AES Panama is progressing in the construction of the most important hydroelectric project in the country over the next 14 years.
AES Panama is progressing in the construction of the first dam in the Panamanian Caribbean, at a cost of $600 million, that will provide the opportunity to improve the living standards of people who are now affected by the work, but that will attract eco and agro tourism, while implementing environmental compensation measures since the beginning of construction of this powerful plant.
This project is Chan I, an abbreviation for Changuinola, which is being developed in the province of Bocas del Toro, on the border with Costa Rica, according to the general manager of AES Changuinola, Humberto Gonzalez.
There is an advance of 40% in construction of infrastructure, which includes 40 kilometers of roads and three bridges, river material selection plants, aggregates for the concrete plant, the concrete plant itself that is the largest in Central America, the diversion of the bed of the Changuinola River to pour the concrete foundation of the dam, the machine house and the tunnel of 4 kilometers and 12 meters in diameter in the bowels of the mountain, Gonzalez explained.
More than 1,700 people are employed on this work, 70% are natives of the region, and 5.000 more are employed indirectly, explained González.
History
AES entered the Panama energy market in 1999, taking advantage of the privatization process of the then Institute of Hydraulic Resources and Electrification (IRHE), which was split into eight companies, "due to the favorable investment climate of the country, its legal stability and consolidated democratic principles", explained the executive.
In this way it took 50% of the shares of the Bayano and La Estrella-El Valle hydroelectric plants, taking control of their administration. Then it developed the Estí hydroelectric plant in the western province of Chiriquí also bordering Costa Rica. Since 2005 it has been building Chan I, which is expected to open in April 2011.It currently has 480 megawatts of installed capacity and supplies 31% of national energy demand while Changuinola I, in the Palo Seco protected forest, will add another 223 megawatts, supplying the additional 15% of energy demand with 1.050 megawatt hours of production.
The project Chan II is part of the agenda. It should provide another 213 megawatts. It is undergoing evaluation and the basic engineering phase. It also depends on the performance of the international financial market. The goal is to start operations in 2015, explained Gonzalez.
"The energy policy of the government should promote the development of hydroelectric projects because the country has idle capacity. Currently 55% of production is hydroelectric and 45% thermal. These numbers will change with Changuinola I," he stated.
Gonzalez said that the cost of producing one kilowatt of hydroelectric energy is almost twice that generated by thermal energy, so the government must improve incentives for hydroelectric energy, because it is more environmentally friendly.
Gonzalez said that the cost of producing one kilowatt of hydroelectric energy is almost twice that generated by thermal energy, so the government must improve incentives for hydroelectric energy, because it is more environmentally friendly.
The National Energy Plan 2009-2023 presented recently by the government, states in its objectives: to ensure the long-term supply, to promote the development of renewable energy sources. Its reference is based on the production and consumption information from 1990 to 2007.
The Secretariat of Energy of Panama reported that between 2009 and 2023 in a setting of residential and official energy saving, some projects such as 19 generation projects, 14 of which are hydroelectric plants producing 706.3 megawatts (54%), including Chan I, four thermoelectric plants supplying 473.5 megawatts (36%) and a 120-megawatt wind power project, would give a total of 1299.8 MW, with an investment of $1.158 million, that have been scheduled.
In this scenario, the majority of hydroelectric plants would start operating between 2009 and 2012 with 596 megawatts. Chan I will be the main station, and for that reason its manager acknowledged that they have a strategic role in this plan.
More than 1,000 tons of cement will be used, and for that reason facilities in the Port of Almirante, on the Caribbean Sea, have been built for unloading and transport under environmental preservation measures, which have already been approved by the National Environmental Authority (ANAM i), said Gonzalez.
This month the Changuinola River was diverted to dry its original bed and start building the foundations of the dam.
Environment and sustainable development
Around 6,000 of the 165.000 hectares of the Palo Seco forest have been given under concession to AES for the project, which will convert 1.300 acres into a 100-meter deep lake. This implies moving 170 Indian families living in the area as well as the fauna and flora which have their habitat there, says Gonzalez.
According to the Argentine biologist, Luis Cavanna, who conducted the study of flora and fauna in the middle basin of the Changuinola River, 1.265 species have been identified: 307 species of trees and shrubs, 479 of epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants), 64 mammals, 29 reptiles (snakes, lizards and turtles), 37 amphibians (frogs, toads and salamanders), 233 birds, 15 fish, 94 genera of aquatic invertebrates (insects, snails and others) and seven species of crustaceans (shrimp, crabs and similar).
"AES invested $1.3 million in the study that we believe must be shared, contributing to the development of the country," said Gonzalez.
AES operates in 28 countries around the world. in Latin American, it is in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama and Puerto Rico.
Forests are similar to those in the central Atlantic slope of Panama, but the epiphytic species are similar to those found in Costa Rica, with the particularity that this diversity is the most known so far for a very wet lowland tropical forest in the Neotropics, with jaguars, pumas, peccaries and tapirs, said Cavanna.
AES intends to move as many species before flooding to build the dam said Cavanna, who led the study on behalf of Montgomery-Watson Harza (MWH), a centenarian North American firm specializing in energy and environmental engineering, construction and management of water resources and whose operations were in charge of scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI).
The dam on the Changuinola River rises 75 meters above sea level. It will have a tunnel of 4 miles long and 12 meters in diameter that will carry water from the reservoir to the machine house, equipped with two turbines of 106 MW each.
The Changuinola River is one of the most abundant river of the country. For environmental purposes 10% of the annual flow, equivalent to 54 cubic meters per second, will be released from the dam to generate electricity for the region through a mini-hydroelectric plant of 9.5 megawatts.
Seventy percent of the resettlement of all affected Ngobe Indian families was achieved. About 100 families already have their new homes built or under construction and 77 are negotiating their removal, which implies a process of dialogue, explained Gonzalez.
Seventy percent of the resettlement of all affected Ngobe Indian families was achieved. About 100 families already have their new homes built or under construction and 77 are negotiating their removal, which implies a process of dialogue, explained Gonzalez.
He said that this clean energy project would provide $1 million for the conservation of the local species through a trust to be administered by the resettled communities, the government and AES. In addition, another initiative beneficial for communities is the sale of carbon credits, which could generate an income of $300,000 per year, equivalent to 20%, to promote sustainable environmental activities, he said.
Gonzalez also said that they have a plan to work with communities to help them exploit resources in a sustainable way, consequently training on tourist service is available.
"Definitely this country's region with abundant flora and fauna has an incredible potential to develop ecotourism. Bocas del Toro is an appealing destination for tourists. However, we know it would be valuable to have additional tourist attractions for visitors to enjoy. The roads being built and the new lake will make this place a real charm, " he stated.
