Sweco building for the enviroment in Bulgaria

Last summer, Sweco acquired Energoproekt Hydropower, a technical consulting company. Dimitar Popov is the company’s managing director. The company is the cream of the crop of hydropower experts in Bulgaria. A hydroelectric power plant is being built as an environmental project. The project is the result of collaboration between Austria and Bulgaria, and is being funded via emission rights trading.

The Tsankov Kamak Hydropower project is a hydroelectric power plant in the Vacha River in the Rhodope Mountains. The area is located about 250 kilometres southeast of Sofia, the capital city. The power plant, which will be operational in 2010, is one of several along a stretch of about 60 kilometres.

Energoproekt is responsible for all consultancy services on a local level and geological surveys including design and supervision. Construction has entailed several challenges. The power plant is located in an area where there is a risk of earthquakes and landslides, for example.

“As a result, particularly high demands are placed on the sustainability of the power plant’s framework,” says Jo Lindenhoff-Boe, who is Sweco’s business developer in Bulgaria.

How is the power plant an environmental project?

Energy needs on Earth are increasing, and energy from fossil fuel is speeding up global warming. Fresh water reserves are diminishing at the same time. Hydropower is considered the leading renewable source of energy in this context.

“Hydropower is both a pure energy source and easy to combine with irrigation systems and fresh water reservoirs,” says Jo Lindenhoff-Boe.

This is also the case with Tsankov Kamak. Old irrigation systems and fresh water reservoirs for Plodiv, Bulgaria’s second largest city, can be checked as a result of the construction.

The most unique aspect of Tsankov Kamak is its funding. Austria and Bulgaria are collaborating within the Kyoto Protocol, which is the environmental treaty that was signed by countries across the globe. Over the duration period of the Kyoto Protocol, the power plant is expected to produce energy that would correspond to carbon dioxide emissions of 1.1 tonnes had production taken place with fossil fuel. Austria, which will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 13 per cent by 2012 compared to emissions in 1990, is taking part and utilizing the “carbon dioxide savings” by partially funding the power plant’s construction.

Hydropower has a great deal of potential

Jo-Lindenhoff-Boe says that this type of collaboration has enormous potential.

 “We are focusing on Bulgaria, but there are also enormous opportunities in terms of taking advantage of hydropower in Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina.”

“Sweco’s roughly 100 consultants have been part of building basically all of the major hydropower plants in Bulgaria. This gives them unique experience and knowledge of hydropower. Most of them also know Russian. The new consultants are a major asset for us in Europe and the Balkan area,” says Jo Lindenhoff-Boe.

Dimitar Margaritov is responsible for the Tsankov Kamak Hydropower project.