WSHPDR_2013_Final_Report-updated_version

5.2.5 Vanuatu
Lara Esser, International Center on Small Hydro Power
Key facts
Population 256,155 1
Area 12,200 km 2
Climate Tropical; moderated by southeast trade
winds from May to October; may be
affected by cyclones from December to
April. 1
Topography 80 islands, 65 populated. Mostly
mountainous islands of volcanic origin;
narrow coastal plains 1
Rain
pattern
Moderate rainfall from November to
April; Annual rainfall 2,300 mm 2
Electricity sector overview
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources oversees
the Department of Energy, Mines and Minerals. There
are two utilities with concession contracts: Union
Electrique du Vanuatu (UNELCO) operates the
concessions in Malekula, Port Vila and Tanna; and
Vanuatu Utilities and Infrastructure Ltd (VUI) operates
the concession for Luganville. Power is reliable in
communities that have access to it, but the availability
of electricity outside major urban centres is very
limited.
Rural electrification remains an ongoing challenge,
with just 27 per cent of Vanuatu’s population
connected to electricity, largely confined to urban
centres. In Port Vila and Luganville connection rates
are around 75 per cent, while access rates in rural
areas are significantly less than average. 4
Power generation in Vanuatu is predominantly from
diesel (figure 1). As there are no exploitable sources of
fossil fuels in Vanuatu, all diesel fuel must be
imported. Other significant sources of power
generation include a 3-MW wind farm servicing Port
Vila, blending coconut oil with diesel (approximately
20 per cent blend in diesel generators in Port Vila) and
a 1.2-MW hydropower scheme contributing to the
electricity supply to Luganville (Sarataka Hydropower
Scheme). 5 The Government of Vanuatu has given out
three geothermal prospecting licences. 5
Wind
Hydro
Thermal
7.86%
9.61%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Figure 1 Electricity generation in Vanuatu
Source: Union Électrique du Vanuatu 3
81%
Small hydropower sector overview and potential
Currently there is only one operating hydropower
plant in Vanuatu. It is owned by the Government,
called Sarakata (1.2 MW). A 75-kW micro hydropower
plant at the Talise River (Maewo Islands) and its
associated power transmission infrastructure is
currently under construction.
SHP installed
capacity
SHP potential
1.28 MW
3.98 MW
0 1 2 3 4 5
Figure 2 Small hydropower capacities in Vanuatu
Vanuatu has considerable technical potential for
hydropower schemes, but its porous geological
structure makes it unsuitable for dam construction.
Useable hydropower resources have been identified
on many islands in Vanuatu including Vanua Lava,
Santo, Maewo, Malekula, Epi and Tanna.
While suitable hydropower resources have been
identified, only a few sites have been monitored and a
few hydropower schemes have been developed, the
most significant and largest one being the Sarakata
scheme.
Vanuatu has some hydropower potential for urban
grids and rural demand. Studies suggest a technical
potential on Efate (e.g. 1.2 MW at Teouma) but with
prohibitively high development costs. The European
Union has investigated micro-hydro potential for 13
sites on 6 islands with about 1,500 kW of available
power. Four sites are promising (Lowanau in Tanna,
Mbe Tapren in Vanua Lava, Waterfall in Pentecost and
Anivo in South Santo) and may be studied further.
The Vanuatu Renewable Energy Projects (VREP),
approved by the Sustainable Energy Programme for
the Pacific Small Island States (SEPSIS) and funded by
the Italian and Austrian Governments, is implemented
through the International Union for the Conservation
of Nature (IUCN). The three project components are:
a) Wind resource assessment;
b) Talise mini hydropower project;
c) Re-habilitation of existing solar PV systems.
The total budget approved for the VREP projects was
one million US dollars. However, a Pacific Islands
Greenhouse Gas Abatement through Renewable
Energy Project (PIGGAREP)-funded feasibility study
carried out by GHD Australia in October 2009
estimated the cost to construct the Talise micro
hydropower project at 70 per cent of the total budget
approved for the three VREP projects. Therefore, the
426