Bulelavata Hydroelectric Project

Country: Solomon Islands

Location: Bulelavata village, Western Province

Commissioned: 1 December 1999

Turbine: Pelena single-nozzle Crossflow

Electrical Rating: 24kW

Client: APACE

Turbine Supplier: Pelena Energy

Civil Works Design: Pelena Energy

Civil Works: Bulelavata community with supervision and support from APACE and Pelena Energy

Weir: Pelena standard concrete buttressed

Hydraulic Works Design: Pelena Energy

Hydraulic Works: Bulelavata community with supervision and support from APACE and Pelena Energy

Controls: APACE

Electrical Works: Bulelavata community with supervision and support from APACE

Gross Head: 27.5m

Penstock: 232.1m of PN4.5 PVC pipe 250DN Series 1

Alternator: Originally installed 1999: Stamford (Newage/Markon) 2-bearing bare shaft – model UCI 224D.S/N: 991412/1

Photos

The Bulelavata weir uses the standard Pelena buttress-type weir. Built by hand mixing only in 1999, it has survived numerous flooding events as well as a nearby M8.2 earthquake in 2007. It provides a ponded pool upstream to allow debris settling before (some of) the water enters the penstock (pipe). Photo date 12FEB2008 by PL.

Children from Bulelavata Village near the water of the Roviana Lagoon. On this particular day, a high tide resulted in flooding of much of the shoreline, reportedly due to a combination of the dropping of the Island of New Georgia due to the 2007 M8.2 earthquake, and rising sea levels due to Climate Change. Photo date 12FEB2008 by PL.

Bulelavata River cascades at the point where they discharge directly into the Roviana Lagoon. The turbine house is not shown but is just to the left of this picture. Note the small dugout canoe as well as community members washing clothes in the stream. Photo date 17JUN2011 by PL.

Aerial photo of Roviana Lagoon. The village of Bulelavata is centre-right. Beulah Provincial Secondary School is the collection of white-coloured building centre-left of the photo. Photo date 18MAY2009 by PL.