Thrursday, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced the approval of a $23.7 million grant to provide the financing needed to refurbish the power transmission line from the Péligre hydroelectric plant (PHP), Haiti’s largest renewable energy generation facility, to the communities of Tabarre and Nouveau Delmas in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. This project will be financed by the IDB, using US$7.7 million from the IDB Grant Facility, and with additional grant resources from the Haiti Reconstruction Fund (HRF), totaling $16 million.

Recall that 100% of the electricity consumed in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area comes through the Peligre transmission line and its 69-kilovolt surrounding network. The main problem in Haiti’s transmission sector is, its outdated performance and lack of reliable and secure power of the Peligre transmission line that serves cities in the central region, including the area from Peligre to the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince. Indeed, the Peligre transmission line has been in operation for over 40 years; conductors, insulation and ground wires have reached the end of their useful life, therefore becoming obsolete and inefficient. The rehabilitation of the Peligre transmission line is a key component of Haiti’s national energy strategy designed to avoid major blackouts, minimize energy losses and maximize the use, reliability and security of energy that will be produced when the PHP’s rehabilitation is completed in 2017.

The general objective of this program is to improve the performance of the Peligre transmission line and to provide a reliable supply and secure power. Its specific objectives are to :

• Rehabilitate the capacity of the 115-kilovolt transmission line that extends 55 kilometers from the Peligre hydroelectric plant to Tabarre/Nouveau Delmas;

• Reduce transmission losses and power outages;

• Minimize environmental and social impacts. The beneficiaries will be around 3 million Haitians living in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.

The IDB, in coordination with other donors such as USAID and the World Bank — is helping Haiti carry out a comprehensive reform of its energy sector, including the recovery, expansion and modernization of its generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure and the strengthening of financial, technical and commercial management at Électricité d’Haïti, the state utility.

HL/ HaitiLibre