Chinese Government sends team of hydropower experts to inspect and propose a preliminary restoration plan for the Moco-Moco Hydropower Plant

Project narrative

The Moco-Moco Hydropower Plant was built in the 1990s by the Government of Guyana with technical and financial assistance from the Chinese Government. Then, on July 7, 2003, the hydropower plant was shut down after its water transmission pipeline was damaged by landslides. On February 26, 2004, a team of 5 hydropower experts from Beifang Investigation, Design & Research Co., Ltd. (Chinese: 中水北方勘测设计研究有限责任公司) sent by the Chinese Government arrived in Guyana to inspect the Moco-Moco Hydropower Plant and propose a preliminary restoration plan. The Chinese team of experts was expected to work in Guyana for 12 days (until March 9, 2004). On March 9, 2004, the Government Information Agency (GINA) published the findings from the Chinese team, which projected that the station could be reactivated within a year and recommended that Guyana rebuild the damaged pipelines and add protective measures to prevent damage from future landslides, estimating the cost at $500,000 USD. The team also added an alternative proposal that would have prevented any future dam failures, at the cost of an additional six months of work and a cost of between $2 million USD to $2.5 million USD, and recommended that more geo-technical surveys be conducted to ensure the viability of restoring the station and if relocation is necessary.