Ashford Engineering Consultants

• B.Sc. (First Class Honours - Civil Eng) University of Salford, 1975
• Ph.D in Hydro-Electric Power, University of Salford, 1978
• Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Chartered Engineer, 1985
• Certified Diploma in Accounting and Financing, 1980

1. Pendle Water Flood Alleviation, UK Environment Agency (2001). Site supervisor (resident engineer) responsible for flood alleviation and river training works, retaining wall, revetment, erosion protection and factory reconstruction. Contract and financial administration.
2. Torr Reservoir, Somerset, UK (2001). Construction design and checking of intake tower, bridge, spillway, pump station and associated pipe work.

1. Knight Piésold, Lahmeyer International, Electrowatt Engineering Joint Venture. Beles Hydropower Project, Feasibility Study, Ethiopia (2000). Senior cost estimator. Cost estimate and construction scheduling for civil, electrical and mechanical works for the 219 MW, 308 m head hydropower development that will transfer water from Lake Tana to the Beles River, which is a tributary of the Blue Nile. Underground power plant with over 20 km of tunnels.
2. Kusan-3 Hydropower Project, Basic and Tender Design, Indonesia (1999-2000). Resident team leader responsible for liaison with the client and head office, conceptual and detailed design, report writing, production of the civil, electrical and mechanical tender documents and drawings and design office management. Managed a team of 40 expatriate and local engineers, draughtsmen and non-technical staff. The local engineers and non-technical staff were from an associated Indonesian partner firm. Management of four local sub-contractors for the topographic survey, site investigation, initial environmental examination and cost estimate. The development is based on a 101m high RCC dam with a central free overflow spillway, twin power intakes built in the dam, two steel penstocks in hard rock tunnels and a surface powerhouse. There will be a permanent camp, 16km of new road, a switchyard, 68km long 150kV double circuit transmission line and a new substation. Optimisation of dam height and installed capacity by simulating the reservoir and power plant operation, cost estimation and scheme economic analysis. Civil works design and electrical and mechanical equipment layout for the powerhouse and switchyard. Coordinating the civil, electrical and mechanical design. The power plant has an installed capacity of 130MW from two, vertical axis Francis turbines with a maximum net head of 92m. Hydraulic design of the river diversion and bottom outlet works for the RCC dam. Hydraulic analysis and optimisation for the power waterways and intakes. Design for the 7m high RCC re-regulating dam for environmental mitigation.

1. Se Kong, Se San and Nam Theun River Basins Hydropower Study, Lao Pdr, Vietnam and Cambodia (1997 - 1999). Project manager, hydropower engineer and cost estimator for the Asian Development Bank funded TA study. In phase 1 some 37 potential hydropower schemes were studied for the three river basins. Scheme capacities ranged from 23MW to 600MW and heads from 15m to 1000m. Dams ranged in height up to 180m and spillway capacities varied up to 50,000m3/s. Client liaison and negotiations for, and supervision of, nine regional sub-contracts covering social and environmental impact assessments, watershed management and topographic surveys. Preliminary designs, cost estimating, screening and ranking of schemes. Management of the project team which included civil and E&M engineers, hydrologists, environmentalists, sociologists, geologist, economist, power system planner, transmission and watershed management experts.
2. Southern Hydro Ltd, Victoria State, Australia (1997). Engineering and asset review of Southern Hydro Ltd's ten hydropower plants. Site inspection of all civil works and hydraulic steel structures including dams, spillways, weirs, intakes, tunnels, headrace channels, surface penstock pipes, power houses, valve and gate houses and re-regulating ponds. Condition assessment, report writing and recommendations for remedial works and possible upgrading for the privatisation and sale of all ten hydropower plants. The plants have a total installed capacity of 480MW. They range from 150MW at Dartmouth to less than 1MW at Royston. Scheme heads vary from 482m at McKay Creek to 24m at Cairn Curran. Both underground and surface type powerhouses were inspected.

1. Pergau Hydroelectric Project, Malaysia (5 years). Tender and final hydraulic design for tunnels, shafts, pipework, surge chambers, pumping station, intakes, aqueduct, valves, outlet structures and dewatering facilities. The project involves a 75 m high dam, 600 MW underground power station, approximately 33 km of tunnels and 9.8 cumec pumping station.
2. Section engineer managing a team of engineers and draughtsmen involved in the design of the powerhouse and transformer gallery. The powerhouse includes four Francis turbine generator units, a 240 tonne crane, service building, workshop, stores and control room. Duties included electrical and mechanical interfacing for all civil works on the project, including representing the Design Engineer at all Civil/E&M co-ordination meetings.
3. Bujagali Hydroelectric Project, Uganda. (1995-1996). Project Manager for prefeasibility study for the first BOOT hydropower project in Africa. This 250 MW, low head, run-of-river hydroelectric scheme involves a barrage across the River Nile. Responsible for contract negotiations, managing a team of civil and E&M engineers, hydrologists, geologists, surveyors, economists, environmentalists, etc. and liaison with the client. Also responsible for hydraulic and civil design for the dam, gated spillway, intake, waterways, powerhouse and diversion works.
4. Cat Hydroelectric Project, Turkey (1996). Team leader for the Feasibility Study of a 105MW, 600m head run-of-river scheme on the Firtina River in northeast Turkey. The scheme included two tyrolean intakes, river diversion, three 100m long desanders, 10km of 3m diameter headrace tunnels, surface powerhouse with two, double overhung, horizontal axis pelton sets, switchyard and access. Study included three roller compacted concrete dam alternatives up to 125m high with integral spillways. The project team comprised civil, electrical, mechanical and costing engineers, draughtsmen, hydrologist, geologist, environmentalist and an economist. Responsible for day to day management of the team, project planning, programming and budget control, client liaison, conceptual design and report writing. The design reflected the environmentally sensitive location at the edge of a National Park.
5. Marun and Godar-E-Landar Hydroelectric Projects, Iran (1996). Hydraulic design for large spillway radial gates (16.5m by 12.0m), high head low level outlet gates (approximately 110m) and intake screens.
6. Shanxi Water Conservancy Project (TA No. 2511-PRC), China. (1996). Design review and hydraulic analysis for all hydraulic structures and waterways in the 200 MW Shanxi and 20 MW Zhaoshandu cascade of power schemes and a 36 m3/s water supply system for irrigation, domestic and commercial use. The Shanxi scheme consists of a 130 m high concrete faced rockfill dam, a 200 MW power station with four 50 MW Francis turbines with 100 m head, spillway with five radial gates, chute, flip bucket and plunge pool with an outflow of 12881 m3/s, diversion tunnel, gated low level outlet with an outflow of 1837 m3/s and twin intakes and power tunnels. The reservoirs are also used for flood relief.
7. Mepanda Uncua and Cahora Bassa Extension Study, Mozambique. (1996). Acting project manager for the conceptual design study for the 500 MW extension of the existing power development at Cahora Bassa and for a 1600 MW new power scheme further down the Zambezi at Mepanda Uncua. Liaison with hydrologists, environmentalist, E&M designers, geologists, energy analyst, economist and site survey team.
8. Allai Khwar Hydroelectric Development, Pakistan. Principal Design Engineer seconded to the project office in Pakistan. Responsible for the design of dams, spillways, diversion works, intakes, waterways and powerhouses. The development includes approximately six power schemes some of which have intakes and tunnels to transfer water from other catchments.

© Ashford Engineering Consultants 2001-2005