Bringing Power to Haiti
NRECA International completed the Caracol Community Electrification Program (CCEP) in northern Haiti in June 2014 with financing from USAID. The CCEP developed a distribution system to commercialize power from the Caracol Industrial Park generation station to the town of Caracol and neighboring communities surrounding the industrial park—24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Today, NRECA International is operating the 10MW HFO-diesel power plant located in the Caracol Industrial Park as part of the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Pilot Project for Sustainable Electricity Distribution (PPSELD). The distribution of electric service has been extended to four additional towns – Terrier Rouge, Limonade, Trou Du Nord, and Saint Suzanne. PPSELD now serves almost 12,000 users, and may expand to serve additional communities in the future.
The only region in Haiti with reliable electricity
PPSELD is currently the only utility in Haiti providing reliable electric service 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. NRECA has staffed the PPSELD utility with Haitian managers, operational personnel, and administrative staff and has deployed a team of expatriate advisors to guide the Haitian team.
An electric cooperative in the South
In southwestern Haiti, NRECA International helped to establish the Cooperative Electrique de l’Arrondisement des Coteaux (CEAC), an electric cooperative providing member-owners in Coteaux, Port-a-Piment, and Roche-a-Bateau with affordable and reliable power. NRECA International partnered with Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) to design and construct a solar-diesel hybrid system for the co-op, which will serve 1600 consumers. The project has been made possible with support from the United Nations Environmental Program (with financing from the Norwegian government), USAID, and the Inter-American Development Bank.
The force of nature: Hurricane Matthew
Just 13 months after CEAC turned the lights on, Hurricane Matthew devastated its power system and much of the Southwestern coast on October 4, 2016. The NRECA International team worked with CEAC to get the service back on in mid-January, 2017.
Volunteers
NRECA International’s Haiti projects have benefited greatly from the expertise of volunteer power linemen and other staff from NRECA’s members, the U.S.-based rural electric co-ops. Recruited and managed by NRECA International, these volunteers work closely to build and upgrade power lines, offer training and mentor local staff on how to successfully run a utility.
Partners
- Government of Norway
- Inter-American Development Bank
- United States Agency for International Development
- UN Environmental Programme
- Solar Electric Light Fund