The people of the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community nation of Suriname have taken control of a major hydroelectricity project from U.S. bauxite major Alcoa and officials say a new and sustained effort would be made to light up jungle communities not previously served by the previous owners.
The January 1 takeover of the Afobaka Dam by the administration of Pres. Desi Bouterse, came after five years of tough negotiations as Alcoa winds down major aspects of its decades old bauxite mining projects in the country.
The conclusion of talks and the signing of termination agreements come as campaigning for general elections on May 25 ramps up with the end of the holiday season. Some opposition parties are already complaining that the change of ownership and the media hype this has generated could only serve to help the campaign of Bouterse in the coming weeks.
The dam in southeastern Brokopondo district provides up to 180 megawatts of power, much more than the country of about 500,000 people need for daily activities. In fact, the new dam owner, state energy company Staatsolie, says that up to 70 megawatts of power are not used by anyone largely because there is need to harness more water to maximize the full 180 megawatt capacity of the dam.
Chairman Rudolf Elias says engineers will soon examine the possibility of harnessing water from nearby creeks and small rivers to add to the volume now being channeled to the dam and its turbines to generate additional amounts of electricity. If this is successful, barring droughts and periods of prolonged dry weather, areas not now served with electricity in the interior could cash in and be powered up.
“We must look at all possibilities to ensure that we as Suriname can get as much energy as possible from the dam. The aim is to find out how energy can be generated as cheaply as possible for the whole of Suriname.”
He said extensive studies will be carried out to determine the feasibility of bringing more water to the dam in the coming months as Staatsolie takes control of the decades old project on behalf of the state. Alcoa had controlled the project for close to 100 years. Bauxite production which had been the country’s main export earner for years, has declined with Alcoa’s scaling down of operations in recent years owing largely to declining reserves in its concession areas.
There was some level of national pride and euphoria as politicians made the most of the dam takeover as 2019 came to a close. Businessman Dilip Sardjoe, who chaired the national negotiating committee, said the country breathed a sigh of collective relief as the negotiations ended and as Suriname paid its last set of electricity bills to Alcoa.
“For five years we have been struggling under the most difficult circumstances and today we can proudly say, we have completed it. For five years, the president has given us unwavering support and has never lost faith. We had to fight against Alcoa on the one hand and our own people on the other. The president has never made us feel distrustful and we now have a wonderful moment. We are proud of what we have today. “
The country goes to the polls in five months with Pres. Bouterse’s National Democratic Party seeking a third five year term. Bouterse himself faces one of his toughest challenges and campaigns as yet as a court recently sentenced him to 20 years in prison for his part in the 1982 murders of 15 government opponents during military rule in Suriname. Opposition parties are fixing to take advantage of this but the NDP is countering with some major national projects including a massive road paving exercise and low cost house construction as the electoral clock ticks down to late May.
