State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) has announced that the development of the largest powerhouse in the Maldives will begin next year.
Speaking to PSM News, Managing Director Ahmed Shareef said the project initially involved the provision of 50MW of electricity, but that discussions with the relevant authorities have resulted in the project expanding to provide 70MW of electricity. As such, he said the powerhouse will have a 100MW capacity and that the project is currently in its technical stage, which involves information-gathering and seeking consultancy with assistance from the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology.
Furthermore, Managing Director Shareef said STELCO is assessing the financial model and will soon open the project for proposals. He said that fieldwork will begin within three months.
The 100MW powerhouse will be developed adjacent to the 50MW powerhouse established in Hulhumale’ Phase I under the Fifth Power Project, which is the largest powerhouse project to be conducted in the Maldives.
STELCO is undertaking several projects to improve the quality of electricity services provided in the Greater Male’ Region. The state-owned utility company currently provides less than 100MW of electricity in Male’ City but is undertaking four projects to increase the power capacity in response to the rising population in Male’, as well as Hulhumale’ Phase I and II.
Additionally, STELCO announced plans to relocate smoke-emitting powerhouses, in response to the Parliament of the Maldives urging the company to raise the powerhouse smokestacks to prevent the smoke emissions from affecting nearby residents. Shareef said that the powerhouse smokestacks cannot be raised any further due to old age and shaky foundation. He also noted that building new smokestacks would be too costly and that it would be better to relocate the powerhouses and reduce the noise levels of the generators, as the current powerhouses were built without soundproofing. He added that there would be no interruptions to electricity services during the relocation, as the 50MW Fifth Power Project powerhouse in Hulhumale’ would be able to provide enough power to Male’.