The Afourer Pumped Storage Station is a

pumped storage Pumping may refer to: * The operation of a pump, for moving a liquid from one location to another **The use of a breast pump A breast pump is a mechanical device that Lactation, lactating women use to milking, extract milk from their breasts. They ...

hydroelectric scheme located in the hills above Afourer of

Azilal Province Azilal () is a province in the Moroccan region of Béni Mellal-Khénifra Béni Mellal-Khénifra () is one of the twelve regions of Morocco, covering an area of 28,374 km2, and recorded a population of 2,520,776 in the 2014 Moroccan cens ...

, Morocco. The scheme consists of two power stations with a combined installed capacity of . Construction on the project began in 2001 and was complete in 2004. It was funded by the Arab Fund for Economic & Social Development at a cost of US$220 million.

Design and operation

Water for the scheme is derived from the Aït Ouarda Dam on the El Abid River at , just downstream of the

Bin el Ouidane Dam The Bin el Ouidane Dam is an arch dam located south of Beni Mellal on the El-Abid River in Azilal Province, Morocco. Designed by Coyne et Bellier and constructed between 1949 and 1953, the purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power production an ...

. Water from the dam is pumped up in elevation via Step 1 to the Upper Afourer Reservoir at which has a capacity of and lies at an elevation of above sea level. Step 1's power and pumping station contains 2 x 172.5 MW reversible

Francis turbine The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency. The pro ...

s. From the upper reservoir, water can be released back to Step 1 for power generation or released down in elevation to the Lower Afourer Reservoir at which lies at an elevation of and also has a capacity of . The power station at the lower reservoir, Step 2, contains 2 x reversible Francis turbines From the lower reservoir, water can be pumped back into the upper reservoir or released into a canal near Afourer for use in irrigation.

References

{{reflist Energy infrastructure completed in 2004 Hydroelectric power stations in Morocco Pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations Buildings and structures in Béni Mellal-Khénifra 21st-century architecture in Morocco

Design and operation

See also

References