Completed Development AidData Chinese Aid

Chinese Government provides grant for 3MW Vaturu Hydropower Project

Funder	Unspecified Chinese Government Institution
Recipient Organization	Government of Fiji
Country	Fiji
Start Date	Jan 01, 2004
End Date	Sep 15, 2033
Duration	10,850 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`62759`

Grant Description

The 3MW Vaturu Hydropower Project is a small-scale run-of-river hydropower project implemented by Sustainable Energy Limited (SEL), a joint venture between the Fijian Electricity Authority (FEA) and an Australian project developer, Pacific Hydro Limited (PHL).

The $12 million project consists of a new power station that makes use of the water pressure to develop up to 3MW of renewable electricity, and the generation technology is a single horizontal Pelton-type two jet turbine coupled to a generator rated at 3MW.

A large water storage at Vaturu Dam provides water to the Nagado Water Treatment Plant via a 17 km long pipeline system. Part of the pipeline was to be upgraded through the project and it provides a gross operating head of 321m. Water is first directed to the power station then the tailwater is gravity fed into the water treatment plant.

Energy which had previously been wasted through pressure reduction valves can now be utilized to produce electricity.

Water is delivered to the treatment plant all year round so the Vaturu power plant is expected to have a high capacity factor producing an annual energy of 20,00MWh.

The power plant is grid-connected and located at the Nagado Water Treatment works in Sabeto city within Nandi Province on the island of Viti Levu. Construction commenced in June 2004 and the the power plant was formally opened on May 1, 2006.

This plant makes use of the water that is released from a water supply reservoir in the western region and it is expected to deliver 19 GWh annually.

According to a 2015 speech by Fiji's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mereseini Vuniwaqa, the Chinese government provided ‘aid’ to help finance the Vaturu Hydropower Project. However, the amount, nature, and timing of the aid that was provided is unknown.

📋 Staff Comments

This project is also known as the 2.8MW Nagado Hydropower Project.According to the World Bank, FEA issued secured loans to SEL amounting to FJD 10.9 million. These loans were to be repaid over 10-years at a 7.5 percent interest rate, though it is unclear if FEA first obtained the loan(s) from the Chinese Government. However, given that there is no official record from the Government of Fiji of a Chinese Government loan for the 2.8MW Vaturu Hydropower Project, AidData has flow-coded this project as grant-financed fo the time being.

📚 Sources & References

Project Information Document
China’s South-South Cooperation with Pacific Island Countries in the Context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Speech by Hon. Mereseini Vuniwaqa Fiji's Acting Minister for Foreign Affirs
China’s development aid to Fiji: motive and method
China’s development aid to Fiji: motive and method
FIJI ELECTRICITY AUTHORITY ANNUAL REPORT 2005
PROJECT APPRAISAL DOCUMENT ON A PROPOSED LOAN IN THE AMOUNT OF US$34.88 MILLION TO THE FIJI ELECTRICITY AUTHORITY...
FEA ANNUAL REPORT 2006
Pacific Hydro in carbon sale first
FIJI POISED TO SELL EMISSIONS CREDIT UNDER PROTOCOL
CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM SMALL-SCALE PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT (CDM-PDD) VATURU AND WAINIKASOU HYDRO PROJECTS
FIJI
REVISED MONITORING PLANfor theVaturu and Wainikasou Small Scale Hydro Project(both located on Viti Levu
Fiji and bundled as a single CDM Project)
Role of the Reserve Bank of Fiji in Facilitating Private Sector Participation in Promoting Energy Security
FINAL REPORTTHEMATIC ASSESSMEN Loan applications and disbursements are still being received and processed as the projects continue to evolve. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are in place to ensure project continuity.