 MW installed 

(Eng. News-Rec., Mar. 15, 1962, p. 30).

Nicaragua

Nicaragua has a 50-MW powerplant under construction at the present time. Water will be diverted 

from an area of heavy rainfall in the tradewinds zone 

across the continental divide to the drier, more densely 

populated western region where the steeper Pacific 

slopes concentrate the head (Water Power, Sept. I960, 

p. 332).

Panama Republic and Canal Zone

Reports on developments are conflicting but seem 

to indicate that the Republic has about 48 MW installed, 

(only 4 MW hydroelectric), and the Canal Zone has

11
installations of about 90 MW (61 MW hydroelectric). 

The United Nations Statistical Yearbook for 1961 

( p. 292) gives 73 percent hydroelectric to fuel fired 

generating installations in the Canal Zone. Panama has 

obtained a loan from the World Bank to develop the 

4 -MW Yeguada hydroelectric plant to serve the central 

provinces (Water Power, Dec. 1962, p. 462).

West Indies

Installed capacities, in megawatts, 01 hydroelectric plants in the West Indies are:

Cuba 3 

Jamaica- ----- -- 13 

Martinique --------- 9.6

Puerto Rico -109.2 

St. Thomas - .2

The Dominican Republic is continuing work on two 

hydroelectric projects and plans for a third have been 

completed. The information on these three plants 

the Tavera, the Nizao, and Las Damas was obtained 

from recent announcements in the periodical "Water 

Power." Precise information is unavailable as to 

installed capacities planned for the various plants, 

but the plants are probably the biggest engineering 

projects yet undertaken in the Republic. In addition to 

the waterpower developed the projects will irrigate 

some 247,000 acres and provide work for a large 

number of persons.

Work is progressing at Richmond on St. Vincent 

Island, on a scheme that will double the present generating capacity of the island. The capacity is not given 

(Water Power, Feb. 1962, p. 47).

SOUTH AMERICA

The installed capacity of all plants (fuel and 

hydroelectric) in South America was 10,300 MW in 

I960. Of this, about 50percent was in developed waterpower plants. The principal activity in connection with 

waterpower development in South America since our 

last report (Young, 1955) has been in Brazil, but other 

countries have made substantial gains. Installed waterpower plants in Argentina, for example, are now four 

times those of Jan. 1, 1955, and the growth rate is 

7.56 per 10-year period. Chile, Colombia, Peru, and 

Uruguay have conducted extensive investigations and 

have plans for substantially increasing hydroelectric 

generation.

Argentina

A 12 -MW hydroelectric plant is under construction 

on Rio Sali near San Miguel de Tucaman by British 

companies. The project is scheduled for completion 

in 1965 and will include a dam 225 feet high by 1,400 

feet long (Water Power, Mar. 1962, p. 86). A planned 

project on the Rio Negro calls for installations of 

1,000 MW between 1965 and 1970 (World Power Conf., 

1962, reprint 149 1.2/19).

Bolivia

Demand for power exceeds supply in Bolivia, 

especially in the vicinity of La Paz, but plans based 

on a United Nations study provide for increasing the 

supply (Water Power, Aug. 1962, p. 296).

Table 11. Installed capacity of hydroelectric plants, 10-year growth ratio, hydroelectric as 

percent of total generating installations, and estimated gross theoretical power 

of developed and potential sites of South America

[U, unknown or not found]

Chile - --- 

Pd T*3 ffl 1 Q \7« .. ........

Total --

WpiffhtpH flvcr _

Installed 

capacityl 

(approx,

in MW)

400 

110 

3,850 

6 

688 

585 

U 

40 

U 

2.4 

450 

236 

500 

6,865

10-year 

growth ratio 

(normal = 2 

Jan. 1, 1955 =1)

5.87 

1.44 

1.80 

U 

1.43 

1.98 

U 

3.02 

U 

U 

2.16 

2.03 

11.70

9 OR

Percent 

of total 

(approx)

10 

70 

80 

33 

52 

55 

U 

32 

U 

U 

60 

55 

6

e;n

Estimated gross 

theoretical potential (MW)

Q95

4,050 

2,700 

15,000 

2,700 

9,500 

4,050 

825 

1,500 

U 

2,100 

4,800 

300 

3,225 

50,750

Arithmetic mean

30,000 

22,500 

180,000 

15,000 

26,600 

75.000 

7,500 

26,250 

U 

7,500 

41,250 

2,250 

37,500 

471,350

!As of Dec. 31, 1962.

2United Nations (1961) lists all plants as thermal.

12
Brazil

Industrial development in Brazil has made it 

necessary to expand the country's power-production 

capacity, and much activity in waterpower planning 

and development has taken place since 1955. The 

Brazilian National Committee of the World Power 

Conference recently described Brazil's power developments and indicated that installed capacity is expected to reach 8,000 MW by 1965 (Water Power, 

Jan. 1961, p. 39).

The most spectacular waterpower developments 

are the Tres Marias and Furnas multiple-purpose 

projects. The Tres Marias dam is an earthfill structure 

8,856 feet long and 230 feet high on the Sao Francisco 

River. The reservoir is 93 miles long and stores 

16,214,200 acre-feet of water (Water Power, Dec. 1959, 

p. 446). The project's principal purposes are irrigation 

(in the Sao Francisco River Valley), power, flood 

control, and navigation. The discharge of the river 

varies greatly and regulation is required to furnish 

irrigation water. The Tres Marias plant hasaplanned 

capacity of 520 MW, and it will be possible to increase 

the capacity of the Sao Paulo plant downstream from 

600 to 1,000 MW (Water Power, Dec. 1959, p. 445).

Downstream from the area irrigated by the Tres 

Marias multiple-purpose project, the Sao Francisco 

River passes over a series of rapids and falls representing a gross head of about 660 feet. The Paulo 

Afonso drop alone contributes 295 feet. The river is 

flowing at 741,600 cfs but splits into many small falls, 

which makes it difficult to concentrate a large volume 

of water for power development. The present plant at 

the Paulo Afonso drop has three 60-MW units installed 

under a head of about 270 feet (Gravert, 1960).

Three 9,000-kw vertical Francis generating units 

are being installed at a reservoir built to create a 

lake for the city of Brazilia. The plant will operate in 

conjunction with the larger stations at Cachoeira, 

Dourada, and Tres Marias (Rettig, 1960).

The Furnas development on the Rio Grande, a 

tributary of the Parana, is the main project in an area 

that includes both Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The 

Furnas dam is earth and rockfill and raises the water 

surface 302 feet. When completely installed, the plant 

will have a capacity of 1,100 MW in eight units of 

137.5 MW each. The reservoir can regulate the river 

to a minimum discharge of 30,970 cfs. Eighteen plants 

are planned for the Rio Grande 13 of them downstream from the Furnas reservoir. The regulated 

stream will have a potential power capacity of 7,000 

MW (Water Power, Nov. 1958, p. 426).

A fourth important development in Brazil is Salto 

Grande on the San Antonio River. The San Antonio 

drains an area north of Rio de Janeiro and empties 

into the Atlantic Ocean. This project takes advantage 

of a natural drop of 508 feet in a 20-mile streatch of 

the river near the junction of Rio Guanhaes. The site

has an estimated potential capacity of 100 MW and 

the total of the river system is estimated at 350 MW 

(Water Power, Nov. 1956, p. 417). Separate dams on 

the San Antonio and Guanhaes Rivers are interconnected by a tunnel, and the water is carried through a 

second tunnel to a point on the San Antonio River downstream from the Salto Grande. The first stage includes 

two units with generators rated at 25 MW each under 

a head of 312 feet. Two additional units similar in 

nature are to be added in the second-stage development.

British Guiana

British Guiana and neighboring parts of the South 

American continent have considerable potential waterpower.

The Potaro River basin, with many peaks reaching altitudes of 6,000 feet, reportedly receives the 

highest rainfall of northeastern South America (Water 

Power, Jan. 1958, p. 20). Tropical rain falling principally in May, June, and July is followed by a dry 

period lasting until November or December. There 

is a second but less reliable rainy season in December 

or January. At Kaieteur Falls the Potaro descends 

740 feet in a spectacular cascade. Discharge aver ages 

about 8,000 cfs, but a low of 600cfs has been recorded, 

and worse droughts may occur at frequent intervals. 

A power development downstream from the falls, where 

a head of 250 feet could be created by a dam, has been 

investigated (Deleva and Bartholomew, 1958).

Chile

The developed power shown in table 11 includes 

48.6 MW from the recently completed Pullinque plant 

(Water Power, Jan. 1963, p. 27). The potential power 

estimates are from a report of the World Power Conference (1962, reprint 153 1.2/21), which stated that 

23,700 MW can be installed. Another recent study 

places the hydroelectric potential at 20,300 MW for 

average discharge. The 1954 estimate (Young, 1955) 

was 18,600 MW.

Chile leads all Latin American countries in per 

capita consumption of electricity 600 kwhr (killowatt 

hours) per capita per year. Plans to 1972, if followed, 

will more than double present capacity, and the planned developments are expected to produce power at 

less cost than power produced by plants now in operation (Salazar and Bennett, 1960). By 1972 it is expected 

that the country will have a completely interconnected 

transmission grid. This will permit utilization of 

the different river regimens some being snow fed 

with low discharge in winter, others being pluvial 

with high winter flow and low summer or autumn 

flow. Storage is expensive in Chile except where natural lakes can be utilized.

In 1939 the government created a corporation for 

planning, promoting, and financing new industry. A 

subsidiary of this corporation was given the special 

job of planning electric supply. In 1943 this unit be13
came a separate corporation named EmpresaNacional 

de Electricidad (ENDESA). ENDESA was responsible 

for 63 percent of the 1951 installations.

The most spectacular plan now in development is 

on the Rapel River 75 miles southwest of Santiago. 

World Bank funds are available for a project of 280- 

MW capacity, including a dam 300 feet high and a 

reservoir with a capacity of 570,000 acre-feet. Two 

of the four planned 70-MW generators are scheduled 

to be put on the line in 1964 (Water Power, Feb. I960, 

P. 47).

Colombia

The Laguneta project on the Bogata River, which 

has been under consideration since the early part of 

the century, was developed between 1955 and 1963. 

This project diverts water at the Salto I plant tailrace 

and carries it in a concrete-lined tunnel 7,216 feet 

long to a power drop of about 951 feet. The powerhouse 

contains four 20-MW generating sets driven by vertical 

turbines. A World Bank loan has been obtained to add 

Salto II, which is scheduled for completion in 1964 with 

66 MW installed. A 26 MWplant, CharquitoII, is planned for the future (Ospina and Montana, 1959). The 

principal power markets in Colombia are in the areas 

around the four largest cities, Bogata, Medellin, and 

Cali, located in mountainous areas where hydroelectric 

powersites are available, and Barranquilla on the 

Carribean where oil-fired steam plants are used 

because of the distance to the Andes (Ospina, 1956).

The Anchicaya project serves the Cali area. Begun in 1954, its first units, two 12-MW sets, were 

installed in 1955. Two additional 20-MW units were 

put in commission in 1956, providing an installed 

capacity of 64 MW. The Anchicaya River, which drains 

about 290 square miles, discharges an average of 

3,178 cfs, a minimum of 706 cfs, and a maximum of 

63,566 cfs. The Anchicaya dam provides pondage only. 

A pressure tunnel 20 feet in diameter carries the 

water to a surge tank and drop to the powerhouse. 

A recent loan from the World Bank will permit installation of additional power for the Cali area, and another 

new plant, to be completed in 1964, will have a full 

capacity of 120 MW in four units. The project will 

include a dam on Calima River 37 miles northwest of 

Cali. The reservoir will have a capacity of 320,000 

acre-feet, and there will be an underground powerhouse (Water Power, Aug. I960, p. 293). The Medellin 

area, it is planned, will have additional hydroelectric 

installations with total capacity of 246 MW in service 

on the Guadalupe and Nare Rivers by 1964. The present 

installations are at the Troneras dam on the Guadalupe 

River (96 MW) and presumably were put in operation 

in 1961. Water is diverted from the Concepcion and 

Tenche Rivers upstream from Troneras dam (Water 

Power, Aug. 1959, p. 286). One plant (Guadalupe) has 

a 1762-foot head.

Manizales, an area deficient in power not far from 

Medellin, has recently had its power-generating capacity doubled by the addition of a 26.6-MW plant (La 

Esmeralda). This is one of several planned extensions 

to the Chinchina and Campoalegre Rivers (Water 

Power, Apr. 1959, p. 122).

Dutch Guiana (Surinam)

The Aluminum Co. of America has ordered six 

generating units of about 35-MW capacity each for the 

Surinam River. An earth dam 175 feet high will create 

a lake with an area of about 580 square miles, which, 

as a "multiannual" reservoir, will distribute discharge 

almost uniformly over the whole year (Water Power, 

Feb. 1960, p. 46).

Ecuador

A hydroelectric development now being planned 

will supply the capital, Quito, with an additional 40 MW 

(Water Power, Oct. 1958, p. 366).

Peru

Peru was actively developing waterpower between 

1955 and 1962. In the Lima-Callao area the 30-MW 

Gino Biaanchina-Huampani plant was added on the 

Rimac River and work is underway on a 240-MW 

plant, Grand Central de Huinco on the Santa Eulalia 

River. The schedule calls for the first 60-MW unit 

to be in service in 1963 (Eng. News-Rec., July 28, 

I960, p. 44). Diversion of water from the east slope 

rivers and lakes to the Santa Eulalia River on the 

west slope is included in the plan (Water Power, Oct. 

1960, p. 372).

A team of Electricite de France Engineers, conducting a study for Peru, divided the country into 

three main climatic zones: (1) the coastal strip 62 

miles wide, highest altitude 19,680 feet, almost no 

precipitation; (2) the high Andean plateau east of the 

Cordillera abundant precipitation (tributaries to the 

Amazon); (3) the thickly wooded plain of the Amazon 

damp and tropical region. The study finds that Peruvian 

rivers have their high-water periods at the same time. 

This situation rules out the possibility of balancing 

discharges of different rivers. The wide range in 

altitude and the high rate of minimum discharge in the 

Amazon basin make Peruvian water resources economical to harness, however. The study group listed 

three sites as particularly suited for hydroelectric 

development: (1) the Machu-Picchu where the Vilcanota 

River can be shortened from 9.3 to 1.2 miles by a 

tunnel to provide a head of 1,148 feet and an output of 

100 MW; (2) the Mantaro River east of Lima where a 

9.3-mile tunnel can create a head of 3,280 feet and 

generate 1,000 MW; and (3) the Mar anon River where 

a dam about 180 feet in height would create a lake 

capable of insuring a constant discharge of 240,138 

(cfs) which could produce 3,000 MW. Work on the first 

two suggested developments is planned for the near 

future (Mary, 1959). The cheap power will permit 

greater diversification of industry.

14
Uruguay

Hydroelectric generating capacity was not increased in Uruguay between 1950 and 1957. Work is 

underway on the Rincon de Baygorria plant, which will 

have a capacity of 102.6 MW on the Rio Negro. Two 

plants are to be built downstream from the Baygorria 

plant Peso del Puerto and Yapeyu (Water Power, 

July 1959, p. 246). The Peso del Puerto plant will be 

68 miles downstream from Baygorria and will have a 

machine hall for four 44.75 MW generators driven by 

Kaplan turbines. A joint Argentine-Uruguayian development on the Rio Uruguay, the Salto Grande project, 

will include a dam to create a head of 90 feet and an 

installed capacity of 1,400 MW in twenty 70-MW Kaplan 

units (Water Power, May 1960, p. 208).

Venezuela

A 100-foot high by 9-mile long dam was built in 

record time on the Guarico River 190 miles south of 

Caracas. The reservoir stores 1,500,000 acre-feet 

(Eng. News-Rec., Sept. 29, 1956, p. 51). Completion

of Macagua No. 1 plant (370 MW) on the Caroni River 

ends the first of a four-stage development plan for 

which installations may total 8,000 MW. The Caroni 

River, an Orinoco River tributary, reportedly possesses one of the largest hydroelectric reserves in the 

world (Water Power, Oct. 1962, p. 381).

The Orinoco and Caroni drain the west and north 

sides of the Guiana plateau, where average annual 

rainfall is very high but where excessively wet and 

dry seasons occur. Storage or a balancing interconnection will be necessary to achieve the maximum 

development of its waterpower resource.

AFRICA

Political unrest and attendant general turmoil 

have retarded water resources development in Africa, 

but the momentum built up after the Second World 

War carried on into this period in some parts of the 

continent. Noteworthy in this category are a project 

near Insangila on the Congo River, the power facilities 

installed at Aswan Dam on the Nile, and the Kariba 

gorge development on the Zambezi.

Table 12. Installed capacity of hydroelectric plants, 10-year growth ratio, hydroelectric as 

percent of total generating installations, and estimated gross theoretical power 

of developed and potential sites of Africa

[U, unknown or not found. E, estimated]

.Anffola " ~

Cameroun FederationCentral African Repub 

CoriEfo * 

u

TTrrvrii ^BJ tJL --- -----

E tViioDia.*" 

French Somaliland - 

Oabnn4_ _-«________- _

("111 1 1~IOQ _i 

T 'b

L/b

 \/r 1

Mali -- ---

Portuguese Guinea --- 

Reunion -------------

Installed 

capacity 1 

(approx, 

in MW)

180 

120 

U 

U 

U 

159 

1.1 

3.5 

763 

U 

365 

8.5 

U 

18.6 

U 

42 

20 

220 

26 

2 3 

U 

24 

1 

U 

213.6 

2,5320 

70 

U 

20 

U 

2 3.5

10-year 

growth ratio 

(normal =2 

Jan. 1, 1955 = l)

1.13 

22.0 

U 

U 

U 

11.4 

U 

U 

2.9 

U 

54 

1.13 

U 

U 

U 

U 

2.71 

U 

1.03 

U 

U 

1.82 

U 

U 

1.65 

1.13 

U 

U 

1.04 

U 

U

Percent 

of total 

(approx)

23 

U 

U 

U 

U 

90 

U 

2 

90 

U 

35 

60 

U 

60 

U 

41 

U 

U 

31 

16 

U 

44 

U 

U 

18 

80 

66 

U 

11 

U 

U

Estimated gross 

theoretical potential (MW)

Q95 Arithmetic mean

225 

4,250 

2310 

22 

U 

2 4,800 

U 

2 3,500 

97,000 

600 

375 

4,250 

U 

2 6,000 

U 

1,500 

2 500 

2500 

1,500 

4,250 

0 

214,300 

2750 

200 

20(E) 

300 

3,750 

500 

9,500 

0 

20(E)

6,000 

78,300 

490 

3,730 

U 

2 28,700 

U 

2 13,800 

180,000 

2,240 

900 

35,000 

U 

2 21,900 

U 

7,500 

2 8,000 

2 7,300 

16,800 

7,500 

200 

2 80,000 

24,400 

2,500 

100(E) 

1,500 

15,000 

12,000 

22,000 

150 

100(E)

15
Table 12. Installed capacity of hydroelectric plants, 10-year growth rati^a, hydroelectric as 

percent of total generating installations, and estimated gross theoretical power 

of developed and potential sites of Africa--continued

[U, unknown or not found. E, estimated]

Rhodesia and

Somali Republic

South-West Africa 

Spanish West Africa --

Tchad 

Togo 

Total --

Weighted avg

Installed 

capacity! 

approx, 

in MW)

810 

U 

U 

U

U

25

U 

U 

U 

U 

U 

40 

U 

U 

27 

121 

U 

3,185

10-year 

growth ratio

Jan. 1, 1955 = 1)

45.3 

U 

U 

U

U 

U 

U 

U 

U 

U 

U 

2.50 

U 

U 

4.96 

2.40 

U

4.00

Percent 

of total 

(approx)

70 

U 

U 

U

U 

U 

U 

U 

U 

U 

U 

65 

U 

U 

19 

90 

U

60

Estimated gross 

theoretical potential (MW)

Q95

24,680 

U 

500(E) 

2,000

0 

335 

150 

750 

260

750 

2 700 

3,000 ' 

1,000(E) 

100(E) 

30 

3,000 

500 

176,677

Arithmetic mean

22,500 

U 

25,500 

3,750

300 

10,000 

1,500 

3,000 

750

20,000 

U 

26,000 

24 300 2eoo

380 

15,000 

15,000 

684,690

1 As of Dec. 31, 1962.

2prom World Power Conf. (1962).

' 'Installations in Santa Cruz Province.

^Considerable potential due to heavy rainfall and large rivers.

5 300 MW in I960, plus estimated 20 MW growth since then.

Algeria

Work has been in progress since 1955 on the Oued 

Djen-Djen in the Kabylia Mountains. A multiple-arch 

dam at Erraguene, less than 9 miles from the sea, 

creates a 162,000 acre-foot reservoir at an altitude of 

1,970 feet. A power station at the toe of the dam has 

14.4 MW installed capacity and a 6.2-mile tunnel 

which can carry 70 cfs discharge to the underground 

Mansouria plant on the coast (La Tech. de L'Eau, 

1962, p. 43).

Angola

The Carnbanibe plant on the Cuanza River was 

put in service in December 1962. Complex foundation 

problems were encountered, and work was suspended 

when the dam was about 100 feet lower than originally 

planned. The reduced head decreases the capacity of 

the planned 65-MW sets, two of which are now in 

service, to 46 MW each. This is a multiple-purpose 

project and will furnish water for irrigation on the 

lower Cuanza and Bengo Rivers (Water Power, July 

1962, Mar. 1963, p. 272). South West Africa has a 

project planned for the Kunene River that will affect 

Angola.

Congo

When the Congo's ties with Belgium were broken, 

a gigantic development was underway near Insangila

on the Congo River. The plan called for developing 

25,000 MW with a head of 425 feet. The river flow is 

700,000 cfs (Water Power, Jan. 1958, p. 2).

Egypt

Installation of generators at the First Cataract 

Aswan Dam 600 miles south of Cairo was the most 

noteworthy hydroelectric power development in Egypt 

between 1955 and 1962. The original Aswan Dam with 

a storage reservoir of about 800,000 acre-feet was 

completed in 1902. Its success in supplying needed 

regulation led to demands for more storage. The dam 

was heightened in 1912 and in 1933. It is 115 feet above 

the riverbed, is 6,983 feet long, and stores a little 

more than 4 million acre-feet of water.

Power development has been contemplated since 

the construction of the first dam, but was not realized 

until 1960 when the power station was in partial operation. Head for power development ranges between 31 

and 110 feet, and available power fluctuates in approximately the same proportion 94 to 300 MW based on 

an average normal year (Water Power, Dec. 1961, 

p. 466). The station contains seven Kaplan turbine 

generating units of 47 MW maximum capacity each 

and two sets of 11.5 MW maximum capacity (Water 

Power, Jan. 1961, p. 1).

Progress has also been made on the High Aswan 

Dam planned for a site upstream from the Aswan

16
reservoir. Among the benefits to accrue from the High 

Aswan Dam will be the elimination of floods on the 

Nile River, addition of some 30 percent to total irrigated land, production of power from 16 turbines of 

120 MW capacity each, and the doubling of the present 

power power potential of the downstream Aswan Dam 

(Eng. News-Rec. Feb. 9, 1956, p. 44).

The possibility of utilizing evaporation in the 

development of waterpower has received considerable 

attention in Egypt in recent years. One plan would dam 

the Red Sea at both ends, allow evaporation to lower 

sea level (12 ft per yr according to Hassan), and 

eventually admit 1% million cfs to produce 50,000 MW 

(Hassan, 1961). Another similar scheme would admit 

water to Egypt's Qattara Depression (440 feet below 

sea level) by one of several means. One method would 

combine pumped storage with diversion in a manner 

that would assure 100.2 MW and make as much as 

345 MW available when the pumps are not running 

(Gohar, 1961).

Ethiopia

The developed and potential estimates shown for 

Ethiopia in table 12 include those for Eritrea.

No information on new installations in Ethiopia 

has been noted since 1955 but studies and plans have 

been made. French research engineers (SocieteGrenobloise d1 Etude et d'Application Hydraulic) are continuing the study of the Hawash River and will recommend a scheme for optimum utilization of the water, 

including regulation for hydroelectric development and 

irrigation (Water Power, Dec. 1961, p. 461). Two 

plants are in operation on the Akaki River, a Hawash 

tributary. One of these is at Gageia dam and the other 

at Abba Samuel. The Coca project planned for a site 

further upstream on the Akaki will have a reservoir 

of 932,000 acre-feet (Water Power, Oct. 1958, p. 400). 

Lake Assal near Somalia and the Red Sea occupies 

the bottom of a large basin below sea level where 

generation of power from sea water would be technically possible.

Ghana

Ghana was listed as Gold Coast by Young (1955). 

No waterpower developments are known to have been 

completed since 1955, but the Akosombo project is 

underway on the Volta River 70 miles inland. The 

project includes a 370-foot high rockfill dam, a 

120-million-acre-foot reservoir, and a powerplant 

with four Francis turbine sets of 128 MW each under 

a head of 213 feet. Ultimate capacity is to be 868 MW 

.(Eng. News-Rec., June 1, 1961, p. 24). The first stage 

may be near completion. The power will be used by an 

aluminum factory to be built at Akuse near the dam. 

A downstream plant of 600 MW is also being planned. 

The U.S.S.R. reportedly agreed to finance a project 

at Bui on the Black Volta. The station is to have a 

capacity of 200 MW with all equipment supplied by the 

U.S.S.R. (Water Power, Apr. 1961, p. 127).

Ivory Coast

When the country became an independent nation 

in the French community in 1958 a 19.2-MW project 

on the Ayame in the Bia River basin was under construction. This was to include a dam and power development with a head of 62 feet (Water Power, Mar. 

1959, p. 119). Work on the plant, begun in 1956, presumably has been completed.

Kenya

No developments are known to have been achieved 

in Kenya since 1955. The bulk of Owens Falls hydroelectric output is imported from Uganda. In 1958 the 

demand was for 14 MW and increased to 22 MW by 

1961. The Uganda Electricity Board has agreed to 

supply the Kenya Power Co. a maximum of 45 MW 

(Water Power, May 1958, p. 163). The East African 

Power & Lighting Co. is planning the Seven Forks 

development (no details available) (Water Power, 

Sept. 1962, p. 336).

Liberia

United Nations world-energy summaries reported 

10 million kwhr produced by hydroelectric stations in 

both 1955 and 1958. If there has been no increase in 

installations the plant factor was about 39 percent for 

3 MW.

Mozambique

The Chicamba Real development, which will 

supply energy to Manica and Sofala, is underway. 

Oliveira Salazar Dam in this project will create a 

reservoir of 353,000 acre-feet capacity, and a35-MW 

powerplant will be installed in the future (Water Power, 

June 1962, p. 250).

Nigeria

The feasibility of developments on the Kaduna 

River at Shiroro Gorge (Water Power, Aug. 1957, 

p. 281) and on the Niger River near Jebba are being 

investigated, and a combination flood-control, hydroelectric, and irrigation project on the Niger River at 

Kainji is planned. The main dam fortheKainji project 

is to be completed in 1968 with a 70-MW plant. Plans 

call for 980 MW by 1980 (Water Power, Jan. 1963, 

P. 4).

Rhodesia and Nyasaland

Several units were installed at Kariba gorge soon 

after January 1, 1962 and total installations in the 

federation increased to an estimated 812 MW by April 

1962.

The world's second largest manmade lake, at 

Kariba gorge on the Zambezi River, has been put in 

service since 1955. Kariba Dam is about 300 miles 

downstream from Victoria Falls, and the new lake 

extends 170 miles upstream. It is 40 miles wide in 

places, covers about 2,000 square miles, and has a 

capacity of about 130 million acre-feet four times that

17
of Lake Mead (Gibb, 1958). The first powerhouse (an 

underground installation) was completed with 400 MW 

in four units in March 1962. Plans for the second stage 

(a powerhouse on the opposite side of the river) scheduled for 1970 have been temporarily shelved (Water 

Power, June 1962, p. 210).

A development is planned at Nkula Falls on the 

Shire River, which will produce hydroelectric power 

and also stabilize the levels of Lake Nyasa (Water 

Power, Oct. I960, p. 373). Work on this project was 

scheduled for early 1962 but a delay now seems likely. 

The Zambezi, Shire, Sabi, Luapula and Limpopo Rivers 

are the federation's most important power streams 

(World Power Conf., 1962, reprint 24 1.2/24).

South Africa

Very little was seen in the press about completion 

of projects in South Africa. However, an extensive 

development plan to be carried out in six phases will 

include construction of 20 hydroelectric stations on 

Fish River and downstream on the Orange River to 

the Atlantic coast. The total capacity of the stations is 

projected as 177 MW, including power for pumping 

irrigation water. There will be three large dams on 

the Orange River as follows: Ruigte, 390 feet high, 

capacity 1,300,000 acre-feet; Kloof, 395 feet high, 

capacity 1,280,000 acre-feet; Torkay, 205 feet high, 

capacity 210,000 acre-feet (Water Power, June 1962, 

p. 244, Eng. News Rec. Apr. 25, 1963, p. 49). Installations have been made in Cape Province, Transvaal, 

and Natal, some of them in 1958, 1959, and I960 

(Wilson, 1962).

South-West Africa

No recent completions were noted in this country. 

However, investigations are in progress on two projects on the Kunene River. The upstream dam would 

be 20 miles inside Angola and the second at Ruacana 

Falls on the boundary line between the two countries 

(Water Power, June 1962, p. 211).

Sudan

Roseires Dam on the Blue Nile has top priority 

among projects planned in Sudan. This upstream reservoir will store 2,400,000 acre-feet of water. Among 

the benefits to agriculture that will accrue from it 

will be increased yield on the Managil and Gezira 

cotton plantations. Work is underway at the Sennar 

Dam on the Blue Nile to install two 7.5 MW Kapian 

sets (Water Power, Mar. 1960, p. 59). A third project 

the Khashm el Girba on the Atbara, is being planned 

in connection with relocation and resettlement of 

Sudanese displaced by backwaters from the High 

Aswan Dam (Eng. News-Rec., May 19, 1960, p. 86).

Tanganyika

Two 10.5-MW vertical Francis sets for the Hale 

project on the Pangani River are scheduled to go into 

operation early in 1964 (Water Power, Dec. 1961, 

p. 462).

Tunisia

There has been considerable activity in waterresource development in Tunisia since 1955. Most 

Tunisian developments are multipurpose with waterpower usually secondary. A development at the junction 

of the El Lil and Lebgu Rivers created a lake where 

one had existed in recent geological times. A buttress 

dam was chosen because of instability of the damsite 

(Water Power, Sept. and Oct., 1956, p. 377).

Uganda

Most energy used in Uganda, which became Africa's 33d independent nation on October 10, 1962, is 

generated by a 120-MW plant at Owens Falls, where 

169,500,000 acre-feet of manmade storage capacity 

was added to Lake Victoria before 1955. It is reported 

that only about one-half of the station's capacity is 

presently being used. This includes the 22-MW block 

now sold to Kenya (Water Power, May 1961, p. 170). 

Transmission of power to remote areas is a problem 

in Uganda, and plans for exchanging power with some 

existing mining plants are under consideration as well 

as a plan to develop in two stages a 3-MW run-of-river 

project on the Muzizi River, which flows over a 

1,400-foot escarpment into Lake Albert. The capacity 

of the plant can be increased to 7.5 MW if desired 

(Water Power, Oct. 1958, p. 365). Most areas of the 

country are scheduled to have electricity by 1964 

(Water Power, Aug. 1962, p. 295).

ASIA

Ridges 25,000 feet and valleys 10,000 feet in 

altitude radiate from the Pamir Knot "roof of the 

world" dividing Asia into six natural regions:central, 

northern, eastern, southeastern, southern, and southwestern. Either because of great relief, immense 

size, heavy rainfall, or combinations of these, all 

these regions are endowed with great waterpower 

potential.

Central Asia receives little rainfall but its snowcapped mountains serve as reservoirs for distributing 

the runoff throughout the year, and the stream gradients 

create waterpower sites with high heads.

Northern Asia, the largest natural region, has 

sites where immense waterpower developments could 

be realized, especially in the basins of thelrtysh, Ob, 

Yenisei, Nizhnyaya, and Lena Rivers. Lake Baykal on 

a tributary of the Yenisei is the largest fresh-water 

lake in northern Asia and the deepest lake in the 

world. The Russians have elaborate plans for developing the waterpower of this region.

Eastern Asia includes Japan, Korea, China, and 

Formosa. Japan is one of the leading countries in the 

world in amount of waterpower developed. Japan also 

developed many powersites in China and Korea. China 

has plans for developing much waterpower but little 

is known of the progress made. The Nationalist

18
Chinese on the island of Formosa depend heavily upon 

waterpower. Plants constructed there by the Japanese

have been rebuilt and enlarged. New plants are also 

being built and additional ones planned.

Table 13. Installed capacity of hydroelectric plants, 10-year growth ratio, hydroelectric as 

percent of total generating installations, and estimated gross theoretical power 

of developed and potential sites of Asia

[U, unknown or not found]

Is fcLGl 

Korea (North and 

South)-- ________

I\/T n 1 n vn 

TsTe»r»Ql __________

Netherlands New

C\vrM£l __

Thailand - -- 

Tibet --- 

U O G TD

Vietnam Republic ---- 

Total --

Weighted avg

Installed 

capacity! 

(approx, 

in MW)

111 

3 7.5 

4U 

55 

U 

560 

2,450 

116 

U 

U 

14,000 

U

1,350 

U 

65 

40 

U

4 

5346 

350 

U 

U 

30 

7.5 

500 

(6) 

.15 

19,992

10-year 

growth ratio 

(normal = 2 

Jan. 1, 1955 = 1)

5.14 

U 

U 

1.85 

U 

1.80 

3.79 

U 

U 

U 

2.04 

U

U 

U 

U 

U 

U

U 

8.40 

5.87 

U 

U 

U 

U 

44.4 

(6) 

U

2.13

Percent 

of total 

(approx)

95 

U 

U 

57 

U 

58 

33 

U 

U 

U 

53 

U

U 

U 

U 

U 

U

U 

41 

35 

U 

U 

U 

U 

35 

(6) 

U

50

Estimated gross 

theoretical potential (MW)

Q95

525 

3,750 

U 

5375 

40,000 

750 

5 31,000 

225 

U 

U 

9,000 

U

2,250 

U 

U 

5 316 

U

7,875 

5 6,560 

1,500 

U 

U 

3,000 

U 

1,200 

48,000 

4,500 

160,826

Arithmetic mean

7,500 

93,750 

U 

1,475 

220,000 

2,250 

86,250 

3,000 

1,125 

150 

18,750 

U

3,750 

U 

U 

5 548 

U

52,500 

15,000 

12,750 

1,125 

U 

15,000 

U 

16,730 

7 325,000 

867,500 

944,153

lAs of Dec. 31, 1962.

^No known recent developments.

3 Generating capacity from all sources is 256 MW.

4Generating capacity from all sources is 21 MW.

5From World Power Conference (1962).

6See U.S.S.R. in Europe.

7 Available 50 percent of time.

"Includes Laos.

Southeastern Asia includes the area from Indochina to Burma and the Philippine Islands. The mountains are not as high in this part of the continent, but 

heavy rainfall and considerable topographic relief 

combine to make it rich in potential waterpower sites. 

Only a small proportion of the potential has been 

utilized.

Southern Asia (the Indian subcontinent), with some 

o'f the highest altitudes and some of the heaviest rainfall areas of the world, has great power potential. 

Unfortunately, the centers of population where power 

is in greatest demand are at long distances from the 

better power sites.

Southwestern Asia is a dry region with only a 

few districts that can be classed as well watered. The 

Tigris and the Euphrates are the most important rivers 

in the area, but many streams in the Hindu-Kush can 

be developed for waterpower production when the 

demand arises.

19
Present advances in sanitation and medicine and 

the continued high birth rate in most Asian countries 

are contributing to a population explosion that is forcing 

the Asian governments to accelerate industrial development. As part of this acceleration, water-resource 

developments, including waterpower, are being planned 

and carried out at an unprecedented rate.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan has an area of about 250,000 square 

miles, almost three-fourths of it included in the 

Hindu-Kush Range. The mountains reach heights of 

about 25,000 feet along the Pakistan border. Even 

though the climate is dry, Afghanistan has immense 

potential water-power because of the regulating effect 

of the snow in the mountains and the great variation 

in relief of the land. The principal rivers are Helmand, 

Amu Darya (Oxus), Kabul, and Hari Rud. Only a very 

small proportion of the waterpower resource has 

been developed. Plans for developments date back to 

the 1930's, but it was not until the 1950's that progress 

went beyond the planning stage. In 1951 work was 

started on the Sarobi power project on the Kabul River. 

The first-stage development includes a small reservoir, a single pressure tunnel, and two turbines rated 

at 11.8 MW. Each turbine uses 971 cfs under a net 

head of 157 feet (Water Power, Apr. 1958, p. 142). In 

a second-stage development another tunnel will be 

driven and the plant capacity increased to 43 MW.

Ceylon

The most important hydroelectric development in 

Ceylon is a two-stage scheme including a reservoir 

and powerplant on Kehelgamu Oya and a diversion at 

the powerhouse tailrace to the Maskeliya Oya. Each 

powerhouse has 25 MW installed. The average annual 

rainfall at the dam (Norton Dam) is about 220 inches 

the highest on the island. A southwest monsoon brings 

most of the rainfall during a 5- or 6-month period. 

Flow variation is great and storage is provided in the 

Norton and Castlereagh Reservoirs on the Kehelgamu 

Oya. The Castlereagh Dam is a mass concrete gravity 

structure. The reservoir volume at the spillway level 

is 49,000 acre-feet. The first-stage plant contains 

three 8,333 kw alternators driven by double-jet Pelton 

turbines operating under a normal head of 1,500 feet 

(Water Power, Sept. 1956, p. 346). Since the inauguration of the first 25-MW plant in 1950 hydroelectric 

energy has been the principal source of power on the 

island, with steam plants acting as standby for peaking 

purposes. The demand for electric energy has increased sharply and more hydroelectric developments are 

needed.

China

The potential power estimates shown for China 

in table 13 are about 40 percent of the gross theoretical estimate of Teng Tsai-shou (1957). This estimate 

assigned a grand total of 544,000 MW at average discharge. It included Tibet, Taiwan, Hainan, and Lwan

Ho. Potential was computed by river sections for gross 

head and 100 percent efficiency using the following 

basic formula: Kilowatts = 9.8H times Ql + Q2 

where the head (H) is in meters and the flow (Q) is 

in cubic meters per second. To provide for the hyperbolic shape of the river profile in the headwaters, a 

coefficient of 0.5 was used to modify the result. For 

the section of the river at its origin where QI = O the 

formula is kilowatts = 2.45 (Q2 H) to preclude overestimation. The study utilizes records from a great 

many gaging stations, and if the estimates can be 

appropriately reduced to eliminate river reaches that 

are obviously not developable, it should be quite 

reliable. An estimate that about 40 percent of the 

gross potential is technically feasible seems appropriate for the time being.

China has reportedly put much effort into hydroelectric and water-conservation projects in recent 

years and has restored many plants damaged during 

the war. Hydroelectric plants that have been commissioned are Qwanting near Peking and Kutien in 

Fukien province. Investigational work is reported to 

have been carried out on the major rivers (Water 

Power, Feb. 1957, p. 60). Sanmen Gorge Dam on the 

Yellow River probably is the most significant waterpower development by China during the period 1955-62. 

The Sanmen Gorge Dam is 330 feet high and 3,198 feet 

long, and the reservoir reportedly has a capacity of 

53 million acre-feet.

Formosa

The Nationalist Chinese Government is installing 

waterpower plants as fast as possible to meet the 

demand for power in Formosa (Taiwan). The 177 MW 

of hydroelectric power installed by the Japanese had 

dwindled to only 33 MW in 1949 when Taipower took 

over the system. The former capacity was quickly 

restored, and larger installations at existing developed 

sites and at new sites have increased the installed 

capacity at hydroelectric plants to 560 MW.

In line with the trend of most power developments 

since World War II, those on Formosa are on a large 

scale and most of them include regulating reservoirs. 

Many powerhouses are underground. One of these 

underground plants, the Tienlun plant, replaces one 

that was completely buried by an earthquake and floods 

in 1943. Twenty-one MW were installed intheTungmen 

plant in 1955. In 1959 the Lungchien plant on the same 

river was inaugurated. It is notable for the underground 

plant and high head of 2,930 feet. Taipower is now 

constructing a 90-MW plant on the Tanshui River and 

a 360-MW plant on the Tachia River. These plants are 

scheduled to go into operation in 1963 and 1966 in that 

order. An outstanding feature of the Tachia development is the 780-foot concrete arch dam the last 

important dam designed by the late Andre Coyne of 

France. The project is a unit in a six-plant scheme 

that will have a combined capacity of 1,330 MW (Water 

Power, Nov. 1959, p. 425).

20
India

India is making progress in water-resource development, but much more is needed. The recent agreement with Pakistan on the division of Indus River 

water removes an obstruction that was retarding 

water-resource developments in both countries. The 

Indus in the reach concerned is about the size of the 

Columbia River at Bonneville Dam. The Indus irrigates 

nearly 30 million acres and about one-third of its 

flow goes to the sea unused (65 million acre-feet) 

(Eng. News-Rec., Sept. 22, I960, p. 262). The Kundah 

hydroelectric project in Madras State (Dharmalingam, 

1959), the Periyar project also in Madras State (Rajan, 

1959), and the Rihand project in Uttar Pradesh 

(O'Connor, 1962) are examples of current multiplepurpose projects. The Rihand reservoir on theRihand 

River (tributary by way of Sone River to the Ganges), 

will have a capacity of 8,600,000 acre-feet and an area 

of 180 square miles. The initial capacity of the powerplant will be 250 MW in five units, and a sixth unit is 

planned (Water Power, Mar. 1962, p. 89). Wainganga 

Reservoir, now under construction, will store 33 

million acre-feet of water.

Iran

The Karadj Dam, Karadj River, was almost 

complete by January 1, 1962 (Bowman, 1961). The 

dam is 590 feet high and will have 110 MW installed 

ultimately. Two 40-MW units are presently producing 

power. The World Bank has approved a loan equivalent 

to $42 million for the construction of a multiplepurpose project on the Dez River. Thepowerplant will 

have two 65-MW generating units (Water Power, Apr. 

1960, p. 127). Manjil Dam on the Sefid Roud is also 

complete and two 18-MW units are in operation (Water 

Power, Aug. 1962, p. 295).

Iraq

Derbendi Khan Dam on Diyola River was recently 

completed. The project is principally for providing 

irrigation water and it was not learned whether any 

power installations have been included.

Israel

There probably are no waterpower plants in 

Israel. The Dead Sea on the boundary between Israel 

and Jordan is 1,286 feet below sea level and only 50 

miles from the Mediterranean; thus, a good opportunity 

exists for development of power.

Japan

The theoretical potential waterpower of Japan 

has been computed at 77,300 MW. The installable 

capacity estimate is 35,400 MW, of which 12,700 MW 

have been installed. Projected production of 60.7 x 109 

kwhr from the undeveloped sites indicates an undeveloped potential of 8,671 MW at 80 percent efficiency 

(World Power Conf., 1962, reprint 151 1.2/20). The 

estimate of 18,750 MW for mean flow in table 13 is

24 percent of gross theoretical and 50 percent of 

estimated installable power.

Recent trends in Japanese waterpower development are presented in descriptions of three recent 

Japanese plants: Kurobegawa No. 4 plant on the Kurobe 

River; Miboro plant on the Sho River in the Hida 

Mountains; and the Okatadami plant on the upper 

Tadami River (Kito, 1961).

Kurobegawa No. 4, partly in operation, is to have 

an installed capacity of 285 MW. Thedamis a cupolaarch 617 feet high, the largest of this type in Japan. 

The reservoir will store 162,000 acre-feet of water. 

Usable storage capacity is about 121,000 acre-feet. 

The power station is totally underground and contains 

three vertical-shaft single-runner six-nozzle Pelton 

wheels.

The Miboro plant, just coming into service, has 

an installed capacity of 215 MW. Active storage in the 

reservoir is 268,000 acre-feet. Installations aggregating 300 MW at seven downstream plants will benefit 

from the improved regulation afforded by Miboro. 

Miboro is the first rockfill structure in Japan and is 

one of the largest dams of its kind in the world (430 

feet high and 1,328 feet long). The rockfill dam was 

chosen because of the availability of an excellent 

quality granite fill material and because of a major 

fault 100 feet wide running parallel to the river at the 

damsite. The powerhouse is 295 feet below ground 

and houses two 117-MW generating sets of vertical 

Francis turbines operating under a head of 590 feet.

The Okatadami is a gravity-type dam 515 feet 

high and 1,558 feet long. The reservoir provides 

370,000 acre-feet of storage. The 360-MW plant was 

placed underground to avoid difficulties due to snow 

which sometimes reaches depths of 26 feet. Three 

120-MW vertical Francis generating sets are installed 

and a surge chamber is provided.

The Omorigawa pumped-storage plant, completed 

in 1959 on the Yoshino River, contains the first reversible pump turbine sets used in Japan. The capacity as 

a generator is 12.2 MW, and it requires 14.3 MW as a 

pump. The project is on the island of Shikoku, which 

receives about 86 inches of precipitation annually. The 

island is driest from November to February and the 

need for reusing the water is most pronounced at that 

time (Shiwa, I960).

The Tagokura plant on the Tadami River is Japan's 

largest hydroelectric station. When fully developed, 

the plants capacity will be over 2,000 MW and it will 

be the largest waterpower source in the country (Water 

Power, Mar. 1963, p. 110).

Korea

The estimates shown for Korea in table 13 are 

for North and South Korea and are prewar amounts.

United Nations statistics show the Republic of 

Korea as having 431 MW of total electric generating

21
installations, and 143 MW of hydroelectric installations 

in 1960 (U. N. Stat. Yearbook, 1961, p. 294). The World 

Power Conference (1962) shows it as 143 MWin 1959. 

It is not known how well these States have maintained 

the plants left by Japan, but a North Korean project 

partly completed on the Kange River in 1942 has been 

carried to completion. Through heads of 1,310, 522, 

and 342 feet discharges of 470,706, and 70 cfs develop 

141 MW, 56.4 MW, and 33.6 MW, respectively. When 

completely harnessed the Kange River will supply the 

major part of North Korean power (Water Power, 

Mar. 1961, p. 124).

Laos

The United Nations Economic Commission for 

Asia and the Far East is conducting investigations 

that may lead to better use of the Mekong River. One 

damsite is at Pa Mong just upstream from Vientiane, 

Laos (Eng. News-Rec., May 24, 1962, p. 96). Jones 

and Young (1954) and Young (1955) included Laos with 

French IndoChina in their reports. Studies to divide 

the estimate by countries have not been made and the 

total waterpower is included with Vietnam.

Malaya

An important power development 100 miles north 

of the capital, Kuala Lumpur, will use the water from 

four rivers on the Cameron Highlands Plateau. It will 

include a dam 120 feet high, 15 miles of tunnel, and 

two power stations. The larger station at Jor will be 

underground and house four 25-MW sets under a gross 

head of 1,880 feet. A smaller station at Habu will 

house two 2.75-MW sets (Water Power, Jan. 1962, 

P. 2).

Nepal

Two projects have been approved and at least one 

is under construction on rivers common to Nepal and 

India. One is on the Gandak River on the Indo-Nepal 

border, the other on the Kosi River. The latter river 

rises in Tibet, flows through Nepal and Bihar. The 

Gandak project will have a powerplant with 10,000-kw 

capacity, and the Kosi River project (definitely known 

to be under construction) includes a powerhouse with 

an initial capacity of 13,200 kw. The United Nations is 

helping with a survey of the Karnali River basin (Water 

Power, Jan. I960, p. 4; Eng. News-Rec., Feb. 14, 1957, 

p. 66, Feb. 8, 1962, p. 28).

Pakistan

Pakistan is making extensive investigations and 

has elaborate plans for water-resource development. 

In 1958 a West Pakistan water and power development 

authority was established to oversee the development 

of water and power on a unified and multiple-purpose 

basis, including water supply, drainage, power, flood 

control, reclamation, navigation, irrigation, and public 

health (Water Power, May I960, p. 168). The Warsak 

hydroelectric project, recently completed by Canadian 

engineers and the Pakistan government under the 1950

Colombo plan is an important development. The dam 

and powerplant, with four 40-MW units installed, are 

located on the Kabul River between its junction with 

the Indus River and the Afghanistan border. Structures 

are designed to withstand a flood of 540,000 cfs frequency of occurrence of about 1 in 10,000 years 

(Martin and Tech, I960). Mangla Dam now under construction on the Jhelum River in the Indus Basin is 

essential to the water-use settlement between India 

and Pakistan (Eng. News-Rec., May 10, 1962, p. 64). 

The dam will be 375 feet high and have a volume of 

76 million cubic yards. The reservoir will store 45 

million acre-feet of water and provision will be made 

for a future heightening of 40 feet. The powerplant 

will contain three 100-MW generators, two of which 

are scheduled to be installed by 1968 (Water Power, 

Mar. 1962, p. 87).

Philippines

The installed capacity shown for the Philippines 

in table 13 is from World Power Conference (1962, 

reprint 192 1.2/26). The article also indicates that 

2,270 MW are installable.

Hydroelectric installations have approximately 

quadrupled in the Philippine Islands since 1955, but 

demand still exceeds supply. Studies indicate that 

power installations must be increased by about 12 

percent per year over the next 10 years if Manila on 

Luzon Island is to have an adequate power supply. The 

World Bank has approved a loan to develop 206 MW on 

Angat River about 25 miles north of Manila. There will 

be a rockfill dam 410 feet high and a 460,000 acre-foot 

reservoir. A 4,600-foot pressure tunnel will carry 

water to a 200-MW plant consisting of four 50-MW 

units and an additional 6-MW plant (Water Power, 

Jan. 1962, p. 2).

The 100-MW Binga project on the Agno River, 

Luzon Island, is the largest developed project in the 

Philippines. It was preceded by the second largest, 

the Ambuklao Reservoir and 75-MW plant upstream 

on the same river. Luzon is in the South Pacific typhoon 

zone and holds the world's record for rainfall intensity 46 inches fell in 24 hours and 88 inches in 4 days 

(Enstrom, 1961). Nearly all rainfall occurs between 

May and November. Large reservoirs and spacious 

spillway outlets are required.

According to a recent study by the International 

Atomic Agency, Vienna, a nuclear power station consisting of two 100-MW units planned for the Manila 

area in 1967 or 1968 may be competitive over its lifetime with an oil-fired station (Water Power, Dec. 1961, 

p. 460).

Syria

Recent and planned water resource developments 

in Syria will reduce the effects of catastrophic droughts 

and increase hydroelectric energy generation. Two 

rockfill dams, Rastane and Mehardeh, on the Orontes 

River were put in service in 1961 for irrigation, flood

22
control, and hydroelectric generation. Apowerplantat 

Sedjar has an installed capacity of 7.5 MW. Water is 

supplied to the plant through a pressure tunnel from 

the Rastane Reservoir (Water Power, Oct. 1962, p. 

419). A multiple-purpose project on the Euphrates is 

being planned for irrigation, flood control, and power 

(Water Power, Apr. 1963, p. 135).

Thailand

The installed capacity shown for Thailand in 

table 13 is the same as the 1954 figure and may duplicate some of the capacity given for Malaya. The 

potentials shown are estimated to be about four-fifths 

of 1954 amounts for Siam and Malay States.

In new construction and rehabilitation work, 

Thailand is setting the pace in southeast Asia (Bowman, 

1962a; Robinson, 1960). The Bumiphol (Yanhee) multiple-purpose project on the Mae Ping some 250 miles 

northwest of Bangkok is the largest ever undertaken 

in the area. Ultimate capacity of the plant at the 

Bhumiphol Dam is 560 MW. Two 70-MW units are to 

be put in operation in 1963. An irrigation dam near 

Chainat was placed in operation at the end of February 

1957 (Xujati, 1957). Studies are underway and plans 

are taking shape for even greater projects on the 

Mekong River.

Tibet

The most recent and most important waterpower 

installation in Tibet is the 7.5 MW Lhasa plant using 

equipment produced in China (Water Power, July 1960, 

p. 254).

Turkey

A study by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (1955) determined gross hydroelectric 

power to be 61,248 MW (207 kw per sq mi). Further 

analysis by the Commission determined that 27.3 

percent of this (56.5 kw per sq. mi.) can be considered 

technically feasible. This is the source of the meanflow estimate shown in table 13. The ordinary minimum 

flow estimate is a proportional increase of the amount 

reported by Jones and Young (1954). According to the 

Commission, 17 percent of gross potential is economic 

in Turkey. A report for the World Power Conference 

(1962, preprint 135 1.2/15) is in general agreement 

with the United Nations study.

Development of waterpower resources is now 

centering on the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers and plans

are for 11 ma jor dams. The key structure, Keban Dam, 

is now under construction. The energy supply in the 

country reportedly is growing faster than the demand. 

There is immediate need for a flood-control dam in 

the headwaters of the Euphrates (Rouve, 1961; Bowman, 

1957).

Vietnam Republic

The developed and potential power estimates 

shown for Vietnam Republic in table 13 are those 

formerly reported for French IndoChina and, because 

studies for properly dividing them have not been made, 

include Laos.

The Mekong River is common to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. Large power developments 

on the Mekong may be feasible because of the iron ore, 

gypsum, bauxite, tin, and softwood resources of the 

area.

AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA

Islands for which potential power estimates have 

been made and those in which waterpower developments 

are known are:

Indonesian Islands Borneo, Java, Sumatra 

Malanesian Islands New Caledonia and New

Guinea 

Polynesian Islands New Zealand and Samoa

The Philippine Islands, which were included in 

Oceania by Jones and Young (1954), are now included 

with Asian countries.

The principal recent activity in waterpower 

development has been in Australia and New Zealand.

Australia

The economic potential waterpower has been 

estimated to be 2,600 MW (World Power Conf., 1962, 

reprint 190 1.2/25).

The only region of Australia that is high enouth 

to regularly receive winter snowfall is the highlands 

in New South Wales and Victoria. These two States, 

and to a lesser extent Queensland, contain most of the 

developed waterpower and possibilities for future 

development on the mainland. Waterpower development 

is possible on the Queensland plateau (2,000 to 3,000 

feet in altitude with some 4,000-foot peaks) if storage 

is provided. About 3,000 MW are planned for the next 

25 years (Commonwealth of Australia, 1959, p. 213).

23
Table 14. Installed capacity of hydroelectric plants, 10-year growth ratio, hydroelectric as 

percent of total generating installations, and estimated gross theoretical power 

of developed and potential sites of Australia and Oceania

[U, unknown or not found]

"TVf n \TT 7 Q o 1 a r> H

^SLITlOcL 

Timor --------------

Total - -------

Wpicrhtpri aver -

Installed 

capacity! 

(approx, 

in MW)

2,000 

200 

100 

5.6 

1,550 

3 

1.3 

.2 

3,860

10-year 

growth ratio

Jan. 1, 1955 = 1)

4.84 

1.66 

10.8 

1.08 

1.91 

U 

4.36 

U

9 fin

Percent 

of total 

(approx)

25 

U 

75 

57 

80 

55 

55 

U

40

Estimated gross 

theoretical potential (MW)

Q95

750 

9,000 

U 

4,000 

3,750 

1,100 

U 

U 

18,600

Arithmetic mean

28,500 

77,000 

U 

22,500 

8,250 

7,500 

U 

U 

143,750

*As of Dec. 31, 1962.

2 All developed power is in Australian N. Guinea.

The Tulley Falls scheme completed in 1957 in 

north Queensland is an example of what might be 

termed a small development in many places. Drainage 

area above the falls is about 100 square miles and 

rainfall there averages 90 to 100 inches annually. 

The Koombooloomba Reservoir, 7 miles upstream 

(152,000 acre-feet), regulates the flow of the stream 

(500 cfs average) to not less than 268 cfs. In the Tulley 

Falls section the Tulley River falls approximately 

1,500 feet in 2 miles. Four 18-MWPelton-type wheels 

are installed in the powerhouse at the lower end of 

this section. The first steel-tower transmission line 

in Queensland carries the power to Innisfail and 

Cairns. Lines also radiate from the station to other 

nearby centers in north Queensland (Water Power, 

Mar. 1958, p. 113).

A 55-MW plant under 405 feet of head, a 5.4-MW 

plant under 230 feet of head, and a peaking plant 

(Barren Falls) of 60 MW under 920 feet of head are 

planned additions. The latter is scheduled for 1967. An 

earth and rockfill dam on Flaggy Creek, a tributary of 

the Barren, will provide storage so that the plant can 

operate at 25 percent load factor (Commonwealth of 

Australia, 1959). The Barren Falls station is now 

under construction near Kuranda (Civil Eng., June 3, 

1960, p. 40).

In New South Wales the following plants were in 

operation in 1959: Hume (50 MW);Burrinjuck(20MW); 

Oakey River (5.25 MW); Nymboida River (4.65 MW); 

Bemboka River (3.95 MW); Wilson Creek (0.15 MW) 

(Commonwealth of Australia 1959). A 50-MW plant 

was under construction at Warragamba Dam on the 

Warragamba River as was a small station (6 MW) at 

the foot of Keepit Dam on the Namoi River. The latter 

will be remote controlled from New Castle 140 miles 

away. The turbine is a vertical-shaft Francis type and

will normally be run through the morning and evening 

periods (Water Power, Aug. 1958, p. 284).

The Warragamba Dam on Warragamba River near 

Sidney, officially opened in October I960, is one of the 

largest dams in the world built primarily for metropolitan water supply. From a base 340 feet long, the 

concrete-gravity dam rises to a height of 450 feet. A 

55-MW powerplant with remote control by radio is 

included (Water Power, Dec. 1960, p. 456). A world 

record in rock-tunnel driving (525 feet in 7 working 

days) was claimed by the breakthrough of the 9-mile 

Kooma-Tumut Tunnel on the Snowy Mountain project. 

The Tumut I power station on the Snowy Mountains 

was put in operation in May 1959 with a capacity of 

160 MW. The power is distributed over New South 

Wales and Victoria systems. Water for this plant is 

stored in Tumut Pond, Tumut River. It passes through 

a pressure tunnel and drops nearly 1,000 feet through 

steel-lined pressure shafts to the power station 1,200 

feet below the surface (Water Power, Aug. 1959, p. 

285); The Tumut I station will have a capacity of 320 

MW and will operate with a capacity factor of 32 

percent. It is scheduled for completion in 1963 (Jaggar, 

1960).

The Snowy Mountain hydroelectric development is 

divided geographically into the Snowy-Tumut and the 

Snowy-Murray areas. The Eucumbene Reservoir 

serves the Tumut I and II power stations. The next 

development is the Murray I. This will be the first 

station in the Murray section and will be the largest 

station in the system. Contracts have been let for 

eight 95-MW Francis turbines. These, it is believed, 

are the largest Francis machines in the world operating under such a great head (1,719 feet) (Water 

Power, Dec. 1961, p. 499).

24
In Victoria 87.6 MW was installed in two stations 

in 1959, and the 96-MW McKay Creek hydroelectric 

station on the slopes of Mount McKay in the Australian 

Alps began operating in May 1960. The sixth and last 

16-MW unit is now in operation and brings the Kiewa 

development to a total capacity of 184 MW. The turbines 

work under a gross head of 1,730 feet in an underground station. The water is used three times on 

McKay Creek (96 MW), at Clover station on East 

Kiewa River (26 MW), and at West Kiewa River (62 

MW) (Water Power, June 1962, p. 213).

The Eildon Reservoir, a recently completed project on the Goulburn River, extends irrigation and hydroelectric power in central Victoria. The old Eildon 

Reservoir (306,000 acre-feet) was completed and two 

small 8-MW generators were placed in operation in 

1954. The Goulburn is the largest river in the State 

of Victoria and the new Eildon Dam, about 260 feet 

high and some 3,300 feet long, is one of the world's 

large rockfill dams. The reservoir has a capacity of 

2,750,000 acre-feet. Two additional turbogenerators 

presumably have been installed by this time, each 

having a capacity of 60 MW and designed for operation 

at heads between 77 and 150 feet. Interchangeable 

runners are provided to make the turbines suitable 

for operation at heads ranging from 150 to 235 feet 

(Water Power, Apr. 1957, p. 123).

In contrast to the mainland, where coal-fired 

plants predominate, Tasmania relies principally on 

waterpower and will continue to do so. The installable 

capacity of plants on the island is 617 MW, and 917 

MW is planned by 1966. Principal power development 

to date has been on the tributaries to the Derwent River 

on the central plateau. The plateau contains many 

lakes and other favorable storage sites, and dam 

construction has been carried to a point where the 

plateau runoff is almost completely controlled. The 

Tungatinah power station on the Nive River is the 

most impressive of existing developments. The 125 

MW capacity of the station is from five 25-MW units 

under a head of 1,005 feet. Regulation having been 

achieved, there remains the problem of developing the 

head. In general, plants in the plateau area have high 

heads with small discharges and those farther down the 

Derwent have lower heads and correspondingly greater 

discharges. A low-head development at the mouth of 

the Nive River will add 48 MW by 1962. The most 

impressive development now underway is at Great 

Lake where the Poatina underground power station, 

under a vertical head of 2,720 feet, will have installations totaling 300 MW (Commonwealth of Australia, 

1959). The fifth 62-MW Pelton turbine for the Poatina 

station has been installed. This is the first underground power station in Tasmania and the highest 

head yet developed in the Commonwealth (Water 

Power, Oct. 1960, p. 374). The scheme also includes 

pumped storage from Arthurs Lakes to Great Lake 

(Water Power, Nov. 1962, p. 424). TheCatagunyaDam 

on Derwent River in Tasmania is being completed and

equipped with two Francis turbines, each driving 

24-MW alternators under a head of 145 feet. An estimated saving of about 20 percent of the cost of a 

gravity dam is being realized by the use of prestressed 

concrete (Wilkins and Fidler, I960).

In the external territory of Papua and New Guinea 

exists an immense potential for hydroelectric development, very little of which has been developed by 

public means (3.13 MW with an additional 5.5 MW 

being produced in a private undertaking). Present 

installations range upward from 5-kw units. Plans for 

the future include more small plants, but there are 

possibilities for major hydroelectric developments as 

follows: Rouna Falls (near Port Moresby); Upper 

Snake and Busu-Erap-Leron (near Lae); Upper Ramu 

(near Markham-Ramu divide 80 miles from Lae); and 

Hathor Gorge (on Purari River) with estimated average 

power potentials of 100 MW, 150 MW, 2,000 MW, 250 

MW, and 3,000 MW respectively (Commonwealth of 

Australia, 1959).

The Australians are studying a tidal-power resource off the Kimberly coast in western Australia. 

Tides there are as much as 40 feet, and the steep 

rugged coastline is indented by many estuaries with 

small outlets. The Australian Government is observing 

progress at the Ranee tidal development near St. 

Malo, France, and production design engineer J. G. 

Lewis is planning 45 tidal projects. Australia is also 

investigating direct-current transmission to possible 

use centers located at long distances from the coast 

(Water Power, Jan. 1963, p. 3).

Indonesia: 

Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Celebes

The Republic of Indonesia lies astride the equator 

from about lat 5° N. to 10° So. and between long 95° 

and 140° E. In all, more than 3,000 islands covering a 

land area of about 575,890 square miles are included 

in the Republic. The principal islands are Borneo, 

Celebes, Java, and Sumatra of the Greater Sunda 

Islands; Bali, Flores, Lombok, Sumba, Sumbawa, and 

Timor, in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Indonesia also 

claims the west half of the island of New Guinea. 

Borneo, with its 286,969 square miles, is the third 

largest island in the world. About one-fourth of Borneo 

(its northern part) constitutes the British protectorate 

of Brunei and the British colonies of North Borneo 

and Sarawak. Borneo's potential waterpower is arbitrarily assumed to be one-half of the amounts given 

by Young (1955) for Borneo, New Guinea, and Papua. 

The island of Timor is also divided about equally 

between Indonesia and Portuguese Timor.

Rainfall is heavy throughout the islands, ranging 

from 80 to 144 inches annually. A November to March 

monsoon brings rain from the Indian Ocean, and a 

June to October monsoon brings rain from the southeast. The islands are principally of volcanic origin 

and are mountainous. In the Indonesian part of Borneo, 

Mount Jaja rises to 7,474 feet, Mount Kajan to 9,800

25
feet, and Mount Obong to 7,545 feet. The mountain 

range connecting these peaks divides Borneo approximately in half from the southwest to the northeast. 

Mount Kinabalu, at the northernmost tip of the island, 

is 13,455 feet high. Other prominent mountains and 

their altitudes are: Mount Rantemario, in the Celebes, 

11,286 feet; Mount Semeru in Java, 12,060 feet; Mount 

Kerintji in Sumatra, 12,484 feet; and Mount Ramelau 

in Timor, 9,678 feet.

New potential power estimates for these islands 

would surely indicate larger amounts than those given 

here. Assuming the average altitude of the islands to 

be 2,000 feet and the average runoff 80 inches, the 

gross theoretical waterpower should be 1,000 kw per 

sq. mi. or a total of 575,890 MWat average discharge 

for the entire Republic. Some 30 to 40 percent of this 

might be at technically feasible sites, increasing the 

estimated 77,000 MW in table 14 to perhaps 200,000 

MW. This is 347 kw per sq. mi, which compares 

favorably with the resources of countries like Switzerland, richly endowed with hydroelectric power.

New Caledonia

An old project built on the Yate River in 1926 

has recently been replaced by a new dam and 80-MW 

powerplant designed by the late Andre Coyne and Jean 

Bellier. The dam is of combination arch and buttress 

with a gravity section and overflow spillway (Water 

Power, Jan. 1962, p. 43).

New Caledonia has an average annual rainfall 

of more than 160 inches; its streams are short and 

flashy; nevertheless, considerable opportunity exists 

for development of waterpower.

New Zealand

Of New Zealand's two main islands, South Island 

has the greater waterpower potential. Ahigh mountain 

range parallel to the northwest coast of the island 

intercepts a large amount of precipitation, which is 

held first as snow and then in lakes in the headwaters 

of rivers that drain eastward into the Pacific Ocean. 

Power development on South Island is made economically feasible by direct-current transmission across 

Cook Strait to Wellington on North Island. This directcurrent link has a capacity of 600 MW over a 500-kv 

line (Water Power, Dec. 1961, p. 461).

The principal effort has been centered around the 

Waitaki River on South Island, where 11 power developments are contemplated. Regulating storage is being

provided in three Lakes, Tekapo, Pukaki, and Ohau, 

and three reservoirs, Benmore, Waitangi, and Waitaki. 

When completed, Benmore will probably be the largest 

station in Oceania. The powerplant will have an installed capacity of 540 MW, the earth dam will be 360 feet 

high with 17 million cubic yards of fill, and the reservoir will store 1,650,000 acre-feet of water, making 

it the largest manmade lake in New Zealand (Water 

Power, Dec. 1957, p. 469).

The Roxburgh project on the Clutha River near 

the southeast corner of South Island is the first important development on this river. The river is fed 

principally by snowfields and glaciers and is partly 

regulated by large natural lakes on three of its upstream branches. At the Roxburgh site average discharge is 17,650 cfs. A flood of 117,000 cfs was 

recorded in 1878, and discharge fell below 7,500 cfs 

on five occasions during a 17-year period (Water 

Power, Feb. 1957, p. 44). The dam is in the lower end 

of Roxburgh Gorge near the town of Roxburgh. Ultimately there will be eight generating sets, the first 

four being rated at 40 MW each. The normal operating 

head is 150 feet.

North Island has only one large lake, LakeTaubo. 

This lake has a regulating effect on the Waikato River. 

The fifth development on Waikato River is underway 

at Atiamuri Dam, and connected 84-MW powerhouse 

(Water Power, Oct. 1959, p. 393). To prevent damage 

to scenery by a 90-MW power development on the 

Waikato at Aratiatia, construction is being carried 

out from each end of the rapids without building roads 

alongside them (Water Power, Oct. 1960, p. 374).

EUROPE

Europe leads all continents in the actual use of 

hydroelectricity, and many European countries strive 

for operating schedules that save coal. The effectiveness of this coal-saving plan is illustrated in the 

following tabulation (data from UNIPEDE^Oct. 1961). 

Note especially, Switzerland, Italy, and France. Hydroelectric capacity increased 88 percent in Europe 

between January 1, 1955 and December 31, 1962, and 

about 40 percent of the electric energy used in European countries is produced by waterpower.

^Union Internationole des Producteurs et Distributeurs D'Energie Electrique, Paris.

26
Status of hydroelectric and steam generation 

for selected countries in Europe

T+olxr 

Total ------

Woi crhtprl aver

Production 

1960 

(kwhr X 106)

20,700 

54,200 

15,900 

72,200 

107,200 

14,100 

284,300

Hydroelectric 

generation 

(percent)

99.2 

83.5 

74.4 

55.9 

10.3 

1.3

45.4

Hydroelectric 

installations 

(percent)

96 

72 

70 

47 

12 

1

45

Table 15. Installed capacity of hydroelectric plants, 10-year growth ratio, hydroelectric as 

percent of total generating installations, and estimated gross theoretical power 

of developed and potential sites of Europe

[U, unknown or not found]

.Austrici "

f1 ^P'oHoQlo t/a \f i a

DGniYicirk

"Pa QT'OP* TQlanr^Q..

Germany (Federal

r

IcGlcLnd" " 

T 1 d

Ttalxr 

Polcind

Portugal - -. 

Ri o m 3. rii 3.

s

S w^df?ri

Switzerland

USSRYusoslcLvici

Tnial - -

Weighted avg -

Installed 

capacity! 

(approx, 

in MW)

2lO 

3,600 

3,4 54

480 

1,080 

10 

8 

1,730 

10,900

53,500 

130 

250 

6 19 

110 

219 

3 12,700 

16 

0 

7,600 

260 

1,400 

230 

4,850 

8,300 

6,400 

7 19,000 

1,350 

1,600 

85,806

10-year 

growth ratio 

(normal = 2 

Jan. 1, 1955 = 1)

1.90 

2.56 

1.18 

13.5 

2.06 

U 

2.38 

2.40 

1.57

1.36 

U 

2.56 

2.94 

1.57 

1.14 

2.07 

16.0 

0 

2.13 

1.14 

2.58 

2.90 

1.80 

1.92 

2.08 

4.23 

1.86 

3.11

2.20

Percent 

of total 

(approx)

U 

75 

1 

50 

17 

0.5 

73 

53 

47

12 

U 

35 

2 

75 

30 

72 

U 

0 

98 

1 

80 

20 

70 

78 

96 

20 

3 

60

40

Estimated gross 

theoretical potential (MW)

Q95

200 

3,000 

56 

225 

525 

22 

U 

750 

4,000

5 1,640

263 

100 

525 

375 

4,500 

U 

19 

7,500 

750 

700 

1,500 

2,625 

5,000 

2,250 

15,000 

562 

2,400 

54.687

Arithmetic mean

1,500 

7,000 

225 

750 

1,800 

75 

U 

2,000 

12,000

) 5 3,750

2,250 

330 

2,250 

1,125 

15,000 

U 

75 

21,000 

1,200 

5,800 

3,000 

12,000 

3 22,500 

7,000 

75,000 

1,875 

10,000 

209,505

!AS of Dec. 31, 1962.

^Estimated from United Nations production reports.

3From World Power Conf. (1962).

4Apparently includes about 6 MW in water wheels not generating electricity.

^Includes Saar.

6From UNIPEDE (1961).

7 Includes Asian U.S.S.R.

27
Austria

The United Nations Economic Commission for 

Europe (1961) estimated Austria's gross theoretical 

waterpower potential at average discharge to be 17,409 

MW with 100 percent utilization. The mean-flow estimate indicates that 64 percent of this is technically 

developable (World Power Conf., 1962, reprint 5 

1.2/3), and an estimated 26 percent of gross potential 

is economically feasible in Austria (U. N. Econ. Comm. 

for Europe, 1955). Another estimate is that 11,200 MW 

are installable and could produce 43 x 109 kwhr 

(World Power Conf., 1962, reprint 51.2/3). This equals 

4,900 MW at 100 percent efficiency, 6,140 MW at 80 

percent efficiency, and 7,000 MW at 70 percent efficiency.

The highest head development in the world, the 

Kolbnitz power station in the Reisseck-Kreuzeck 

scheme, has been achieved in Austria since 1955. In 

addition to the head of 5,810 feet between the Hochalpensee Reservoir and the Kolbnitz Tailrace, the 

scheme includes annual storage, run-of-river plants, 

and pumped storage. The development is on the Moll, 

a Drau tributary (Water Power, May 1961, p. 171).

The Drau River flows through several countries, 

and waterpower development has been complicated for 

that reason and for the further circumstance that the 

international boundaries in the area have been changed 

several times during this century. The first plant on 

the Drau was the Faal plant built in 1918. At the close 

of World II several Drau plants fell to Yugoslavia, 

and an agreement exists that requires Austria to supply 

water for the downstream plants. A plan now being 

executed will almost completely develop the Drau by 

means of small plants Feisteritz (41.7MW), Hollenburg (68 MW), Ferlach (24.5 MW), Dullach (27.5MW), 

Rottenstein (25 MW), and Annabrucke (23.8 MW).

A project is now under construction on the Isel, 

a Drau tributary in Eastern Tyrol, that will have a 

head of 2,532 feet and a 150-MW powerplant. The dam 

will create a reservoir of 81,070 acre-feet. A 6.2-mile 

low-pressure tunnel will carry the water to a surge 

tank and an underground powerhouse including a tailrace partly in tunnel. Four steel penstocks will take 

the water to four Pelton units of 47 MW (Konigshofer, 

1961).

The Ybbs-Persenbeug plant on the Danube was 

completed in 1959 with an installed capacity of 1,140 

MW and is one of the largest hydroelectric schemes 

in Europe. The first of the present six generating sets 

was installed in 1957. Other recent developments in 

Austria have been accomplished on the Salzach, 

Zemme, and Gerlos Rivers (Konigshofer, 1958).

Comparison of UNIPEDE and World Power Conference statistics indicates that Austria has the equivalent of 500 MW in water wheels that do not produce 

electricity.

Bulgaria

A six-station development on the Vacha River is 

scheduled to add 436 MW to the Bulgarian system by 

the end of 1965 (Water Power, June 1962, p. 212). The 

principal structure in the project is Dospat Dam, which 

will be one of the country's largest and will form a 

reservoir of 360,800 acre-feet of water. The Studen 

Kladnets Dam and powerplant on the Arda River were 

commissioned in 1958 (Water Power, Oct. 1958, p. 

365).

A recent study indicates that Bulgaria has an 

average yearly rainfall of about 26 inches. The country 

has a problem of harmonizing hydroelectric developments with irrigation and domestic requirements. This 

has led to a general pattern of power development in 

headwaters areas and irrigation in the lower reaches. 

The Arda and Vacha developments in the Rhodope 

Mountains are of this type (Baydanoff, 1955).

Czechoslovakia

The installed capacity shown for Czechoslovakia 

in table 15 is from United Nations statistics for 1960 

(U. N. Stat. Yearbook, 1961, p. 295) with an estimate 

of 1961 and 1962 additions.

The United Nations Economic Commission for 

Europe (1961) estimate the gross theoretical waterpower potential at average discharge to be 4,486 MW 

with 100 percent utilization. The estimate in table 15 

indicates that 41 percent of this is technically developable. According to the Commission, 32 percent of 

the gross potential is economically feasible in Czechoslovakia. Waterpower plants are used almost exclusively for peaking purposes and are, therefore, 

built in conjunction with dams. An example of this is 

the 150-MW Slapy plant on the Vltava River, completed 

since 1955. Its powerplant is made up of three 50-MW 

Kaplan sets suitable for heads of 79 to 184 feet. The 

Vltava River now has seven dams with connecting 

powerplants, and with construction of three more dams 

the river will be completely developed above Prague 

(Nechleba, 1960).

Finland

Finland has approximately doubled installed capacity in hydroelectric plants since January 1, 1955. 

Developments in Finland are mostly lowhead, but 

natural lakes and basins capable of fairly large storage 

are available.

Waterpower continues to be the principal source 

of energy in Finland. A recent estimate is that Finland 

has a potential waterpower of 30 billion kwhr (3,425 

MW at 100 percent utilization) and that at least half 

of that amount is technically available for harnessing 

(Veijola, 1956). About three-fourths of the waterpower 

resources are in north Finland the Oulujoki and 

Kemijoki Rivers being among the most important. The 

Kemijoki is the largest of these. Some 30powerplants

28
and 9 artificial reservoirs are planned for the Kemijoki 

drainage. The largest reservoir is to have a surface 

area of 193 square miles and a capacity of 1,621,000 

acre-feet.

Representative of powerplants put in operation 

recently in the Kemijoki Basin are: Jumisko plant, 

with 30 MW operating under a head of 315 feet and a 

remote-controlled powerhouse located 164 feet below 

ground; Isohaara at the mouth of the river, with two 

23-MW units operating under a head of 40 feet; and 

Petajaskoski, the largest station on the river, with 

125 MW and a head of 66 feet (Veijola, 1956).

Another important river, the Oulu in north Finland, 

is now approaching full development. Of its eventual 

530-MW capacity, 430 MW are installed (Water Power, 

June 1961, p. 227). Developments are much the same 

as on the Kemijoki River with the exception that more 

natural lakes are available for storage. Pyhakoski, 

installed capacity 120 MW and mean head 106 feet, is 

the largest station on the river. Merikoski is the 

smallest at 36 MW with a head of 36 feet. The cheapest 

power was obtained at Nuojua, where an 80-MW plant 

operating under an average head of 72 feet was constructed at a cost of about $240 per kw installed (Water 

Power, Aug. 1961, p. 321).

France

The United Nations Economic Commission for 

Europe (1961) estimated the gross theoretical waterpower potential at average discharge to be 29,110MW 

with 100 percent utilization. The estimate in table 15 

indicates that 41 percent of this is technically developable. According to the Commission, 24 percent of 

the gross potential is economic in France.

Tignes Dam on the Isere River is the highest dam 

in France, rising 593 feet by gravity arch above its 

foundations. Power is produced in a plant at the base 

of the dam (Brevieres) and in a plant at Malgovert. 

Heads are 755 and 2,400 feet, and plant capacities are 

180 MW and 320 MW in that order. Freezing and thawing were problems at Tignes, and air-entrained concrete was used throughout (Portland Cement Assoc., 

1962).

Perhaps the most spectacular development in 

France in recent years is Roseland in the Isere River 

basin. The water for that project is collected by automatic intakes from many mountain streams and stored 

in Roseland Reservoir on the Doron de Roseland 

(Water Power, Jan., 1961, p. 5). Conduits and tunnels 

carry the water to a surge chamber high above the 

Isere River at La Bathie, where it falls 3,940 feet to 

a 500-MW powerhouse. Another bold development in 

the Isere River basin is at Monteynard on the Drac. 

The project consists of a dam and 195,000 acre-foot 

reservoir (122,000 acre-feet usable), with a 320-MW 

powerplant operating under an average head of 417 

feet. The dam is concrete arch with a twin ski jump 

spillway. There are four units of 80 MW each driven

by Francis turbines. The powerhouse is inside the dam 

as a protection against slides (Bowman, 1962c).

The continuing development of the Drac, a turbulent mountain river running through deep gorges, 

underlines a trend toward development of steepgradient streams by dams rather than by conduits. 

The Drac, a tributary to the Isere upstream from 

Grenoble, falls more than 50 feet per mile throughout 

its length and carries large quantities of debris. 

When completed, about 1,890 feet of gross head will 

be developed in eight projects five create head by 

dam entirely and three combine dam and conduit (La 

Houille Blanche, Aug.-Sept. 1961, p. 496), Bowman, 

1962c).

About 40 percent of the potential power of the 

lower Rhone River has been developed by the Jenissait, 

Seyssel, Donzer-Mondragon, and Montelimar plants. 

Five additional developments will increase the peakload power of the river by 250MW for a 4-hour period. 

The development of the Rhone is multiple-purpose in 

all respects. It will add to the importance of the river 

as a navigational artery, furnish much needed water 

for irrigation, and also enhance the domestic water 

supply of many cities in the valley (Water Power, 

June 1960, p. 215).

Argentat is the final stage in the exploitation of 

the upper Dordogne. Upstream developments are: 

Bort-les-Orgues, Val Beneyte Roche-le-Peyroux, 

L'Aigle, and Marcillac. All these projects include 

storage of water and diversion to increase the drainage 

areas (Water Power, Oct. 1957, p. 365).

The Montpezat scheme also deserves mention. It 

includes diversion of water from the Loire River basin 

across a divide in the Massif Central to the Rhone 

River basin, and an underground power station fed by 

pressure tunnels from three reservoirs in the Loire 

River basin. Plant capacity is 116 MW and 776 cfs is 

used under a head of 2,100 feet (Water Power, June 

1956, p. 226).

The world's first major tidal-power project is 

now under construction on the Ranee estuary near 

Saint Malo. Electricite de France played a vital part 

in the study of tidal power and, in preparation for the 

Ranee development, experimented with and improved 

the horizontal Kaplan-type turbine-alternator unit. The 

tubular turbine has evolved over alongperiodof time. 

In 1919 and 1924, L. F. Harza secured patents, and 

Arno Fischer in Germany and Escher Wyss in Switzerland continued development of the horizontal runnerring-type turbine alternator (Water Power, Oct. 1957, 

p. 365).

Tides in the Ranee estuary are among the most 

pronounced in the world. Two high-water and two lowwater tides occur in 24 hours and 50 minutes, and the 

difference in level between consecutive high and low 

tides may be as much as 44 feet. Preparatory work 

on the project began in 1960 and construction work in

29
1961. Completion is scheduled in 6 years. Installations 

will total 240 MW in 24 bulb sets that are operable 

pumps or turbines in either direction. The design of 

these sets is based on actual tests of bulb sets on the 

Truyere at Cambriac, the Dordogne at Argentat, the 

Isere at Beaumont-Monteux, and at a tidal installation 

at an used lock on the Ranee at Saint Malo. Production 

will be 544,000 MWhr per year equal to a plant 

factor of 26 percent for a conventional water-power 

plant (La Houille Blanche, Mar.-Apr. 1962, p. 129).

Germany (Federal Republic)

The first run-of-river plant in what is now the 

German Federal Republic was a 1,700-hp (horsepower) plant built on the Neckar in 1891. Twenty-three 

additional plants had been put into service by 1921, 

when total installed capacity was about 48 MW. Planning and multiple-purpose development began with the 

Reich in 1921. By the end of 1958, 85 plants with a 

total capacity of 434.53 MW were installed. At that 

time there were 64 plants in the course of construction 

or planning. The principal rivers developed are the 

Danube, Weser, Mosel, and Main (Renner, I960). 

Post-World II developments in West Germany include 

renovation of plants built in 1925 atSchwabenheimand 

Kochendorf. The country leads in the use of pumped 

storage for peaking power (Lottes, 1962).

In 1956 Germany and France agreed upon a pattern 

for development of the Rhine between Breisach and 

Strasburg. The new plan reduces canal length from 73 

to 40 miles (Seifert, 1959). The layout for the powerhouses remains unchanged from a former plan. The 

amount of power to be installed was not given.

An interesting storage power station on the Lech, 

near the frontier between Tyrol and Bavaria, has been 

completed since 1955 (Haimerl, 1958). The dam is 

near Rosshaupten, downstream from the waterfall at 

Fussen. It is earthfill, was chosen to harmonize with 

the surroundings, rises 134 feet above bedrock, and 

is adjacent to a powerhouse that contains two sets of 

24-MW generators. A picture furnished by Haimerl 

indicates that the power development does not detract 

from the beauty of this scenic region.

Greece

The largest development of its kind in Greece has 

recently been placed in service on the Megdora River 

by French companies. The first of three 40-MW 

generators began producing power in 1960. On the 

Tavropos River a head of 1,970 feet has been developed 

by a dam at Kavakia Gorge and diversion of water 

from the Ionian Basin to the Aegean Basin. The 120- 

MW powerplant was put in operation in 1961. The 

project includes irrigation of 24,700 acres of land on 

the Thessaly Plains. Special reinforcements were 

included in the dam because of frequent earthquakes 

(Water Power, July 1962, p. 290).

Hungary

The United Nations Economic Commission for 

Europe (1960) estimated that the gross theoretical 

waterpower potential at average discharge is 822 MW 

with 100 percent utilization. The estimate in table 15 

indicates that 40 percent of this is technically developable. According to the Commission, 21 percent of 

the gross potential is economic in Hungary.

No actual development is known to have taken 

place in Hungary since 1955; however, plans for the 

exploitation of the Danube from the Czech-Austrian 

frontier to the Black Sea entail construction of a dam 

in Hungary near the border with Czechoslovakia. It 

will raise the water level about 20 feet and create a 

lake 62 miles long. Ten Kaplan turbines of about 14- 

MW capacity each will be installed, and locks are 

planned to provide for barge traffic.

Ireland

A recent estimate places economic potential at 

115 MW (continuous). Present installations developed 

the equivalent of 80 MW (continuous) (World Power 

Conf., 1962, Preprint 1 1.2/1). The Electricity Supply 

Board of Ireland is guarding against adverse effects 

of hydroelectric development on fish (Water Power, 

Aug. 1959, p. 284). In its 31st annual report the Board 

reports that waterpower investigations are being made 

on 17 undeveloped rivers (Water Power, Oct. 1958, 

p. 364).

A 19-MW unit was put in operation in the Inniscarra plant and an 8-MW unit was commissioned in 

the Carrigadrohid plant, both on Lee River, during 

1957. Cung Dam and powerhouse (4-MW?) were completed during 1958 on the Clady River (Water Power, 

Oct. 1958, p. 364).

Italy

Economic potential waterpower has been estimated to range from 55 to 65 x 1Q9 kwhr per yr (World 

Power Conf., 1962, Preprint 184 1.2/24). The larger 

amount equals 7,420 MW of continous power.

Italy has been one of the most active countries in 

planning and executing waterpower developments since 

1955. By the end of 1958, installed capacity was 11,607 

MW, an increase of more than 60 percent over 1955. 

In describing Italian progress, "Water Power "reported in May 1958 (p. 189) that Italy had 70 single-arch 

dams in service at the end of 1957, 40 of them having 

been built since World War II; and that 60 underground 

stations were in operation, most of them built since 

1949. An estimated 35 percent of all electric capacity 

in Italy was installed in underground powerhouses 

(Water Power, Dec. 1957, p. 443). The principal new 

power developments have been in the Alpine river 

basins. Important developments, however, have been 

carried on in all parts of Italy including Sardinia and 

Sicily.

30
The recently completed Vaiont Dam, a cupola 

arch by the late Carlos Semenza, is the highest completed arch dam in the world (873 feet). The Vaiont 

damsite on the Vaiont River near its junction with the 

Piave River is topographically ideal, but the storage 

capacity of the reservoir (122,000 acre-feet) formed 

is in sharp contrast with Lake Mead's 30 million acrefeet for a similarly high dam. Vaiont storage is used 

for seasonal balancing between the Piave and Cellina 

systems of the Societa Adriatica di Elettricita, which 

was organized in Venice in 1905 (Water Power, May 

1958, p. 181).

A tragic disaster occurred at Vaiont Dam while 

this report was in preparation for printing. On October 

10, 1963 a reported 130 million cubic yards of earth 

and rock slid into the reservoir causing huge waves of 

water to flow over the dam. Loss of life in the valleys 

below the dam (the number still undetermined) ran into 

thousands and overshadowed the fact that the world's 

highest arch dam was only slightly damaged by the 

waves that overtopped it. Early news reports indicate 

that the dam suffered only crest damage but that its 

reservoir has been choked off by the slide (Eng. NewsRecord, Oct. 17, 1963, p. 23).

Another company, Societa Idro Elettrica Atesina, 

has just completed a 53.2-MW project utilizing water 

from two tributaries of the Adige River basin in 

northern Italy (Water Power, Nov. 1957, p. 405). The 

principal facilities of this project are the Gioveretto 

Dam and Reservoir and the Las a supply tunnel and 

powerplant at Lasa on the Adige. The net head is 3,120 

feet, and the flow of 230 cfs operates the single-jet 

Pelton wheel in the powerhouse.

Azienda Elettrica Municidale of Milan began operating in 1906 and has a concession to develop the Adda 

River. Grosotto Dam and station on the Adda River in 

the Italian Alps was completed in 1910 with a capacity 

of 36.2 MW (Water Power, Mar. 1961, p. 89). The 

Valtellina project now under construction by this 

company will include an extensive water-gathering 

system and two principal storage reservoirs Giacomo and Cancano of 51,885 and 99,717 acre-foot 

capacity respectively. There will be five smaller reservoirs and seven powerplants with heads from 3,130 

feet (LePrese) to 961 feet (Stazzona). The largest 

powerhouse, with an installed capacity of 200 MW, will 

be the one below the Cancano Reservoir near Premadio. 

The capacity of the Cancano Reservoir is to be increased to 246,456 acre-feet, double the present capacity, by raising the water level to 564 feet. The present 

dam is a cupola arch, chosen after extensive studies 

showed it to be the most economic (Water Power, Mar. 

1961, p. 93).

The Alto Chiese project of the Edison Group, 

Milan, is a most impressive development. When completed it will have a total capacity of 342 MW and will 

be capable of producing about 624 million kwhr annually. The project will have three storage reservoirs and

three powerplants. None of the plants is located at a 

reservoir. Numerous diversions will increase the 

controlled drainage areas, and there is a complex 

system of diversions from streams not regulated by 

reservoirs. In downstream order the reservoirs and 

their capacities in acre-feet are: Malgabissini, 48,642; 

Malgaboazzo, 9,566; and Ponte Murandin, 235.

The second stage of development on the Talvera 

River in Bolzano Province was put in operation in 

February 1960. Chief features are the Covera and 

Valdruna balancing reservoirs, which afford reuse of 

the water if desired, and a two-compartment surge 

tank that operates like a differential tank to dampen 

oscillations quickly (Water Power, May 1962, p. 207).

Luxembourg

Luxembourg has installed two new hydroelectric 

stations on the Sure River since 1955. One of these is 

a peak-load plant that will operate 4 hours a day. The 

storage capacity of the reservoir is 42,968 acre-feet, 

and two 6,400 kva (kilovolt-ampere) Francis sets 

operate under a head of 120 feet (Water Power, Oct. 

1958, p. 364). The first of fivepumped-storage sets is 

now being installed at Vianden. The plant has been 

planned for 900 MW with pumps totaling 621 MW 

(Water Power, Sept. 1962, p. 361). This is one of the 

world's outstanding pumped-storage developments.

Netherlands

The United Nations Economic Commission for 

Europe (1961) estimates the gross theoretical waterpower potential at average discharge to be 411 MW 

with 100 percent utilization. The estimate in table 15 

indicates that 18 percent of this is technically developable. According to the Commission, there is no 

economic waterpower in the Netherlands.

Norway

A recent estimate by the Norwegian Watercourse 

and Electricity Board revises potential waterpower 

estimates upward. Economically installable capacity 

is now placed at 16,442 MW 80 percent of the estimated technically feasible power at average discharge. 

The survey excluded sites of less than 700 kw (Water 

Power, July 1962, p. 256).

Norway has the highest per capita kilowatthour 

consumption of electricity of any country in the world 

(nearly 9,000 kwhr per yr), and more than 99 percent 

is generated in hydroelectric stations.

The Aura powerplant, completed in 1956, has an 

installed capacity of 300 MW and operates under a 

head of 2,558 feet. The generating sets are four 32-MW 

and three 60MW Pelton wheels. The 60-MW sets are 

the largest in Norway (Water Power, Sept. 1956, p. 

327). The development uses water from two streams, 

the Lilledalselv and the Aura, which drain an area 

south of and in the general vicinity of Trondheim. The 

power is used in the nearby cities and towns and at an 

aluminum plant at Sunndalsora.

31
The recently completed Vinstra development between Oslo and Trondheim features an underground 

station, one of the world's longest supply tunnels, and 

(until Hemsil's 1,840 feet) the highest head Francis 

machines in Norway (1,470 feet). The powerhouse site 

is on the Lagen near the mouth of the Vinstra. Two 

50-MW generating sets commenced operation in 1953, 

a third in 1955, and a final one in 1958. Storage, provided by raising Lake Olstappen, flows to the powerhouse through a 15-mile tunnel. It is understood that 

by damming Lakes Bygdin, Vinsteran, Sandvann, Heimdalsvatin, Espedalsvann, and Olstappen, and by utilizing storage from many small natural lakes in the 

basin, the discharge can be completely regulated to 

provide a mean flow of 1,165 cfs. Running 5,000 hours 

per annum the production would be about 1,000 million 

kwhr (Water Power, Mar. 1956, p. 86). Upper Vinstra, 

an addition to the Vinstra project, was completed in 

1959. By interconnecting the lakes of the main Vinstra 

with Lake Nedre Heimdalsvann, it was possible to add 

a powerhouse above Lake Olstappen, where 120 MW 

are installed (Water Power, Sept. 1959, p. 349).

Plans for the future include the Sira-Kvina scheme 

in southwest Norway, where municipal electric boards 

have obtained rights to develop the Sira and Kvina 

Rivers. The total planned installed capacity in several 

powerplants is 1,360 MW. Also planned is a joint 

Norwegian-U.S.S.R. venture on the Pasvik River, 

which forms the border for 70 miles between the two 

countries. Four plants will be constructed according 

to a 1957 agreement (Eng. News-Rec. Dec. 18, 1958, 

p. 53).

Norway's largest hydroelectric power project is 

currently being built on the Tokke and Vinge Rivers. 

Three powerplants having a combined capacity of 810 

MW will be built.

Poland

The United Nations Economic Commission for 

Europe (1961) estimates the gross theoretical waterpower potential at average discharge to be 3,642 MW 

with 100 percent utilization. The estimate in table 15 

indicates that 33 percent of this is technically developable. According to the Commission, 17 percent of 

gross potential is economic in Poland.

Portugal

An IBM 650 computer was used to determine 

details of the alto-Rabagao Dam. This is one of the 

final dams in the Cavado-Rabagao development. The 

Cavado-Rabagao project consists of four reservoirs 

on the Cavado River and two on the Rabagao. The 

reservoirs on the Cavado are: Alto-Cavado, Paradela, 

Salamonde, and Canicada, Gra the Rabagao the reservoirs are the Alto-Rabagao and the VendaNova. Interconnecting tunnels between the high reservoirs of the 

two rivers make it possible to utilize the maximum 

amount of water through the greatest possible head. 

The highest head in the group is 1,509 feet at Paradela.

The Duro River rises in the Urbion Range in 

Spain and discharges into the Atlantic Ocean at Oporto 

in Portugal. The river marks the boundary between 

the two nations for about 62 miles. By agreement, each 

country is developing about half of the 1,320 feet of 

fall along the international section Portugal developing 674 feet of head upstream from the Tormes 

River and Spain developing 656 feet downstream. 

Portugal has three projects that develop head by dams 

but all operate chiefly as run-of-river plants Miranda (187 feet), Picote (226 feet), and Bemposta (225 

feet). Spain has two plants, Villal Campo and Castro. 

An ingenious feature of the design for the Picote station is that the tailrace discharges underneath the 

apron of the ski jump spillway. This was made necessary by the nature of the terrain (deep, narrow canyon), 

and the fact that floods of very high capacity pass 

down the river. The dam is double-curvature arch and 

the ski jump spillway is separate from the dam. The 

powerhouse is underground. Portugal has four plants 

at dams on the Duro downstream from the international 

section (Pocinho developing 66 feet of head, Valeira 

developing 102 feet, Regua developing 89 feet, and 

Carrapatelo developing 118 feet) (Water Power, Apr. 

1959, p. 129).

Romania

The United Nations Economic Commission for 

Europe estimated the gross theoretical waterpower 

potential at average discharge to be 7,306 MW with 

100 percent utilization. The estimate in table 15 indicates that 41 percent of this is technically developable. 

According to the Commission, 34 percent of the gross 

potential is economic in Romania.

Spain

Several companies generate and distribute electricity in Spain but transmission grids are interconnected 132 kv and 220 kv lines (Pineyro, 1960).

Power from a recently completed project, Eume, 

on the Eume River in northwest Spain, will be used in 

La Coruna Vigo. The Eume River drains an area of 

193 square miles, which receives an average of 39.4 

inches of rainfall. The Eume reservoir will hold 

99,149 acre-feet of water (about one-half of the average 

annual runoff). The powerhouse is not connected with 

the dam and is above ground. It has an installed capacity of about 55 MW and operates under & gross head 

of 213 feet (Pineyro, 1960).

Spain is making steady progress on its plan to 

complete an entirely integrated system within the 

drainage basin of the Ribagorzana River. This river is 

81 miles long and drains an area of 786 square miles. 

Its headwaters are at an altitude of about 9,840 feet, 

and the tailrace of the lowest plant is at an altitude of 

about 1,000 feet. Water downstream from the latter 

point will be used for agricultural purposes. When the 

project is completed, the basin will have 13 powerplants with a total installed capacity of about 500 MW 

(Water Power, Jan. 1958, p. 34).

32
The flows of Spanish rivers are variable and 

large floods often pass down narrow canyons. An unusual station design has resulted. The recently completed Salime plant on the Navia River in northwestern 

Spain has placed the powerhouse underneath the spillway (similar to Picote in Portugal) so that high floods 

will pass directly over the powerplant. With the completion of Salime, the Navia River has two reservoirs 

Salime (243,213 acre-feet), and Doiras (87,556 acrefeet). Upstream from Salime a projected plant, Suarna, 

will have a storage capacity of 95,663 acre-feet, and 

a small downstream reservoir, Arbon, also projected, 

will have a capacity of 25,942 acre-feet (Water 

Power, July 1957, p. 267).

Sweden

Many estimates have been made of Sweden's 

economically exploitable waterpower, and each succeeding inventory gives a higher figure than the preceding ones. In 1923 annual capability was estimated 

at 32.5 twhr (trillion-watt hours) (32.5 x 109 kwhr). 

An inventory made in 1955 increased this to 80 twhr. 

Technical progress and more complete knowledge of 

water supplies are both factors in this increase of 

nearly 250 percent (Berglund and Larsson, 1959). The 

gross resources have also been estimated several 

times. In 1930 Sweden's hydraulic -power resources 

were reported equal to an average output of 15,860 

MW at 100 percent efficiency. This would equal 139 

twhr. The same estimator increased the average kilowatts to 17,820 MW or 156 twhr (Melin, 1957).

Assuming that the estimate was still too low, 

Berglund and Larsson made a new study by two methods 

recommended by the Economic Commission for Europe. In the first method the rivers were divided into 

three surface sections, with a gaging station at the 

downstream point in each section. In the second method 

the runoff in cubic meters per second was applied to 

the average altitude of the area in meters by the 

formula, power = 9.81 x runoff x altitude. Runoff data 

were based on gaging station records of 10 to 125 

years. Including the Swedish share of the Trone, the 

estimators arrived at a figure of 196.1 twhr per yr, 

of which 80 twhr are considered economically developable. This is 43.4 percent of the total natural resource. The study revealed that Sweden's principal 

hydroelectric resource is in the north and that it is 

considerably greater during summer than during 

winter months.

The following tabulation shows the average discharge, in cubic feet per second, of Sweden's five 

largest rivers:

The "typical" river in Sweden rises out of a lake 

or cluster of lakes and flows southeast across the 

country to the Gulf of Bothnia.

The Lule is a typical river and is said to have 

Sweden's largest remaining hydropower resource 

(over 16 billion kwhr). Plans for developing this potential include enlargement of 15 of the basin's 75 

lakes (Water Power, Feb. 1961, p. 47). The Messaure 

plant, now being developed on the Lule, will eventually be Sweden's largest power station and will include 

a rockfill dam 328 feet high and 5,905feet long having 

a volume of 13,733,400 cubic yards (Water Power, 

Dec. 1959, p. 442).

The Ume, located in north-central Sweden, furnishes water for Sweden's largest power station, 

Stornorrfors (installed capacity 375 MW, ultimate 

capacity 500 MW). Other power stations on the Ume 

and their installed capacities in megawatts are:

Harssele 200 

Tugen 96 

Grundfors 88 

Umluspen - -88 

Balforsen 82

Lower Bjurfors--72 

Pengfors - 50 

Stensele -- -48 

Upper Bjurfors --42

Lule 18,010 

Angerman------ -- -17,304

Indal 16,245 

Ume 15,609

Sweden produces 53 percent of its hydroelectric 

power in underground stations, leading all countries. 

There are 30 plants with a total installed capacity of 

3,650 MW and 17 additional underground stations 

(1,600 MW) will be added by 1966 (Water Power, Jan. 

1962, p. 25).

In Sweden stations are usually placed underground 

for reasons of economy. The underground plant might 

be chosen also to preserve an area's scenic and recreational values, achieve greater head, attain larger 

plants, and reduce maintenance and depreciation costs. 

A recent innovation, placement of the powerhouse 

directly under the water reservoir, eliminates the 

necessity for a surge tank. Tunneling can be done 

more cheaply in some places by shortening the more 

expensive approach tunnel and lengthening the less 

expensive (possibly unlined) tailrace tunnel.

Sweden is also a leader in transmission-line and 

tunneling technology.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, as in Norway, 99 percent of all 

electric energy is produced in waterpower plants 

(World Power Conf., 1962, Preprint 148 1.2/18). The 

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 

(1961) estimates the gross theoretical waterpower 

potential at average discharge to be 16,438 MW with 

100 percent utilization. The estimate in table 15 

indicates that 44 percent of this is technically developable. According to the Commission, 21 percent of 

gross potential is economic in Switzerland. Within 10 

years almost all economic sites are expected to be 

developed (World Power Conf., 1962, Preprint 148 

1.2/18).

33
One of the most widely publicized power developments of recent years is Grande Dixence in the Rhone 

River basin. Grande Dixence is the world's highest 

completed dam. It rises 922 feet above its lowest 

foundation, about 200 feet higher than Hoover Dam. 

The reservoir has a 322,000 acre-feet capacity, is 

7,700 feet above sea level, and supplies 800-MW 

powerplants in two locations under a total head of 

about 6,000 feet (Turner, 1959).

As development of Alpine hydroelectric resources 

progresses, more use is made of multiple diversions 

and conduits to central locations for development of 

power. The best example of this is the Mauvoisin 

project, which includes 777-foot high Mauvoisin Dam 

on the Darnse deBagnes, a Rhone tributary. In addition 

to the Darnse, five smaller watersheds are diverted 

into the reservoir and runoff from 8.2 square miles 

is collected below the dam to make a total drainage 

area of 72.7 square miles. Glaciers cover 41 percent 

of the drainage area and tend to equalize flow. The 

water is used in the Fionnay and Riddles plants, which 

have 127.5 MW and 335 MW installed under heads of 

1,540 feet and 3,320 feet, respectively (Portland 

Cement Assoc., 1962). Another example is the addition 

in 1958 of the Gabi plant to the Simplon River basin 

development, which previously consisted of a 36-MW 

plant at Gondo near the Swiss-Italian border. The 

Gabi plant has 12 MW installed. Water-gather ing 

facilities tap drainage basins of 13, 4, and 6 square 

miles. The last two are about one-third glacier covered. The intake structures feature automatic desanding 

equipment (La Houille Blanche, May-June 1961, p. 225).

The 492-foot Zervreila Dam on the Valser Rhein 

is representative of present Swiss arch-dam engineering. When completed in 1957, it was the highest arch 

dam that had been built in Switzerland since World 

War II and was one of 14 dams more than 328 feet 

high built during this period. The reservoir holds 

81,000 acre-feet of water. The Zervreila Reservoir 

is the principal storage of a three-station power 

project with a combined capacity of 246 MW. The 

Zervreila plant has an installed capacity of 60 MW 

and is equipped with 6-MW pumps for pumped storage 

(Schnitter, 1961).

Two recent developments on the Leinne River are 

the first in that basin since 1917. An earlier plant on 

the lower Leinne was built in 1907. The two new projects combine to develop a head of 4,185 feet. The upper 

stage has a head of 2,801 feet and an installed capacity 

of 54 MW using 265 cfs. The downstream development 

operates under a gross head of 1,368 feet with a flow 

of 300 cfs, and a capacity of28.6MW. The upper plant 

utilizes water from the Zeuzier Reservoir through a 

tunnel and pressure shaft in an underground powerhouse at Croix. A balancing reservoir, an additional 

tunnel, and a penstock lead to the downstream powerhouse at St. Leonard on the Rhone (Philippin, 1955).

A development on the Hinterrhein, which involves 

tributaries in Italy, has been carried out as an international project. Twenty percent of its costs are paid 

by Societa Edison Milano, and the rest by Swiss power 

concerns. The project includes three powerplants: 

Ferrera (185 MW and a 48-MW pump), Barenburg 

(215 MW); and Sils (230 MW). The scheme will produce 

1,325 million kwhr per yr including 59 million kwhr 

from pumped storage during the summer months (Kalt 

and Baden, 1957).

A Swiss-Italian reach of the Inn, a tributary of 

the Danube, is being developed under an agreement 

with Italy that makes it possible to develop and operate 

the project as a Swiss enterprise. The Lavigno Reservoir (145,927 acre-feet) will be developed by a 394- 

foot high arch dam. A tunnel 24,928 feet long and a 

pressure shaft 3,444 feet long will serve apowerplant 

with 400 MW installed capacity, and a28-MWpumping 

plant at Ova Apin (Water Power, Feb. 1958, p. 80).

Small plants are still being built in Switzerland. 

Merzenbach, on a Rhone tributary, has a maximum 

output of 1.89 MW using water from a drainage area 

of only 2.7 square miles. The head is 1,650 feet 

(Garlet, 1961).

U.S.S.R.

The U.S.S.R. has about 100,000 streams over 6 

miles in length whose total length is 1,860,000 miles. 

Four of these are among the 15 largest rivers in the 

world. In order of average discharge, shown in cubic 

feet per second, they are as follows:

Yenisei 614,000 

Lena 547,000 

Ob 441,000 

Amur 388,000

There are 250,000 lakes and 775,000 square miles 

of swamp area. The potential energy of the rivers is 

more than 400 million kw, of which 80 million is in 

small and medium-size rivers. Of the potential power 

of the U.S.S.R., at least 85 percent reportedly is in 

Siberia (Grossen, 1958). Lake Baykal, which empties 

into the Angara River and thence into the Yenisei, is 

the largest lake in Siveria. The lake is situated at an 

altitude of a little less than 3,000 feet above sea level 

and is 5,700 feet deep. It covers an area of about 

12,150 square miles and is a collection center and 

regulator for more than 300 streams. This situation 

gives the Angara and Yenisei very favorable positions 

among streams having waterpower potential.

The U.S.S.R. added 5,500 MW in 1956 and reportedly has increased yearly the installation rate since 

that time. By 1963, the installation rate is scheduled 

to reach 10,000 MW per yr (Grossen, 1958). Between 

20 and 30 percent of all installations probably are 

waterpower in the U.S.S.R. at the present time. Hydroelectric stations account for about 20 percent of the 

present energy production (Sweet, 1962).

34
The highest dams in the world are now under 

construction in the U.S.S.R. The Nurek Dam (rockfill, 

984 feet high) on the Vakhsh River, a tributary of the 

Amu Darya, will have an outdoor plant of 2,700-MW 

capacity in nine units of 300 MW each. It is planned 

to top this by a double-curvature arch dam (Ingurskaya 

Dam, 988 feet) on the Ingura River, a Black Sea 

tributary. Ingurskaya will have an underground plant 

of 1,400 MW from six 233-MW units (Bowman, 1962b). 

Between 1955 and 1962 the U.S.S.R. completed, or was 

working on, five reservoirs capable of storing more 

than 30 million acre-feet of water (table 2).

The Volgograd (Stalingrad) station was officially 

opened in September 1961 by Premier Nikita Krushchev. The station has 22 Kaplan turbines operating 

under 72 feet of head with nameplate ratings increased 

from 105 to 115 MW or 2,530 MW in all. The Bratsk 

station, planned to have 4,500 MW installed, is in 

partial operation on the Angara River; and Krasnoyarsk station, on the Yenisei, is planned to have an 

installed capacity of 6,000 MW. A 500 kv transmission 

line will carry power from these plants to Moscow 

(Water Power, Nov. 1961, p. 421). On the Ob River 

a 400-MW plant is nearing completion near the city 

of Novosibirsk. The powerhouse consists of seven 

bays each housing a 57.5-MW vertical set driven by 

an adjustable blade Kaplan turbine with a 26-foot 

diameter (Water Power, April 1958, p. 159).

In 1961 the U.S.S.R. began construction of its first 

pumped-storage plant, Zagorsk, north of Moscow. It 

will operate under a head of 295 feet and will have 

capacity 585 MW installed (UNIPEDE, 1961, 2eTrimestre, p. 53). The U.S.S.R. Has made extensive studies 

of direct-current transmission and operates the 

world's highest voltage alternating-current line 525 

kv between Stalingrad and Moscow. A transmission line 

carrying 800 kv is planned for the Urals (Water Power, 

Nov. 1961, p. 421). A project now under construction 

near Turkey and Iran will reduce evaporation losses by 

lowering Lake Sevan 65 feet in 50 years to decrease 

its water surface area (Brown, 1962).

United Kingdom

Hydroelectric development is confined to North 

Scotland and North Wales (World Power Conf., 1962, 

reprint 142 1.2/16). The North of Scotland Hydroelectric Board was organized in 1943, and since then 

has been actively planning and constructing power 

developments in its area of jurisdiction. Some power 

projects of very modern and detailed design have 

recently been completed under its direction. The Carry 

and Moriston developments in Ivernessshire are representative of the Board's work.

Both the Carry and the Moriston Rivers are 

tributary to lakes on the Oich River. The 147-squaremile Carry drainage basin development includes; the 

Quoich Dam (rockfill), which raises the lake level 

100 feet; a 12,843-foot pressure tunnel; the Quoich

power station (gross head 330 feet); the Invergarry 

Dam; a 14,033-foot tunnel; and the Invergarry power 

station (gross head 174 feet). The Moriston, directly 

north of the Carry, drains 155 square miles. Its development pattern is very similar to that of the Carry, 

but there are two upstream reservoirs for the Ciannacroc powerplant. These reservoirs, the Loyne and 

Cluanie, are connected by a 7,600-foot tunnel. An 

additional 14,000-foot tunnel and a high-pressure 

shaft lead to the Ciannacroc powerplant. The Dundreggan Reservoir, nine miles downstream, regulates the 

stream and a high-pressure intake shaft takes water 

from the reservoir to the Glen-Moriston powerplant. 

The most unusual feature of this plant is the 22,000- 

foot tailrace tunnel between the powerplant and Lochness.

Each of the Carry powerhouses has an installed 

capacity of 22 MW. The installed capacities of the 

Moriston plants are 22MW and 36 MW in downstream 

order. Ciannocroc powerhouse has units of 4 MW and 

18 MW. The Glen-Moriston powerhouse has two 18- 

MW units (Water Power, July 1959, p. 247).

Fish protection and propagation are included in 

the Carry and Moriston plans. On the Carry River, 

fish can swin as far upstream as the Quoich powerplant, where they are trapoed and their eggs taken 

and incubated during the winter months. On the Moriston River fish can swin up to Cluanie. There they are 

trapped and their eggs are incubated in the Moriston 

below the dam. An interesting experiment is being 

carried on in the area downstream from the incubation 

sites. The river has been partly closed with gabions 

to make it run deeper during low water periods to 

facilitate fish migration (Water Power, July 1959, 

p. 253).

Probably the outstanding project in the British 

Isles is the recently completed Ffestiniog pumpedstorage plant in North Wales. The plant has four 75- 

MW English Electric water-turbine generator and 

pump sets. These Francis turbines operate at the 

highest head of any in the country 1,050 feet. Separate pumps and generating sets are connected to 

common electric machines (Water Power, Feb. 1961, 

p. 45). At Cruachan, on Loch Awe, the world's highest 

head (1,206 feet) pump turbines are being connected 

to 100-MW motor generators (Water Power, Aug. 1963, 

p. 315).

The cross-channel direct-current transmission 

cable now links the predominantly coal-fired generators of England to the French network, which is substantially supported by waterpower.

Yugoslavia

The United Nations Economic Commission for 

Europe (1961) estimates Yugoslavia's gross theoretical waterpower potential at average discharge to be 

23,505 MW with 100 percent utilization. The estimate 

in table 15 indicates that 43 percent of this is techni35
cally developable. According to the Commission, 

66,500 million kwhr, 32 percent of the gross potential, 

is economic in Yugoslavia. This equals 7,600 MW at 

100 percent utilization. The economically-possible 

hydroelectric potential in Yugoslavia has also been 

estimated at 60 billion kwhr (6,800 MW at 100 percent 

utilization) (Korosec, I960). The principal projects 

would be on the Drava, Save, Soca, Mura, and Kolpa 

Rivers. Korosec estimated that only about 15 percent 

of the available resources are presently developed. 

From 1945 to 1959 the total installed capacity increased 

from 220 to 648 Mva (Megavolt-amperes).

Heavy rainfall and high mountains have endowed 

Yugoslavia with abundant waterpower as great as 

that of Italy according to some estimators. In contrast 

with the extensive development in Italy, Yugoslavia 

has to date developed only 10 to 15 percent of its 

total waterpower resource. Some progress is being 

made, nevertheless. In 1939 thermal generation was 

leading hydroelectric 672 million kwhr to 478 million 

kwhr. The figures for 1956 show that hydroelectric 

energy, at 2,869 million kwhr, was more than double 

thermal production, which was 1,178 million kwhr 

(Water Power, Oct. 1958, p. 401).

The Yugoslav-Adriatic coast from Rigeka to the 

Albanian border (the Karstic region) receives ample 

precipitation, but streams are short and flashy, with 

discharge principally during winter. In contrast, the 

Drava River in the north of the country has its greatest 

discharges in summer following the thaw in the Alps. 

By coordinating these two regions the energy production could be balanced, and because of the relatively 

low demand some energy might be exported (SzavitsNorsan, 1960).

Projects presently underway include the Dravograd-Maribor pier-type power stations. The Fala 

plant erected in 1918 and enlarged in 1926 and 1931 is 

being supplied with an additional 18-MW generating 

set to increase its installed capacity to 54 MW. The 

Mariborski plant is also having a third set installed. 

The plants on the lower Drava (Maribor Ormoz 

reach) Loka, Hajdose, Borl, and Ormoz Rivers are 

conventional run-of-river plants. Their diversion 

works also serve water-supply and irrigation purposes 

(Korosec, I960). A review of Korosec's article on 

progress in Slovenia was published in "Water Power" 

for October 1961 (p. 415). The country has recently 

received a loan from the World Bank to finance a 

216-MW plant near the Adriatic coast together with 

transmission lines. The plant (Senj) will use water 

from the Velebit Mountains' Gacka and Lika Rivers. 

An arch dam will create a storage reservoir on the 

Lika, and there will be 20 miles of tunnels (Water 

Power, Apr. 1961, p. 127).

The Iron Gate reach of the Danube, development 

of which will require cooperation between Yugoslavia 

and Romania (formerly a problem of Austria and 

Hungary), could supply much-needed energy for speeding up industrialization. A head of about 98 feet could 

be developed, and installation of as much as 870 MW 

has been considered. The Danube narrows and flows 

rapidly through the reach, and there are no great 

technical difficulties. Completion of the project is not 

anticipated before 1970 because of the international 

situation, and because the demand for power is not too 

great at this time. Development of this reach of river 

would be a great aid to navigation (Parti, 1960). A 

review of Parti's article was published in "Water 

Power" for November I960 (p. 451).

Yugoslavia put its first pumped-storage plant in 

operation in March 1957 aspartoftheVinodol project. 

The plant uses water from the Lokvarda and Licanka 

mountain streams. Some of its features are: a 154-foot 

earthfill dam; a reservoir of 24,727 acre-feet; the 

Kriz pumping plant, which lifts the water 79 feet; and 

three 35-Mva generators driven by Pelton turbines 

(Einwalter, 1957).

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