Tina River Hydropower Development Project: Representatives from the World Bank (Renee Berthome, Task Team Leader; Khine Wynn, Environmental Specialist; Marista Kapini, Social Development Specialist; Sam Ziokera, IT Specialist) conducted a site visit to the Tina River Hydropower Development Project on 4 December, reaffirming their commitment to ensuring compliance with safety standards and environmental protocols. The visit, part of the Project Office’s weekly site inspections, brought together members of the Project Office team, including Mandus Boselalu (E&S Officer), Baltazare Rongo (CLO), Joel Zole (CLO), Sahibzada (new ESSM), and Daniel Tuhanuku (new Environmental and Social Coordinator). Representatives from Tina Hydropower Limited (THL), including …

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December 17, 2024, Central Guadalcanal – Votes have been counted and winners announced in a historic day that saw over 2,000 eligible community members from the Malango and Bahomea regions turn up to cast ballots in the Community Benefits Sharing (CBS) Fund election held on Thursday, 12 December 2024. The day of polling at the World Outreach Christian Centre in Lungga, was held to form a Board of Trustees (BoT) and Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Bahomea and Malango Community Benefit Sharing Trust Association, signifying a positive move towards an inclusive and fair benefit sharing program for Tina River Hydropower …

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November 28, 2024, Central Guadalcanal – The Bahomea and Malango Community Benefit Sharing Trust Association has finalised registrations and nominations for the upcoming elections for the Board of Trustees (BoT) and Community Advisory Committee (CAC) with 2500 members registered to vote. People from over 70 Tina catchment communities are set to elect 4 Board of Trustees and 14 Community Advisory Committee members via ballot on 12 December 2024. The Community Benefit Sharing (CBS) Fund will provide collective, non-cash benefits to core landowners and the wider project host communities to promote sustainable development, enhance socio-economic conditions, and encourage active community participation. The Fund, …

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November 20, 2024, Central Guadalcanal – The Literacy and Numeracy Training Program under the Tina River Hydropower Community Benefit Sharing Project (CBSP) has successfully graduated its first group of participants, marking a significant milestone in the initiative’s journey. Ten women from the communities of Valekocha in Bahomea and Pamphylia in Malango completed the six-week program, setting the stage for broader community development.The training, conducted in partnership with the Literacy Association of Solomon Islands (LASI), aims to equip participants with foundational literacy and numeracy skills, including basic reading and writing in Solomon Islands Pidjin and essential arithmetic. As part of CBSP Phase …

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November 4, 2024, Central Guadalcanal – Tina Hydropower Limited, Project Company for the Tina River Hydropower Development Project, have hosted a ceremony at site to mark the much-anticipated commencement of the main works, including the dam and powerhouse. High level dignitaries from the Solomon Islands Government attended the November 4 celebrations, as well as Korean Government officials, senior representatives from K-water, community members and tribal leaders and representatives from project’s financiers and partners. The event opened with a traditional dance performance by local children, women and men from the Tina catchment communities followed by a progress report on current construction activities delivered by …

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October 29, 2024, Central Guadalcanal – The Tina River Hydropower Development Project is making quick progress as construction reaches the dam, marking a crucial phase in the project timeline.  Final earthworks are being completed on the access road at Lot 2-2 which consists of 2.7 kms of winding road leading to the dam across challenging terrain. With earthworks in full swing, the construction of the cofferdam and diversion culvert has commenced, and river diversion work is scheduled for early of 2025. Visuals of the site shows extensive slope cutting activities with a total of 550,000 cubic metres of soil excavated allowing for the road from …

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October 18, 2024 – Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands – Women from communities in the Tina River Hydropower Development catchment came together to mark International Day of Rural Women (IDRW) and World Food Day (WFD) this week on October 15 and 16, with a celebratory event at the Garivera Nature Park. People from the Mbahomea, Malatoha and Belaha communities took part in a variety of cultural and educational activities which was supported by the Gender Action Plan (GAP) program team from the Tina Project Office.This year’s theme for International Day of Rural Women, “Rural Women Confront the Global Cost of Living Crisis” …

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3 October 2024, Honiara, Solomon Islands – The Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification (MMERE) have launched phase 2 of the Community Benefit Sharing Project (CBSP), a critical initiative supporting the Tina River Hydropower Development Project. The launch event took place at the Mendana Hotel in Honiara on Monday 30th, with the Permanent Secretary for Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification Dr Christopher Vehe and Ingo Wiederhofer, Practice Manager for East Asia and Pacific Social Sustainability and Inclusion from the World Bank leading the program.Over 50 people attended with representatives from the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification, Ministry …

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July 15, 2024, Central Guadalcanal – The Community Benefit Sharing Project — Phase 2 (CBSP-2) has engaged the Literacy Association of Solomon Islands (LASI) to deliver training to the Bahomea and Malango communities as part of the Project’s literacy and numeracy development program for 2024-2025. The program is the first deliverable to be actioned under CBSP-2 Component 3 – Enhance Knowledge and Skills of Community Members – which focuses on empowering community members through training and employment support activities. This component will promote skills development and increase income generation opportunities among Tina River communities.Under this contract, LASI will offer basic reading, …

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July 5, 2024, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands – The World Bank Country Director for Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands, Mr Stephen Ndegwa, visited the Tina River Hydropower Development Project site in central Guadalcanal this week to view the progress made on the project since his previous visit in late 2023.Accompanied by Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification (MMERE) Mr Chris Vehe, the World Bank Resident Representative for Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, Ms Annette Leith, and the Tina River Project Office staff, the visit to the 15 MW renewable energy project provided an opportunity to …

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June 5, 2024, Guadalcanal – The Tina River Hydropower Development Project Office, in collaboration with Solomon Power, has delivered specialist training on Electricity and Safety aimed at equipping women and men in Tina catchment communities. Under the Gender Action Plan (GAP) program, the ‘train the trainer’ program will take place over three (3) days from June 4-6 and will be facilitated by Health and Safety experts from Solomon Power. First day of training will be held in Belaha and will continue in Mataruka on the second day and, Mbahomea on Thursday. The primary purpose of this 3-day program is to …

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Honiara, Solomon Islands – May 31, 2024 – The Community Benefit Sharing Project – Phase 2 (CBSP-2), an innovative benefit sharing initiative in support of the Tina River Hydropower Development Project (TRHDP), is starting implementation on the ground. Building on the success of the Community Benefit Sharing Pilot Project which ran between 2018-2023, CBSP-2 will continue to target the Malango and Bahomea communities downstream of the hydropower facility. Overall, the program will positively impact over 7,000 residents in 80+ communities, benefitting an estimated 5,000 people directly.The new Project will see a robust benefit sharing scheme established between the Solomon Islands Government, …

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Tina Hydropower Limited (THL) has engaged Mr. Hyung Joon Jun as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to oversee the financial arrangements for the Tina River Hydropower Development Project construction phase with the pending completion of the access roads and commencement of the hydropower facility. He takes over from previous CFO, Mr Byung Moo Hwang who now resides as the New Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at THL. With a background in global infrastructure projects and financial advisory services, Mr. Hyung Joon Jun joins the THL leadership team with a wealth of experience and passion for developing global infrastructure businesses.Mr. Hyung …

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KGA Collaborates with Tina River Hydropower Project to Empower Local CommunitiesHoniara, 15 May 2024 – The 15MW renewable energy project continues to provide business opportunities for local companies such as Honiara based Kastom Gaden Association (KGA), who recently worked alongside the Gender Action Plan (GAP) Program team to train local catchment communities in agricultural practices.  KGA has been at the forefront of supporting rural self-reliance since its establishment in 1995 and is the latest locally based company to benefit from the renewable energy project in the Solomon Islands.As a leading provider of farming training and support services, Kastom Gaden Association …

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The Gender Action Plan (GAP) program has again delivered another successful agriculture training program in Ngongoti, Mbahomea, aimed at enhancing sustainable farming practices and promoting gender equality in agriculture. The training, held from 8th to 11th April, brought together a total of 31 enthusiastic participants from various Tina River catchment communities such as Mbahomea, Malatoha/Malango, and Belaha.  The attendees, comprising 25 women and 6 men, engaged in a four-day intensive program facilitated by Kastom Gaden Association (KGA) technical experts. The primary objectives of the training were to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to transition from slash-and-burn methods to organic …

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Honiara, 28 March 2024 – The Tina River Hydropower Development Project has a new Project Manager with the appointment of former Solomon Power CEO, Pradip Verma. With over 25 years of professional project management experience in large infrastructure projects, Pradip brings a wealth of expertise to the team and is looking forward to leading the transformational project through its construction phase. The Tina River Hydropower Development Project is the first large utility-scale renewable energy project for the Solomon Islands delivering benefits such as more affordable electricity and improved accessibility to cleaner, more reliable energy sources for communities now and in the future.  Mr Verma …

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More capacity building training for women, youth and men of the Project catchment area was delivered by the Tina River Hydropower Development Project (TRHDP) under the Gender Action Plan (GAP) last week in the form of a social media and marketing training course.  The 3-day event was held at Verabariki and Ngongoti community hall in Bahomea with over 50 participants in attendance, 90% of which were women and girls, many of whom run small community-based businesses.    The social media and marketing training focused on teaching various techniques for small business owners to better present their products and services, handle promotions and how …

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Following its participation in the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28), the Solomon Islands Government, through the Tina River Hydropower Development Project’s (TRHDP) lead ministry, Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification (MMERE) have reiterated its unwavering commitment towards a better management of the Tina River Upper Catchment with the objectives of preserving the rich biodiversity of the area. This commitment includes seeking climate adaptation funding through the newly launched FATEI financing platform, by emphasising the importance of enhancing environmental and indigenous intactness. The Tina River Hydropower Development Project, a significant climate change infrastructure initiative, aims to …

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