The Afulilo Dam is a gravity dam on the Afulilo River about 3 km (1.9 mi) south of Ta'elefaga in the district of Va'a-o-Fonoti on Upolu island of Samoa. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and it supports a 4 megawatts (5,400 hp) power station. It is the largest hydroelectric power station by installed capacity in Samoa. First studied in 1980, construction on the project began in 1990 and the power station was commissioned in 1993. Funding for the US$26.6 million project was provided by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Development Association, European Investment Bank, and European Economic Community loans and grants.
| Afulilo Dam | |
|---|---|
  Location of Afulilo Dam in Samoa | |
| Country | Samoa |
| Location | Ta'elefaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti |
| Coordinates | 13°58′14.94″S 171°33′43.73″W / 13.9708167°S 171.5621472°W |
| Purpose | Power |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1990 |
| Opening date | 1993 |
| Construction cost | US$26.6 million |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Gravity |
| Impounds | Afulilo River |
| Height | 20 m (66 ft) |
| Length | 82 m (269 ft) |
| Spillway type | Controlled, two tainter gates |
| Spillway capacity | 150 m3/s (5,300 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Afulilo |
| Total capacity | 10,000,000 m3 (8,100 acre⋅ft) |
| Surface area | 2.5 km2 (0.97 sq mi) |
| Ta'lefaga Hydroelectric Plant | |
| Coordinates | 13°56′39.28″S 171°34′13.25″W / 13.9442444°S 171.5703472°W |
| Commission date | 1993 |
| Hydraulic head | 310 m (1,020 ft) |
| Turbines | 2 x 2 MW (2,700 hp) Pelton-type |
| Installed capacity | 4 MW (5,400 hp) |
Ta'elefaga Hydroelectric Plant
editWater from the 20-metre (66 ft) tall dam is sent down 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) of headrace pipe before it reaches 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) of penstock. The penstock terminates at Ta'elefaga Hydroelectric Plant where the water spins two 2 megawatts (2,700 hp) Pelton turbine-generators. The elevation between the reservoir and the power station affords a hydraulic head (water drop) of 310 metres (1,020 ft).[1] Efforts to add a third 2 MW turbine-generator and raise the dam by 1.7 m (5.6 ft), thereby increasing the reservoir capacity by 50% to 15,000,000 m3 (12,000 acre⋅ft), are currently being studied.[2] In April 2009 SMEC Holdings was awarded a consultancy contract for this work by the Asian Development Bank.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Appraisal of The Afulilo Hydroelectric Project in Western Samoa" (PDF). Asian Development Bank. November 1986. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
- ^ "Report on the Augmenlolion Phose of the Afulilo Hydro Power Scheme in Somoo" (PDF). Environmenlol lmpqct Assessmenl (ElA). November 1997. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
- ^ "SMEC Wins Afulilo Hydropower Project in Samoa". Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
