Nearly eleven years after a landslide destroyed the Moco-Moco hydropower plant in Region Nine it seems unlikely that it will ever be rehabilitated.
Built with the help of the Chinese government, Prime Minister Sam Hinds in a letter in today’s edition of Stabroek News said that none of the three options contemplated were attractive. The matter recently resurfaced following power supply problems in Lethem.
In the letter, the PM said that there were three possible solutions considered after the landslide (i) just restore the piping (penstocks) G$60-70 million; (ii) add some degree of ground engineering which would reduce the likelihood of another landslide to some extent but would increase the cost to G$100 to G$200 million; (iii) a total rebuild including relocation estimated at G$500 to 700 million. None of these was attractive.
In 2010, the PM, who is the minister responsible for the electricity sector, had said that the plant would be operational within a year. He had said that a company would be repairing the power station and pipelines that were damaged in the landslide. This plan subsequently fell through.
The lack of adequate geotechnical studies was cited as one of the failures of the Moco-Moco hydro project.
This SN file photo shows the burnt out sections of part of the hydro station
