The HydroTimor weBlog

The Norwegian Minister for Finance visited the Gariuai project 11 December, accompanied by the Norwegian Ambassador and the UN Deputy SRSG, as well as several other visitors!

Minister Kristin Halvorsen (centre front) paid a short visit to Timor-Leste to attend the opening of the new Embassy Section Office in Dili, and wanted to see the hydropower project supported by Norway. Ambassador Bjørn Blokhus (left front) covers Indonesia and Timor-Leste, and accompanied the minister. UN DSRSG Finn Reske-Nielsen also joined for the Gariuai visit, and due to time constraints they arrived in UN helicopter. The group visited the Power House, and showed great interest in the construction and admired the quality of the work. Norway has vast experience when it comes to hydro power development, but the minister admitted that this was the first such construction she had visited which was blessed through a traditional ceremony (see previous blog post)!

Photo: Basil Rolandsen (www.bouvet.info)

Extending the penstock through the rough terrain near the dams requires finding the optimal path.

Norwegian Project Consultant Jan Høiseth just completed a visit to the site, where he reassessed the route the penstock will follow the final stretch up to the ponds. In close cooperation with Construction Manager Vasco Pinto and Project Adviser Alf Adeler, he measured angles and calculated the path to follow. This allows the workers to continue digging through the last hills, and we still hope the project may be completed first quarter next year, in spite of the coming rains…

Photo: Basil Rolandsen (www.bouvet.info)

The penstock, the pipe transporting the water from the dams to the power station, are approaching the dams.

The rainy season near, workers are digging hard to complete the ditches so that the penstock may be laid and covered again. Hard rain will make this work difficult, and may lead to delays… To add to the challenges, the terrain close to the dams is very steep and requires digging through a hill. Thus, heavy equipment is used, like this excavator, which digs a deep trench through a hill just before the penstock will split into two smaller pipes leading to the two ponds.

Photo: Basil Rolandsen (www.bouvet.info)

The intake ponds in Garuiuai are progressing rapidly. These two ponds are collecting water from the springs in Builai and Wainalale.

The construction done now is of a small earth fill dam at each spring. This will create a small pool in order to raise the water level sufficiently for collecting the water into the penstock (the pipe to the power station about 187 metres below). A concrete base containing technical parts, including the intake connecting to the penstock, is more or less finished. The rest of the dams are made by compacted soil with a core of ironwood. The dams are sealed with geotextile, with stone pitched surface.

Casting the intake part of the Builai dam.
Photo: Basil Rolandsen (www.bouvet.info)

Things are happening in Gariuai! The penstock (pipeline) is extending. The Powerhouse is shaping up. The intake ponds construction has started.

There has been huge progress in constructing the powerhouse. This is critical work, demanding accuracy and high-quality craftmanship. The building will soon hold the turbine, connected to the end of the penstock and the generator. As even small errors here may be dangerous and destructive, the HydroTimor team is following the work closely to ensure compliance with the plans. They report that the work so far has progressed well, and are impressed with the local construction managers, saying this proves that local managers may do high-quality work. Good for our future as a nation!

Construction of the powerhouse is progressing well.
Photo: Basil Rolandsen (www.bouvet.info)

Respeito ba fiar tradicionais nebe sei forti iha Timor laran, inkluindo iha suco Gariuai, Objeito mak hanesan Be matan, Fatuk no Aihun nebe konsidera hanesan fatin “Lulik”. Ofende lulik bele hamoso konsekunsia ba ema nebe ofende nune’e mos ba komunidade nebe hela besik area ne’e. Ofenda lulik iha be matan bele hamosu konsekuensia hanesan be bele maran.

Uma stasaun elektricidade situado iha area sagrado (relaciona ho lulik), besik fatuk lulik. Atu seguru ba succeso ba konstrusaun, e nune’e mos saude ba trabalhadores no ba komunidade local nia futuro, ami realiza ceremonia traditional ho nune’e bele hetan licensa atu halo konstrusaun iha fatin lulik. Kostume ceremonia hirak ne’e halao wain hira atu kuda to’os ou natar iha area nebe foun, kolheita batar ou hare no mos aktividade seluk.

Ceremonia realiza husi Sr. Arlindo Sarmento no inklui mos oferta manu, tua, bua no malus (material ba cermonia rituala) . Rán husi manu nebe oho no tua sei kari ou fakar iha fatin konstrusaun uma produsan elektrisidade, bua no malus sei rai besik fatuk nebe konsidera hanesan fatin lulik. E depois manu na’an nebe prepara ona sei fahe ba participante hotu. Ho nune’e projekto bele hetan kondisaun nebe seguru iha futuro.

Lia nain ba ceremonia ritual ne’e sei hatais ropa tradicionais, sei oho manu hanesan parte husi ceremonia hodi hetan lisensa ba konstrusaun uma produsaun energia husi lulik (bei ala sira).
Foto : Kassius Klei Ximenes

Respect for traditional beliefs is strong throughout the country, including in Gariuai. Objects like springs, stones and trees may be sacred homes to a god, or “lulik” in Tetum. Offending the lulik causes problems both for the offender and for the people living in the area: Offending the lulik of a spring may cause the water to dry out.

The Gariuai powerhouse is situated at a sacred site, next to the lulik in a large stone. To secure a successful construction of the house, as well as good health for the workers and the future of the local people, we performed a traditional ceremony in order to obtain permission for the construction from the lulik. Such ceremonies are often used when cultivating new land, building a new farm, planting crops and for other purposes.

The ceremony was performed by Mr Arlindo Sarmento, and included offering a chicken, wine and betel nuts. Blood from the chicken and wine was spilled on the powerhouse site, and the nuts buried beside the lulik. Then the bird was prepared and eaten by the participants. Thus the project is blessed and it’s future secured.

The ceremonial master, dressed in traditional garb, cut the throat of a chicken as part of the ceremony to obtain permission for the construction of the powerhouse from the lulik.
Photo: Kassius Klei Ximenes

The power house site has been cleared for vegetation and the digging has started. Steel trusses, doors and windows are under construction, either at the Salesian training centre in Fatumaka, or in Dili. All drawings for the construction are received. The work is supervised by Mr Arlindo Sarmento, a Dili based contractor of ViqZum/Lemorai Hamutuk.

The power house will contain the turbine, generator, transformer and other necessary equipment. It is expected to be completed during September, and the turbine to be installed shortly after. Final testing will however not be possible before the completion of the penstock, due early 2008.

Local workers digging the powerhouse site. Behind, discussing details described in the drawings, we see (from left) Mr Vasco Pinto (ViqZum), Mr Alf Adeler (HydroTimor) and Mr Arlindo Sarmento (Lemorai).
Photo: Basil Rolandsen (www.bouvet.info)

It may not be a real power station, but at least there is a solar panel installed at the power house site now…

HydroTimor’s Kassius Klei Ximenes assisted by Construction Manager Vasco Pinto installed the panel, which charges a battery to supply electricity providing light to the site office and the staff living quarters.

Solar power is a resource HydroTimor will install another place, as well: The Bereleu primary school near Liqidoe will soon receive solar panels, which will help students finishing their home work, as well as benefiting the staff preparing for next day. The school has been very helpful to HydroTimor during water measurements in the area, and we thought this might be a nice way to say “thank you”. They seem to agree…

Photo: Basil Rolandsen (www.bouvet.info)

Heavy rains during March to May led to some delays, affecting both digging of ditches and transportation of pipes, but the work is now progressing satisfactory again.

The penstock (i.e pipeline transporting water from the sources to the generator) are divided into two sections: The larger section, consisting of 400 mm pipes will be 1440 meters long, and now about 820 meters are completed, including a small pipe for signal cable. The smaller section, consisting of 250 mm pipes connect the larger pipes with the two intakes, a total 900 meters (one stretch of 350 m and one of 550 m).

The larger section is expected to be completed during October, and the smaller stretches probably not until early 2008. The terrain is very difficult, the work is demanding, and the completion will depend on the onset of the next rainy season…

Photo: Basil Rolandsen (www.bouvet.info)

Due to the heavy rains recently, there will be delays in the site work.