Dams & Hydro

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Dams & Hydro

Our Dams & Hydro division is internationally recognised as a leading proponent of RCC dam technology and most specifically RCC arches. Our team has been involved in projects across five continents, with dam heights ranging from 5 to 280m. ARQ has been responsible for more than 7 million m³ of RCC placed to date.

We have also been involved in a number of hydropower projects in Central Africa and Central America on schemes ranging in capacity from 0.5 to 1 200 MW. We offer a comprehensive range of services from pre-feasibility, through specialist design and analysis, to construction supervision and safety inspections.

Our innovative solutions to increase dam capacity and to realise cost savings have established the firm as a technological leader within the industry. Over the past decade we have acted as expert reviewers in the field of dams for the World Bank, the SA Department of Water Affairs and several other major clients.

ARQ has also provided consulting services to South Africa’s electricity utility ESKOM.

Click here to view the ARQ Dams Profile document.

Mukurumudzi Dam

As sub-consultants to Wave Solutions of Australia, ARQ has put out to tender the construction of the 23m high Mukurumudzi embankment dam in south eastern Kenya. The dam will be constructed to provide process water for the Kwale Mineral Sands Project, which aims to mine titanium and zircon minerals from the dunes in the area south of Mombasa.

Arnaud Dam

As part of the scheme to increase the level of certainty of supply from the Mare aux Vacoas Reservoir (MAV) in Mauritius, a dam on the Rivière du Poste with an off-take canal at Arnaud was required by the Water Resources Unit. Original suggestions for the provision of the dam structure indicated a Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) structure. A regime of geotechnical investigations was consequently planned to investigate the suitability and properties of the foundation for such a dam. The investigation commenced in early 2011 and these were completed in May 2011, with the final factual report for investigations being issued after all testing had been completed in middle June 2011.

Çine Dam

Impoundment commenced at Çine Dam in Aydin Province, south western Turkey in October 2010. The dam is 136,5 m in height and comprises a total concrete volume of 1 650 000 m³, making it one of the 20 largest RCC dams constructed so far in the world to date. ARQ’s involvement in the design phases of the project included the feasibility design, assistance with the main dam design, all RCC aspects of the design, the RCC specifications, design of the RCC full-scale trials, comprehensive thermal analyses and design of the instrumentation for the RCC coffer dam and the main dam.

De Hoop Dam

At 85 m in height and comprising approximately 1 million m3 of concrete, De Hoop Dam is the largest RCC dam in South Africa.

De Hoop Dam provides the bulk storage for Phase 2A of the Olifants River Water Resources Development Project (ORWRDP), which augments water supply in Limpopo Province. Water is to be supplied primarily to the mining industry in the Steelpoort area.

Berg River Dam

The Berg Water Project augments the water supply of the Western Cape region and specifically that of the City of Cape Town.

The concrete faced rockfill dam (CFRD) is 900m long and 70 m high with an embankment volume of 4 million m3 and a gross storage capacity of 130 million m3. Due to the variable nature of the foundation, some differential movements are expected across the foundation and the plinth of the CFRD includes articulated slabs with special water-stop features.