Long Lawen villager carries shackles for the main transmission wire

In contrast to Bakun Dam's massive scale and endless delays, this fall residents of Long Lawen will receive electricity from the first community-based microhydro project in Sarawak. The 400 Kenyah people of Long Lawen, who opted not to move to the government resettlement when they were told to evacuate, have instead relocated to ancestral lands above the Bakun reservoir.

It is here tucked in the mountainous rainforest that they are building a small hydro electricity plant to provide energy for lighting, small tools, an icehouse and various community agricultural projects. The Borneo Project, in partnership with Green Empowerment, is working with the community to show that there are less disruptive alternatives to large dams.

This spring, volunteers from The Borneo Project and Green Empowerment traveled to Long Lawen to conduct trainings, community meetings and to install the main transition wire that will deliver electricity from the turbine generator to village homes. Tyroan Hardy, a volunteer and solar specialist from Powerlite Corporation and Wick Pancoast, Executive Director of The Borneo Project arrived first to help the village conduct a detailed energy audit. Through a series of meetings and discussions, they helped the community better understand the potentials and limitations of the system.

Recognizing that a 12 kW hydro system requires diligent management, The Borneo Project and Green Empowerment are taking extra measures to ensure the long-term sustainablity of the project. Continuing with training, Joseph Richards, Program Manager from Green Empowerment helped the community address the issue of income generation to pay operators and to create a reserve fund for maintenance and repair. Together, they devised a system of tariff that is based on the number compact florescent lights and appliances used by each family. Once completed, the hydro system will save the community an estimated $3000 a year in diesel fuel costs.

Manual work on the transmission cable began once trucks belonging to Foo Tye Electrical Engineering Company arrived with wiring materials. Community members learned quickly how to mount shackles and string the wires. Training was also provided by Adrian Lasimbang, an experienced volunteer from Sabah. After a week of hard work, the main wire was "pulled."

This summer, individual houses will be wired and the turbo generator, which has been ordered from Indonesia, will be delivered and installed. Then we will flip the switch and see what happens. While initial bugs are to be expected, the project should come on line by September.