01/12/2025
GREEN FUTURE FOR CHOISEUL | The Choiseul Bay township project is working closely with national ministries to plan important new services for its town centre expansion on the mainland at Choiseul Bay in northwest Choiseul. The team is preparing the area for major growth, focusing on water supply, clean energy and new access roads. These services will support administrative, industrial and commercial zones across about 200 hectares at Tarekukure and Tarepasika. A key part of this work is understanding the water supply at Sorave River, the main water source for the new town. The Water Resources Division from the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification has started installing special monitoring tools there. One tool is an automatic rain gauge that measures how much rain falls and how fast it comes down. Another tool is a water level recorder that tracks changes in river levels throughout the year. This information will help engineers design both the new town’s water supply system and a small hydropower station. The hydropower system will later be combined with a solar farm, creating a strong and clean energy supply for the new township. Early records from Sorave River show an average water flow between 900 and 1,100 litres per second during the dry and wet seasons. However, continuous monitoring for the next five years will give experts the accurate data they need to design a reliable system. Earlier concept designs show that producing two megalitres of water per day will be enough to supply the town. The population is projected to reach about 3,000 people by 2030, and this amount of water is expected to meet their needs. The planned mini hydropower station could generate up to 150 kilowatts of electricity using a flow of 700–800 litres per second. Although the system will use a low-head design, the river’s large flow makes it suitable for producing clean power. Alongside this, a one-megawatt solar farm is also being planned. Together, these systems will make the new town centre one of the country’s green energy development areas. The township project is also working with the Energy Division of the same ministry to explore more renewable energy options. At the same time, the project office has begun talking with local tribes and their association. They are working together to protect the Sorave water catchment area and to prepare a management plan before construction begins. Community support is seen as essential for keeping the water source clean and healthy. As a national project, the Choiseul Provincial Government will continue seeking help from all relevant ministries over the next five to ten years. The reviewed MPGIS Strategic Plan 2026–2030 includes the Choiseul Bay Township as one of the province’s key development goals, based on the 2016 Local Planning Scheme, according to the Project Manager of the township office.
Source: Choiseul Township Office: Project Manager
