Hydroelectric Power in Viti Levu - Fiji

The Nadarivatu Hydroelectric Power Plant project (or NHP) includes the following building blocks:

- A 30m high concrete gravity dam (weir), including three radial gates and two sluice gates (Korolevu weir – upper Sigatoka river);

- 2 km of tunnel (3.2 m x 3.2 m horse shoe cross-section) including intake structure and screens;

- 1.5 km of 2.2 m diameter buried steel penstock pipeline;

- 42 MW powerhouse incorporating two vertical Pelton machines (beside Ba river);

- 1 km of 132 kV transmission and switching station with a connection into the existing transmission system.

The water passes through the power scheme and discharges into the Ba River.

The concrete dam (weir) has a live storage of 1,000,000 m³ of water and there is minimum impact on the trees and fauna due to steep rocky terrain on both sides of the rivers. Therefore, the environmental impact is small compared to other types of power generation alternatives.

The main objective of the project is to help Fiji’s rising demand for energy due to economic growth and to contribute to the environmental, social and economic sustainability by increasing the renewable energy’s share of the total Fijian electricity consumption.

NHP with a power capacity of 42.0 MW uses the renewable hydro potential of the Korolevu weir to generate electricity at the Nadarivatu power station and to supply it to the Viti Levu Interconnected grid, contributing to the reduction of the greenhouse-gas emission factor of Fiji’s energy system. The project activity reduces emissions by avoiding electricity generation through fossil fuel consumption.

For more information on this project, please click here.

For more information on social benefits of the project click here.