TWO delegations from Solomon Islands will be in South Korea from this weekend onwards to support the progress of Tina Hydro, the country’s main sustainable development project which is planned to start implementation later this year in Central Guadalcanal.

The first delegation is already in Korea for high level commercial and technical negotiations with the selected developer of the power scheme, Korean Water Corporation (KWater) and the construction and engineering contractor, Hyundai Engineering Corporation, HEC.

This delegation includes officials from the Tina Hydro Project Office, which is part of the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification, as well as Senior Government Officials and Representatives from the Investment Corporation of Solomon Islands and Solomon Power.

The second delegation will depart for Korea this weekend to support the funding application for Tina Hydro which is being decided on at the board meeting of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), headquartered in Korea.

The Green Climate Fund is a body set up under the UN Climate Change Convention and is aimed at supporting countries to adapt to, or reduce their contribution to, climate change.

The Tina Hydro Project has a funding application for USD86 million (SBD 600+ million) submitted by the World Bank as one of the accredited entities to the GCF

The second delegation will be led by the Deputy Prime Minister Hon Manasseh Maelanga and include the Minister of Energy Hon David Day Pacha as well as the Minister of Communication and Aviation and the Member of Parliament for Central Guadalcanal, Hon Peter Shanel Agovaka.

The Ministers will be accompanied by government officials as well NGO and landowner representatives and will be present in Korea to coincide with the April Board meeting of the GCF in order to demonstrate country and indigenous ownership of the Tina Project.

They will also conduct high level meetings regarding the Tina Hydro Project with other stakeholders and development partners.

Dr Melchior Mataki, PS of the Ministry of Environment and the Head of the GCF National Designated Authority in Solomon Islands, said, “The Tina Hydro Project is an excellent example of the type of project that the GCF was set up to support. It will transform the Solomon Islands, a Small Islands Developing State, from heavy reliance on fossil fuel for electricity to a reliance on an indigenous renewable resource, and it will do so while ensuring benefits and partnerships with the local community and landowners. This is a real, concrete possibility, and when implemented it will put Solomon Islands at the forefront of developing countries who use renewable energy.”

Tina Hydro is the flagship development project of the country and is timed to begin construction later this year.

It will produce 15MW of electricity at peak, equal to the maximum output of the main SolPower diesel powerhouse at Lungga, and is expected to offset approximately 80 percent of the country’s greenhouse emissions from power generation.

It has been under intense feasibility and development for 6 years funded by SIG, with donor support principally by the World Bank family and the Government of Australia.

–OPMC PRESS