Project Details
| Project Name | Tina River Hydropower Project |
| Project Location | Guadalcanal Province, Solomon Islands |
| Division | Defence |
| End user | Tina Hydropower Limited |
| Client | Hyundai Engineering Co., Ltd |
| OPEC project manager | Mike Ransom |
| Year completed | 2020 |
Project Description
Hyundai Engineering Co., Ltd, was appointed as the EPC Contractor by the Tina Hydropower Limited, to carry out the design, supply and installation of all equipment and materials, including pre-commissioning, commissioning, start-up, initial operation and performance test of the Tina River Hydropower Development Project (TRHDP) on the Tina River, Guadalcanal Province, Solomon Islands. The TRHDP is a National project of the Solomon Islands, managed by a dedicated Project Office under the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification, (MMERE).
OPEC Scope
OPEC was engaged by Hyundai Engineering Co., Ltd to undertake 100% area Geophysical (Digital) Survey and follow up target investigations of the TRDHP construction footprint (approx. 26ha) to eliminate the risk of Unexploded Ordnance generated during the Battle of Guadalcanal between United States and Japanese forces. These works were undertaken with support of local companies to provide logistical support including vegetation reduction, plant support and traffic control. A total of 49 items of UXO were located and transferred to the Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP) Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) element for disposal.
Challenges / Solutions
Developing country remote overseas location.
Challenging terrain and conditions, e.g., mountain terrain along the Tina river and with very steep abutments.
High humidity and temperatures. Extreme wet weather.
Innovations
UltraTEM-IV Advanced Geophysical Classification Technology
OPECs selection of the UltraTEM-IV Advanced Geophysical Classification Technology enabled the differentiation of targets such as scrap metal, cans, wire pieces, cartridges etc. from those items considered to present the geophysical characteristics of an item of UXO or Explosive Ordnance (EO). This reduced the initial interpretation target list from approx. 25,000 targets to 4,238 providing significant cost savings to the Client.
Local Content
Engagement of local villagers to assist with, devegetation, geophysical survey, target investigation and traffic control activities, greatly assisted with language barriers and culturally sensitive situations.
