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Hydro-Electric Power Plant in Liberia
Hummingbird Resources, the multi-project gold company, has announced a positive preliminary report from Knight Piesold Consulting for the proposed hydro-electric power plant in south-east Liberia, ±10km from Hummingbird’s 4.2Moz Dugbe Gold Project.
This significant development follows the signature of a Collaboration Agreement for the funding and development of the HEP signed in April 2015 with IFC InfraVentures, the IFC Global Infrastructure Project Development Fund, and Aldwych International, a leading energy company active in the growing economies of Africa.
Highlights:
· Report demonstrates a range of hydropower options that would be highly beneficial in the development of a sustainable and low-cost source of power for the Dugbe Gold Project, as well as the south-east Liberian region
· Assessed four run-of-river hydropower options ranging from 15MW to 30MW with varying intakes
· A hydropower development on the Dugbe River represents a legacy asset that will benefit the region by providing low cost renewable energy long after mine closure to the communities in the region
· Pre-Feasibility Assessment will be finalised on completion of additional hydrological studies and topographic mapping (satellite survey) – targeting final report in Q2 2016
· Pre-Feasibility Study funded (circa US$265,000) by IFC InfraVentures as part of the Collaboration Agreement
Dan Betts, CEO of Hummingbird Resources, said: “We are highly encouraged by the preliminary study for the development of a HEP plant in south-eastern Liberia which, if developed, will enable a sustainable and low-cost source of power for our Dugbe Gold Project and secure a source of domestic power supply for the local region. With the Pre-Feasibility study being fully funded by IFC InfraVentures, Hummingbird is ideally positioned to capitalise on the HEP development whilst mitigating risk and capital exposure. We also believe the HEP scheme will create a catalyst for growth in the region and provide a significant potential operating cost saving for the development of the Dugbe Gold Project.”
The Company is considering the development of a run-of-river (ROR) hydroelectric facility to support the development and operation of its Dugbe mining operation in the south-west region of Liberia. Hummingbird has instructed KP to conduct a Pre-Feasibility assessment of the potential hydropower development on the Dugbe River and its major tributaries. The Pre-Feasibility report has been issued in draft form, as a preliminary assessment of the project’s viability and it will be updated in final form once additional hydrological studies and topographic mapping (satellite survey) have been completed.
The previous desktop HEP scoping study considered an operational mine power demand of 30 MW. However, the updated average power demand for the Dugbe Gold Project is forecast at 16 MW but with additional capacity for the local region to address the expected peak demands of 20 to 30 MW. KP has therefore assessed a range of hydropower project alternatives, including:
· Alternative 1 – 30 MW project with 3 intakes, on Dugbe River, Botou River and Geebo Creek
· Alternative 2 – 25 MW project with 2 intakes on Dugbe River and Botou River
· Alternative 3 – 20 MW project with 1 intake on Dugbe River
· Alternative 4 – 15 MW project with 1 intake on Dugbe River
The draft Pre-Feasibility hydropower study has been based on a mixture of regional rainfall data and topographical information ranging from 1m LiDAR data near the proposed powerhouse site, up to the 10m national topographic data. The study has so far included the following tasks: a site visit carried out in May 2015; stream gauging; a review of rainfall data; developing project concepts for the four alternative options; preparation of energy generation; capital cost estimation; and a review of licencing requirements and permitting.
