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Moco Moco Hydro plant to be resuscitated after 14 years
– Geotechnical investigation crucial before rehab – Patterson
The Moco-Moco hydropower station, Rupununi Region Nine.
The Moco Moco Hydro plant in Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) is expected to make a comeback after lying dormant for some 14 years. However, before works can begin on the facility, a detailed geotechnical investigation of the site is required.
Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson said yesterday that the investigation will be crucial to the revival of the facility.
The Chinese-funded hydropower plant was commissioned on November 22, 1999 and was developed as a run-of-the-river project. Four years later, the penstock (a sluice for controlling or directing the flow of water) was damaged by a devastating landslide, in July 2003, resulting in a cessation of operations.
Despite several attempts by the former administration, the People Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) it was never rectified. The facility has since been subject to vandalism.
Steps were taken in 2015 by the new administration to have the plant, along with several others, up and running. In early 2016, the government had announced the rehabilitation of plant which in its current state, was estimated to cost $200M.
Five foreign-based companies submitted bids for the rehabilitation and operation of the facility after the Public Infrastructure Ministry had asked for Expressions of Interest (EoI) in keeping with Government’s plans to develop a ‘Green Economy’.
The EoI was initially published in January 2016 and the submissions were opened on March 31, 2016 at the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) Head Office, Georgetown.
Among the five submissions were CHEA – Centrias Hidreletricas da Amazonia LTDA – ME (Brazil); NCGET (Russia); Torque – EPCM (Barbados) and two from McVantage Products out of the USA.
Patterson said yesterday that the geotechnical survey will be funded from resources obtained from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The cost to resuscitate the plant, Patterson said, will be determined by the findings of the investigations. He could not say at the time, how much will be spent on the investigation.
In an advertisement published in the Kaieteur News yesterday, the Hinterland Electrification Company Incorporated is requesting EoI for consultancy services which will be executed under the Sustainable Energy Programme for Guyana.
The main objective of the consultancy is to carry out the necessary investigations at the plant’s site to obtain the required geological and topographical information for the development of the rehabilitation design of the facility, particularly as it relates to the penstock alignment which was destroyed.
The services will include geological surveys and engineering geological mapping, topographic mapping, geophysical surveys and excavation of test pits.
This project is expected to see residents in Lethem and surrounding areas benefiting from higher quality and more reliable electricity supply. It will also take some strain off the Lethem Power Company which has been providing power to residents of Moco Moco by way of diesel generators.
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