UEGCL

Capacity building and assistance in operation and maintenance

The project is co-funded by AFD (French Development Agency), CNR and UEGCL and aims at training UEGCL staff on Operation and Maintenance (O&M) as well as contract management, hydropower development and expertise. The purpose is for UEGCL to build capacity on CNR’s 80 year experience as designer and operator of the Rhone river. The project comprises hands-on training sessions given by CNR or international experts at UEGCL facilities and the immersion of UEGCL staff within CNR operational teams.

Detail of the equipment used:

PHASE 1: O&M CAPACITY BUILDING

Phase 1-1:

• Organizational diagnosis
• Civil Works design and construction: operational issues regarding ongoing projects as per design, construction and surveillance aspects of civil structures such as dams and powerplants.

Phase 1-2:

• Hydropower project design and development: hydropower projects development and the main design choices related to electro-mechanical equipment.
• FIDIC contract management: FIDIC based-international contract management practices as well as balanced hydropower contracting strategies

Phase 1-3:

• O&M process and practices review and integration of new assets through the support of an expert in O&M.
• General principals on asset management and hydropower cascade operation and production optimization: based on the actual constraints from UEGCL’s technical, economic, social and environmental background, discussion will be carried out about the tools and strategies to implement in order to maximize the assets’ overall performance and added value.

PHASE 2: IMMERSION

UEGCL staff took part in a specific and tailored made training program aiming at building up operational skills within a complex, operational, cascade run-of-the-river environment through hands-on experience within CNR’s powerplants, ship locks, remote-control, forecasting and sales center, central operational departments such as centralized maintenance, centralized operation, asset management, security and health, etc.