Browsing by Author "Mbwiga, Joel"

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    Feasibility Assessment of a 5 MW Run-of-River Mini-Hydropower Plant on the Luswisi River at Bwenda Village, Ileje District, Tanzania
    (EASO, 2026-08-26) Bigambo, James; Mbwiga, Joel; Kamoleka, Masoud
    This study assesses the technical and screening-level economic feasibility ofa 5 MW high-head run-of-river mini-hydropower plant on the Luswisi Riverat Bwenda Village, Ileje District, Tanzania. The revised paper integrates thetopographic survey, HOMER Pro model configuration and outputs, andMATLAB/Simulink dynamic-simulation results that were omitted from the earlier manuscript. The site is located at approximately 9°20.1′S and 33°29.4′E. GIS-based catchment delineation and RTK-GNSS/total-stationsurvey data identify the intake, waterway and powerhouse corridor andestablish a gross head of 153 m; a preliminary 5% hydraulic-loss allowancegives a net head of 145.35 m. Corrected monthly discharge ranges from 3.70 to 7.10 m³/s. At 90% combined efficiency, 5 MW requires approximately 3.70m³/s at gross head and 3.90 m³/s at the preliminary net head. The HOMER Prohydro-grid model uses the corrected monthly flow vector, a 5 MW hydro unit,local AC demand, grid backup/export, a 25-year project life, an 8% discountrate, TZS 18 billion capital cost, TZS 2 billion lifetime operation and maintenance cost, and TZS 168/kWh electricity value. The correctedscreening analysis gives 41,062 MWh/year saleable energy, an LCOE of about TZS 43.0/kWh, NPV of TZS 54.8 billion, IRR of 37.9%, and simplepayback of 2.6 years. MATLAB/Simulink results show damped transientbehaviour: frequency returns to approximately 50 Hz, rotor speed convergestoward 1.0 pu, torque and active/reactive power remain bounded, balancedthree-phase voltages are maintained, the local load is supplied, and surplus active power is transferred to the grid interface. These results supportfeasibility-level development of two 2.5 MW Pelton units, subject to multi-year gauging, detailed hydraulic and geotechnical design, environmental-flowallocation, manufacturer data and utility interconnection approval.