VINLEC’s Cumberland hydroelectric plant back up

After one month of being put out of operation by last December’s rampaging flood waters, one of VINLEC’s hydroelectric stations has been successfully restored.{{more}}

VINLEC in a press release announced that operation at the Cumberland hydro power station was restored last Friday.

Following last December’s floods, VINLEC reported that its hydro stations at Richmond, Cumberland and South Rivers had suffered significant damage. The natural disaster had caused silting of the intakes at each of the sites and extensive damage to pipeline infrastructure. Two of the sites were flooded, and this destroyed office supplies and equipment.

Last Wednesday, during a press conference, chief executive officer, Thornley Myers gave an estimate of what it would take to restore all of the plants back to full operation.

He explained that although the physical appearance of hydroelectric plants is not as complex as the diesel plants at Cane Hall and Lowmans Bay, there is a significant amount of pipeline construction and civil infrastructure involved.

“Significant costs are associated with building and maintaining a hydroelectricity plant,” Myers said. “Based on our estimation…between the three plants…we are looking at approximately EC$10 million. There is an additional $4million that we see as infrastructure that will be necessary to prevent further damage in the future, for events similar or close to that which occurred on the 24th (December).”

Additionally, the CEO indicated that getting all of the hydroelectric facilities back to their full operation, may take up to one year.

However, Myers noted that VINLEC was working towards having the plant at South Rivers back to working condition in two weeks and the plant at Richmond, by the end of April.

“The situation is quite dynamic. I believe we will have additional hiccups in some of these recommissioning exercises because as I said, as we move forward, we are encountering different obstacles,” he said.

Myers also indicated that the hydroelectric plants save the country at least $1.3 million per year.

Since operations recommenced at the Cumberland plant, it has produced an average of 600 kilowatts daily.

According to the VINLEC press release, the reintroduction of the Cumberland plant to the company’s system is “the first step on the long path to recovery.”