Haiti - Politic : The Government relies on alternative energies and the international to fill its electricity deficit - HaitiLibre.com : Haiti news 7/7
Haiti - Politic : The Government relies on alternative energies and the international to fill its electricity deficit
According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), despite difficult socio-economic conditions, Haiti can offer opportunities to renewable energy companies wishing to participate in efforts to improve the electricity sector in Haiti highlighting that solar resources and wind turbines in Haiti and decentralized micro-networks, can play a key role in extending coverage in areas not covered by the Electricity of Haiti (EDH)
A study by the Sustainable Energy Institute of the University of Bostonsouligne "a large part of the activities undertaken in Haiti to improve access to electricity is focused on the development of micro-grids intended to bring electricity in rural areas where the EDH network has never arrived [...]"
The Government of Haiti has submitted a request for $31.5 million to IDB (regional) for a US $49 million program aimed at strengthening the electricity sector in the country. Contributions from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) of $6.5 million and the EU Investment Fund for the Caribbean (± $ 10 million) could also be added to supplement program funding.
23 million of the 49 million would finance two solar plants, one of 8 megawatts (MW) and the other of 4 MW, of which 11 million would be allocated to mini-grids and the rest would be devoted to governance, project management and other related costs.
The commercial department of the US Department of Commerce recalls that only 38% of Haitians have access to electricity. In addition to hydroelectric power from the Péligre dam (54 Mw) and about 4 MW solar, all energy in Haiti is produced from imported fossil fuels emphasizing "There is an urgent need to repair and expand the capacity of existing power plants across the country. Haiti has an installed capacity of 250 to 400 Mw, but only 60% of the installed capacity is reliable, because many production units require rehabilitation and repair work. The total unmet demand for residential and commercial electricity in the country is estimated at around 500 MW per day[...]".
