Electrical service hub to be set up at Bina Hill

Georgetown, GINA, June 10, 2016

The Hinterland Electrification Company Inc. is looking to establish a hub at Bina Hill that would provide services to the community and serve as a pilot project for possible expansion.

The communities of Lethem, Port Kaituma and Mahadia have electricity grids that are fed by diesel power generators and solar energy systems. These networks are being expanded.

This year, more households in Orealla, Siparuta, Moraikabai and St Cuthbert’s Mission are benefitting from solar electricity as these communities would have grown over the years.

 

 

 

 

Chief Executive Officer of the Company, Horace Williams, said that the hub would not only provide technical skills to support the community but would help to determine if similar centres should be established in other parts of the hinterland.

According to Williams, it is challenging for the company to carry out inspections of all the projects that would have been completed. “So we are trying to work out a solution so that we could give support to all the communities benefitting from the electrical systems,” he explained.

Over 500 residents from various communities were trained in solar energy maintenance, generator operation and maintenance and grid network. “We also continue to provide ongoing training to provide support,” Williams explained.

The plan for 2017 is to focus on providing energy supply for community buildings such as health clinics, schools, and community centres among others, Williams said.

The criteria developed are based on the type of institutions in the community, the population size and the development plans of the community.

Thereafter surveys will be conducted to identify the specific energy and design systems needed in each of the communities, Williams explained.

Additionally, the Hinterland Electrification Company Incorporation also plans to install a solar system at the Court of Policy at Fort Island. The Court of Policy which was established in 1732 by the Dutch authorities for legislation and administration is a National Heritage site which houses a museum. The building is not receiving electricity “so we’re installing a solar system to provide lighting and electricity to power devices and equipment at that location,” Williams said.

Williams said it is expected that “schools will have electricity supply and health clinics to power things like refrigerators for storing vaccinations and medicine as well as upgrading the hinterland.”