Samoa on track for renewable energy target

Transcript

Samoa's Electric Power Corporation's general manager says the country is on track to meet the government's aim of being 100 percent reliant on renewable energy by 2017.

This comes after the EPC signed agreements for a second wind farm and a number of small hydro electric dams.

The first wind farm was commissioned last year at Vailoa Aleipata.

General manager, Tologata Tile, told Don Wiseman that output from the new farm will be substantial.

TOLOGATA TILE: The total installed capacity of the proposed new wind farm is about 25 megawatts. That is the installed capacity but the output expected of it is 7.5 megawatts.

DON WISEMAN: Yes which is substantial isn't it, for Samoa?

TT: Yes

DW: So what is total energy use in Samoa?

TT: Well our total energy used is about 20 megawatts that is our peak demand.

DW: So we are talking about a sizeable amount of the need at the moment. You already have a hydro dam, you are going to look at another hydro dam as well?

TT: Yes we are developing five new potential sites for hydro. But those are micro hydro, small scales.

DW: There have been issues, it has to be said with the current large one there on Upolu, haven't there?

TT: Mm Hmm, yes yes. We had this unpleasant smell similar to what you have at Rotorua, it is just the lack of oxygen at the bottom of the dam forming up some sort of sulfuric combination there. So it is just the odour that comes from the lack of oxygen.

DW: Yes okay and is there a solution?

TT: Yeah we managed to locate some companies who are doing that - providing the solution for that. And we have already issued a tender for the company to design and install the aeration at the dam. And the second option is to install a floating intake. So that we can take only the freshwater at the top down to the power house instead of drawing it from the bottom of the dam.

DW: Now the Samoa government wants Samoa to be a 100 percent dependent on renewable energy by what date?

TT: By the end of 2017.

DW: Will you make it?

TT: With the power purchase agreements that we have in the pipeline and some we already signed yes we can meet it.