The construction of a hydroelectric dam has begun as a part of the Solomon Islands’ first-ever large-scale renewable energy project, according to the Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) on Tuesday.

According to K-water, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday in the capital city of Honiara in the Solomon Islands to mark the start of K-water’s project to build a hydroelectric dam on the islands’ Tina River. The ceremony was attended by more than 500 individuals, including government officials from the Solomon Islands, such as Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele, K-water CEO Yun Seog-dae, as well as officials from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of Korea and Hyundai Engineering, the construction firm for this project.

The project, titled the Tina River Hydropower Project, is currently labeled as the islands’ largest renewable energy project. Once operational, the dam will provide approximately 70 percent of Honiara’s electricity, marking a significant turning point for sustainable energy procurement at the national level in the Solomon Islands as well as a chance for economic revitalization, stated K-water.

The public enterprise added that this project is the first diplomatic cooperation project South Korea has undertaken in the water sector in the South Pacific region.

“This project is expected to encourage domestic companies to enter the Indo-Pacific region in the future to expand their businesses,” said K-water in a press release.

According to K-water, the project was undertaken by the public enterprise in 2019, but faced construction delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in material prices that followed shortly after.

“Through close discussions with the stakeholders involved in the project, K-water was able to resolve the issues affecting the construction project and ultimately achieved the goal of starting construction on the dam as scheduled,” said a K-water official.

Following Monday’s groundbreaking ceremony, K-water stated that it will accelerate the construction of the hydropower project with the aim of completing the construction of the dam, the power plant and water tunnel, which are “essential for generating hydropower,” by 2028. After finishing the construction process, K-water will also operate and manage the power plant for the next 30 years.

“It is amazing to get to witness K-water’s dam construction technology as a part of the Tina River Hydropower Project, which is currently labeled as the largest project in the Solomon Islands and holds great national interest. I look forward to its successful completion,” said Manele.

World Bank Country Director for Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands Stephen Ndegwa called the project “one of the best examples of international cooperation.”

“As a global water company, K-water will continue to contribute to global carbon neutrality based on cooperation with international organizations such as the World Bank,” said Yun Seog-dae, CEO of K-water. “Furthermore, we will also do our best to advance water technologies, and create a water industrial ecosystem while also serving as a bridgehead for domestic companies to expand overseas so that clean water can serve as the backbone of global economic cooperation and diplomacy.”