Generation Manager of Dominica’s sole electricity company DOMLEC, Dave Stamp has revealed that it will cost the company close to EC$2-million to repair some of the infrastructural damages done to the PADU Headworks at the Trafalgar Power Station following the Passage of Tropical Storm Erika last year.
Stamp made that statement during a media tour of DOMLEC’s Hydro Plants in the Roseau Valley on Thursday.
“As we indicated before the restoration and works at this station and along the roadway will be running in the $2 million EC range,” Stamp said. “We have completed the tendering process and we are making our final selection of the successful bidders.”
According to him, that process is expected to be completed in the next two to three weeks.
“At that stage we will be entering into a contract and we expect work to start sometime in June,” Stamp stated. “This will probably the first place that we start given that we have no temporary structure in place in order to protect this.”
He further stated that DOMLEC is pushing to complete that project before the end of the year.
“The quicker we can have this restored is better for us,” he noted.
Stamp went on to say that should any event like Erika occur, “then if we lose this structure and the intake diversion system upstream then we lose a serious proportion of the output from PADU.”
He indicated that the company has done some temporary works on the roadway that was easier to access.
Stamp said DOMLEC will be working with other agencies to also look at works on the roadway.
He believes that it will be a challenge working on the structure because of flooding and the hurricane season. “If it is a very active hurricane season and especially if it is a flood-related hurricane season, because our biggest challenge at this location and at the location along the road would be flooding; so if there are any flooding events then there might be delays and there will be difficulties but we will have to deal with those when it comes,” he said.
In terms of accessing the site, Stamp said the company is working out access to the site via other arrangements with private landowners.
Hydro Supervisor of DOMLEC, Charles McClean said renovation works will be done to the system to ensure that it is protected from the river in the future.
During the tour members of the media were given the opportunity to view the damages caused by the storm both in Laudat and Trafalgar.
They were also briefed by DOMLEC personnel who also formed part of the tour to have a better understanding of the operations of the company.
Domlec keep counting millions in losses and gains but I wonder if they have heard of HYDRO. Oops …sorry they neglected hydro years ago in favor of diesel and passing the high costs to Dominicans. Treasonous!
Boi I fraid hurricane, Dominica cannot survive another disaster.