Author:

Samuel Mehairjan MSc

Co-Author:
Ravish P.Y. Mehairjan BSc

Developments & Future Expansions

Potential in the Electric Power System of
Suriname

-Abstract- Copyright © Karel Donk

E nergy use in developing countries has risen more than fourfold over the past three decades and is expected to
continue increasing in the future. Electricity is one of the most important ingredients for social and economic
development in Suriname. The electric power growth rate in Suriname is approximately 10% annually, and is higher than
in other countries in the region, which have typical values between 3% and 7%. There is a strong relationship between
economic growth and energy usage. Therefore electric utility’s duty is to facilitate future growth by assuring a reliable and
secured supply of electric power. In this context there are interesting developments realized and forthcoming in the
electricity sector in Suriname. In this first contribution an overview of the main characteristics of the utility company in
Suriname, N.V. E.B.S., is given, followed by developments that took place over the past 7 years and expansion potentials
for the future. This technical article shares knowledge and experience for practical and proven solutions in the electricity
power sector of Suriname. The business sectors are given opportunities to explore the possibilities in the demand and
supply business of the electric power industry in Suriname.

Introduction
The N.V. Energie Bedrijven Suriname (EBS), the Dutch translation for Energy Companies of Suriname, is since 3 years a
utility member of CARILEC. The EBS is a 100% government owned company responsible for the delivery of electricity and
gas in the coastal areas and for electricity in some interior areas of Suriname. The districts in Suriname, typically in the
coastal areas, are provided with electricity by EBS with independently operated power systems. Furthermore, small
power systems exist in the interior of Suriname that is providing electric power to local villages, which are owned and
operated by the Department for Rural Energy of the Ministry of Natural Resources (DEV). The operating frequency is 60Hz
and typical voltage ratings are 161kV and 33kV for transmission purpose and 12kV and 6kV for distribution purpose,
whereas the customers are provided with low voltage levels of
127/220V. A summary of the main power systems are given
below and depicted geographically in figure 1 [1], [2], [5]:

The EPAR system (red circle) for Paramaribo and surroundings.

The EPAR system has by far the highest consumption of
electric power in Suriname (consumption of 1000 GWh/a);
The ENIC system (purple circle) for New Nickerie in West
Suriname, and the surroundings (consumption of 50 GWh/a);
The District Power Systems (black circles) each operating as an
isolated power system with one or more Diesel Generator Sets
in a local power house (total consumption together is around
24 GWh/a);
The Rosebel Gold Mines (green circle) where the Gold Mine
operations of IAMGOLD in the Brokopondo district are
supplied with electric power coming from Afobaka Hydro
power Plant (consumption 170 GWh/a);
The Brokopondo Distribution system (blue circle) feeding
some villages in the Brokopondo district from the 13.8/33 kV
system at the Afobaka Hydro Power Plant of about 7 GWh/a;
Figure 1: Overview of different
Short History of EBS
power system of EBS [1]
EBS has its root back 100 years ago, established by the Dutch.
Similar power and gas companies are found in the Dutch
Antilles, Curacao, Aruba, St. Martin, Bonaire etc. Suriname was
provided with gas fired lamps for the first time in the year 1909. The company was named the Nederlansch-Indische Gas

2010 CARILEC Engineering Conference Copyright © Mehairjan Samuel & Mehairjan Ravish, 2010
Maatschappij (N.I.G.M). In 1928 concession was granted to N.I.G.M. for the supply of power in Paramaribo over a period
of 50 years and in 1929 they started to build a power station containing 3 diesel generators with a total capacity of
roughly 1.19MW. In the year 1953 the name was changed in Overzeese Gas en Energie Maatschappij (OGEM). In 1972 the
Government became the biggest stake holder and the name was changed to NV Energie Bedrijven Suriname (N.V. E.B.S).

Growth of Electricity Demand in Suriname

In the past 4 years the demand has been growing towards approximately 10% per year. Such growth rate is higher than
other Caribbean countries, which have typical growth rates between the 3% and 7% [10]. The high growth rate in
Suriname is a result of the fast economical development witnessed since 2000. This is due to the development of the oil
industry, refinery process, and growth in the mining sector especially the gold sector (IAMGOLD). Added to this the fast
growth of new housing schemes, the installation of air-conditioners, the tourist industry (e.g. Berg en Dal Resort), the
hotel sector in development (Royal Torarica Hotel, Best Western Hotel and Marriot Hotel) and other commercial
developments are demanding more power. In figure 2 the electricity growth in the EPAR power system for the period
1966-2009 is shown. The fast growth is
Figure 2: Peak demand trend for the EPAR system [5] experienced in the Paramaribo (EPAR) and
Brokopondo grid, while the Nickerie grid
(ENICK) is growing with 6% per year. In the
period of 1982 to 2006 load-shedding
became an inevitable practice due to
frequent shortage of supply in the EPAR
grid. This created inconvenience for
business, industry and households. Since
2006 the load-shedding has stopped as a
consequence of the rehabilitation and
expansion of the power plant of EBS, the
commissioning of the 161kV transmission
infrastructures from Paranam to
Paramaribo and the erection of a new IPP owned by the State Oil Company (Staatsolie).

Supply of Electricity in Suriname

The supply of electricity is generated by premium diesel with diesel driven generators and nowadays a substantial part is
fuelled with Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO). However, the majority of electricity in Suriname is delivered by hydro power from the
Afobaka Hydro Power Plant (HPP). Since 1999 the contribution of hydro power to the grid is at least 700 GWh, and in
extra raining seasons this amount is increased with 15-20% contractually. Suriname is a fortunate CARILEC utility member
that is blessed with many rivers and plenty of fresh water. Due to this gift Suriname is covering more than 80 % of her
electricity demand with this renewable energy source for years.
In 2006 there were some extra dry months in Suriname. The Brokopondo hydro lake could therefore not acquire enough
water from the streams that resulted in serious shortage of power. The government had to lease about 30MW of rental
power from a foreign contractor for 3 months to cope with this inferior situation. It should be noted that since August
2009 till April 2010 a long dry season is afflicting Suriname and the hydro lake is slinking rapidly. Since August 2009 extra
thermal power of average 60MW is generated in the thermal power station of EBS and backed up by SPCS (Staatolie
Power Company Suriname). SPCS is an IPP which is in operation since 2006 and is owned by the State Oil Company of
Suriname (Staatsolie). Although hydro power is cheaper and a renewable source, it should be kept in mind that dry years
can come unexpectedly so the utility
should always have reserve thermal Location Inst. Cap. 2009 (MW) Peak demand 2009 (MW) Consumption (GWh)
capacity installed to meet the power
EPAR 73 170 1000
demand for the less wet years. In the
table 1 the installed capacity, peak 16 10 50
ENICK
demand and consumption for 2009 are
listed. District 18 4 31

Table 1: Main characteristics of different power Others 303 80 650

systems in Suriname [5]

2010 CARILEC Engineering Conference Copyright © Mehairjan Samuel & Mehairjan Ravish, 2010
Developments in the past 7 years
Conversion from Diesel to Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO)
In 2004, EBS decided to convert several diesel engines to HFO fueled engines. The savings would pay back the new
conversion cost in less than 2 years. Together with the innovative fuel conversion, and additional fuel treatment units the
whole EBS power plant was automated with a state-of-the art monitoring system, the Power Data System. This system is
helping the plant operators and engineers to manage engine performance better and operate the engines more reliably,
with less damage especially to cylinder heads.

Expansion of the Generation Capacity

EBS has decided to retrofit bigger and more efficient diesel generator sets in its power plants. Foundations on piles that
were more than 40 years old were partly excavated and new concrete was casted and engines of triple capacity was
installed and are operated. This was a costly, however efficient action in short time to increase the generation capacity. In
the ENIC system 15.6MW is installed, while in the EPAR system 44 MW has been installed by EBS. Three years ago the
SPCS has installed 14MW and is now expanding with an additional 14 MW of generation capacity.

High Voltage Transmission Line & Substation (161kV)

In 2004 the EBS signed a contract with L & T (Larsen & Toubro) from India to build 2 substations and a 27 km double
circuit 16 kV transmission line of 150MW capacity to increase the transport of hydro energy from Paranam to municipal
city of Paramaribo, reducing transmission losses with 8% over this route, and increasing reliability and flexibility for the
overall EPAR grid.

Expansion of 36 kV network, EVP projects

The driving forces for system modernization in Suriname are load growth, equipments no longer compatible with the
changing requirements (short circuit capabilities), ageing of the system and technological developments. In this context
EBS has upgraded, expanded, retrofitted and installed a number of 36kV infrastructures. EBS is making more than 4000
new electric connection to customers each year. To do this EBS is expanding its distribution network of 12kV overhead
lines and 6 kV underground cables. Subsequently 50% of the substations of the EPAR power system are automated for
control and command purpose with SCADA applications. This substation automation is helping the engineers in the
command centre to control, take decisions and operate the system much better and faster. Disturbances are detected
sooner and where possible switching of circuit breakers is operated remotely. This practice is contributing to reduce the
duration of failures and improve the availability of power.

The EBS Reliability Tool

EBS has recently developed a reliability program with a consultant to measure its reliability performances. This new
outage reporting program has been delivered in 2009. Starting in 2010 this tool will be used and as a result EBS will be
able to follow the trend analysis of the SAIDI, CAIDI and SAIFI reliability indices. As a consequence EBS can start strategic
reliability improvement programs. At the same time EBS will have the possibility to compare reliability statistics and to
benchmark against other utilities in the region.

EBS Dispatch Centre

EBS has performed a technical study with a consultant to design a dispatch centre for the complete EPAR power system,
the IPP’s and eventually for other districts. In 2011 this new dispatch centre with the latest SCADA monitoring and control
application of 25 substations and 5 generation station should be into operation. Together with this modernization of the
control and monitoring applications additional new networks, radio and fiber-optic communication links will be installed.
The main goal is to coordinate with all IPP’s and to monitor the transmission and distribution for control of frequency,
reserve spinning, voltage profiles, power flows and outage handling.

Improve Dynamic & Voltage stability in the EPAR grid

Because of some recent large disturbances and the fluctuations in the lake levels at the Afobaka Hydro Power Plant EBS
became more aware of the importance of ensuring the stability of the system during critical contingencies in the system.
Consequently, EBS is performing a system wide stability study together with a consultant for the prediction and
improvements of frequency load-shedding settings. These studies and analysis are performed using the ETAP engineering
analysis software to create models and simulations. With the implementation of the new SCADA the EBS wants to go for
fast load-shedding based on frequency decay [5]. Added to this study, a similar approach with the ETAP software will be
conducted for a voltage stability analysis. A P-V analysis will be performed to determine the maximum load that could be

2010 CARILEC Engineering Conference Copyright © Mehairjan Samuel & Mehairjan Ravish, 2010
supported for a given network configuration without voltage collapse. This result will provide important information from
an operational and planning perspective.

Future Expansions Potential in Suriname

Summary of Some Business Opportunities

New 200 MW Electric Power Plant

To meet the demand that is at a rate of 10% per year and to replace
outdated generators EBS has identified a new location in South-
West of Paramaribo to build a new power plant. Environmental,
geo-structural, technical requirements and financial studies are
performed. A 200MW station with reciprocating engines of 15 -
20MW will be installed. The first stage is to have 60MW in 2 years Figure 3: Artist impression of the
proposed power plant of EBS [5]
connected to the grid. And in following years more generators and
electrical installations will be installed.

Rice Husk Power Plant in District Nickerie

This district is the Western border of Suriname with Guyana and the main provider of
rice in Suriname. About 90% of rice cultivation of Suriname is in the district Nickerie.
Currently approximately 160.000 tons of rice is harvested annually. This will result in
about 50.000 tons rice-husk (the hard protecting coverings of grains of rice) is
produced annually; this rice husk is presently considered as waste and being dumped
in the rivers or burned in open air. While oil prices keep rising and to mitigate the
severe environmental problems, EBS wants to built a power plant using the rice husk
biomass to fuel the production of electricity [4], [7]. Figure 4: Burning of rice husk in the
open air in District Nickerie [7]
International Interconnection between Suriname en French-Guiana, EDB-bank
During 1998-1999 the EBS and EDF1 of French Guiana had intensified technical relations on cooperation and knowledge
exchange between the two electrical
power companies [1]. From this relation,
a plan had been developed to perform
an Interconnection Study for the
Suriname/French-Guiana power system.
This was performed in the period 2005-
2006. If at least 30MW of power,
preferably hydro power, would be
reserved from Suriname to be delivered
to French-Guiana, this interconnection
and related investment costs would
become feasible. There would be
additional technical, reliability and
availability benefits arising from this
interconnection. EBS and EDF would
need less installed and operated
spinning reserves if interconnected.
With the converter system a very Figure 5: Sketch of the Suriname/French-Guiana
precise VAR control (reactive power interconnection scheme [5]
compensation) and voltage regulation
can be performed. In time of calamity on one side, the neighboring side can deliver power from its reserves through the
tie-lines and vice versa. Technical provisions to be built in this project are: A 150 km of 161 kV transmission line from
Paramaribo to Albina, a converter station 60/50 Hz at the border and a 90 kV link to the French Guyana power system, 2
river crossing of the Suriname river and the Marowijne river with submarine cables.

1
Électricité de France

2010 CARILEC Engineering Conference Copyright © Mehairjan Samuel & Mehairjan Ravish, 2010
The Jai-Tapanahony Hydro Diversion plan
The Jai-Tapanahony is a multifaceted project of which the main
intention is to develop extra hydro power capacity. This plan is
envisaged in the South-Eastern part of Suriname and comprises a group
of dams and hydro power plants which diverts part of the waters of
Tapanahony River and Jai Creek into the existing Afobaka Hydro Lake
and generates energy by this procedure and increases the capacity in
the Afobaka Hydro Power Plant. Diversion systems and Dams will be
constructed; generators in the dams and transmission lines will be
erected and connected to the Afobaka HPP to transport the power to
the Paramaribo grid [1], [3], [11]. All weather roads will be constructed
to connect the Jai-Tapanahony expansion project. Together with the
HPP at the Tapanahony dam, 4 HPP at the other locations, Jai 1,
Marowijne 1, 2, 3 will have a capacity of 305MW (see figure 6). At
Afobaka a second HPP will be constructed with a capacity of 116MW
thus increasing the installed capacity at Afobaka HPP to 305MW. In rain
season the 5 Jai-Tapanahony-Marowijne creeks HPP’s will produce
305MW of power, and the water will be collected in the Afobaka
reservoir. In the dry season there will be no diversion of water from Jai-
Tapanahony and the lake levels will be high enough for the 2 Afobaka
HPP’s to produce 189MW + 116MW = 305MW [1]. The cost of these
projects is about 800 million USD. The cost of electricity around USD
0.09 will be less than power produced from thermal generation. The
construction time can be 6 to 8 years [1], [3]. This project illustrates the
immense potential for developing hydro power even further in
Suriname. If realized, this project will secure Suriname of sustainable
energy for many years. As stated by [11] this project should shift from a Figure 6: Schematic overview of projected dams
desk study performed by a Brazilian Engineering Company (Camargo of the Jai-Tapanahony diversion plan [3]

Correa) to feasibility studies in short notice.

The Kabalebo Hydro Power Project (West Suriname Hydro Power Project)
Since 1977 this Hydro Power Project in the Kabalebo River (West of
Suriname) is envisaged. The projected capacity will be 350MW to
850MW [1]. In the first stage a dam and a 350MW HPP are planned in the Kabalebo River. In the second stage diversion of
water of the Lucy River and the Corantijn River and a dam with HPP at Tijgervallen will extend the power production to
850MW. There is a bright future for renewable power capacity in Suriname, however has to be weighed against other
factors as well e.g. the inundation of land, high initial costs and health and risk issues associated with water misuse and
degradation.

Transmission & Distribution Expansions

In the EPAR, ENIC and Rural Areas transmission and distribution infrastructure, substations, transformers, lighting and
metering will be purchased and installed in the years to come. These investments, that are necessary, will be
implemented to meet the power demand in the rapidly growing community and to ensure the reliability of supply to the
customer. It is a yearly investment of more than 15 million USD.

Rural Electrification
In the interior of Suriname there are about 112 villages that have a diesel generator unit varying from 10 to 500kW. Most
of the villages are provided with diesel/gasoline fuel on monthly bases. There is no tariff regime in place and supply to the
communities comes free of charge. It is the policy of the government to continue delivering this kind of supply to the
isolated people, Maroons and American Indians. It is for their social welfare and benefit to give power a few hours of the
night and where possible longer. Transportation of fuel across the rivers with waterfalls far in the interiors is very costly
and time consuming [1], [5]. In the past some villages (Kwamalasumutu) were supplied with solar power but did not last
for long time due to poor maintenance. In the future further application of solar power to meet the demands for delivery
of electrical power should be a priority for environmental and economic reason. The places where villages are near
waterfalls the government should install micro and mini HPP. Besides lighting this power can be applied for small scale

2010 CARILEC Engineering Conference Copyright © Mehairjan Samuel & Mehairjan Ravish, 2010
industrial developments and refrigeration of meat and agricultural products. The existing diesel gen-sets can be used as
back-up system together with the solar power systems in the form of a hybrid connected system. Small wood fired steam
generator sets can also be an alternative for the power production for the villages in the interior, since wood is
abundantly available and the villagers can collect this by themselves.

Challenges
Application of power efficient apparatus and lighting
Efficiency is a simple concept which can perhaps best be summed up with the formula, “doing more with less.” The focus
is to comply with the international commitment to reduce power usage in future and to reduce CO 2 footprint. All
customers will have to switch over to the energy efficient lights that are developing rapidly nowadays. Energy saving
apparatus and soft starting motor will have to be applied in every building and houses. And by using appropriate enabling
technologies to link the above mentioned to the grid their potential can be fully realized [8]. Starting with simple energy
efficient apparatus is where EBS wants to initiate the journey towards an intelligent sustainable energy system in the end.
Organizational, regulatory and policy issues are the biggest hurdles to overcome in this topic before Suriname can make
progress in this area of interest. The term “efficiency” is typically associated with how energy is consumed at the point of
end use, but the concept of efficiency can also be applied to how energy is produced and distributed [9]. Using higher
voltages in T&D, the application of high efficient distribution transformers and advances monitoring and control system
EBS will be able to reduce network losses. This contributes to CO 2 reduction of the power grid. Greater energy efficiency
in the T&D system means lower emissions in generation to deliver the same amount of consumed energy.

Concluding Remarks

For Caribbean countries it is an important condition for

Afobaka (Brokopondo) Hydro Power Plant –
their economic development to assure a secure and
reliable supply of electricity. EBS is fully aware of the
important role that the electric power sector plays for
the development for Suriname. As utility member of
CARILEC, EBS has better chances to benefit from the
important changes Caribbean power sectors are
witnessing. This first contribution has shared knowledge
and experience of proven and practical solution in the
Suriname electrical sector. Added to this it highlights the
developments that the Suriname power sector has
undergone, and additionally gives a glimpse of Energy Supply in Suriname is provided for approximately
expansions potentials. EBS is continually planning and 80-85% by Hydro Electric Power.
implementing projects in order to improve and create
supply and transportation capacity to meet Suriname’s
economic growth requirements and at the same time
fulfilling the need for security of supply. The growth rate
in demand for power is high (8 to 10 %) in the last 3
years and expected to progress with this pace, which is
Acknowledgments
the highest compared to several other Caribbean
The authors would like to acknowledge Ir L. Boksteen,
countries. The coming year’s developments in the
Dr.ir. V.S. Ajodhia, Eddy Frankel MSc (Power Manager
power sector of Suriname will be promising and
Staatsolie), Feroz Habib MSc (Power Manager Suralco),
inevitable. Proven identified projects like Jai-
A. Bipat BSc (Engineer at EBS) and all departments and
Tapanahony HPP, Nickerie Rice Husk Power Plant,
related engineers of EBS and Staatsolie for their
Bruynzeel Diesel/HFO Generating Plant, introduction of
contribution and helpful advice, which have been useful
photovoltaic energy for remote villages and installation
in writing this technical article.
of Mini and Micro HPP are business opportunities. The
installation of the dispatch centre, installation of SCADA
applications, transmission and distribution
infrastructure are projects that will have to be realized
and create promising opportunities for doing business in
Suriname.
2010 CARILEC Engineering Conference Copyright © Mehairjan Samuel & Mehairjan Ravish, 2010
Biography
Samuel Mehairjan was born in Nickerie, Suriname, on 4
August 1956. He received a BSc in
Electrical Power Engineering in
Suriname. In 1991 he received his MSc
degree from Tennessee Technological
University (TTU) USA in Power
Engineering. Until now he is for 29 years
with the EBS and is currently Director of
Generation and Transmission. He has a
clear view for the needs of the people
and solutions for the fast development of the Power Industry
in Suriname. At present he is also a lecturer in High Voltage
Engineering at the University of Suriname. He has been a
member of IEEE for many years.
Ravish P.Y. Mehairjan was born in Paramaribo, Suriname, on
April 11, 1987. He graduated Cum
Laude as BSc in Electrical Power
Engineering at the Anton de Kom
University of Suriname in July 2008,
where he conducted a study for EBS. In
this study he looked at alternative
methods to reduce the impact of long-
lasting outages in the West part of the
Paramaribo power system. At present
Ravish is working towards an MSc in Electrical Power
Engineering with the specialization in High Voltage Technology
& Asset Management at the Delft University of Technology in
the Netherlands. Ravish is member of the Energy Club of Delft
University of Technology, which is a student-led club of
academia and industry.
[10] Caribbean Regional Electricity Generation, Interconnection, and Fuel
Supply Strategy, Interim Report, Nexant & World Bank, Jan 2010.
[11] Interview with Ir. Lothar Boksteen, Engineer developing options for
hydro power potential in Suriname, Feb 2010.
[12] Elektriciteit: Vraag, Aanbod en Toekomstvooruitzichten, Business
Seminar, (in Dutch), S. Mehairjan, Feb 2010.
Abbreviations
EBS – Energy Companies of Suriname (Energie Bedrijven Suriname)
SPCS – Staatsolie Power Company Suriname
T&D – Transmission & Distribution
GWh – Gigawatt Hour
MW – Megawatt
kW – Kilowatt
kV – Kilovolt
HFO – Heavy Fuel Oil
HPP – Hydro Power Plant
IPP - Independent Power Producers
SCADA – Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition
SAIDI – System Average Interruption Duration Index
SAIFI – System Average Interruption Frequency Index
CAIDI – Customer Average Interruption Duration Index
EDF - Électricité de France
EDB – European Development Bank (nowadays Council of European
Development Bank (CEB))

References
[1] Preliminary Assessment Report, SURINAME POWER SECTOR
ASSESSMENT AND ALTERNATIVES FOR ITS MODERNIZATION
(ATN/SF-9038-SU), KEMA May 2008.

[2] B Sc graduation report, “Find an alternative method to reduce the

impact of long lasting outages on the 33/12 kV distribution
transformers of substation S/S-D and S/S-K in the Western part of
the EPAR network”, Ravish P.Y. Mehairjan, July 2008.

[3] Presentation of Suralco L.L.C of the Jai-Tapanahony Hydro Diversion

Plan, Mr. Pederson, 2004-2005.

[4] Study and presentation on Rice Husk PP, United Engineering

Calcutta, R. Gandhi, India.

[5] Technical year reports and documents of N.V. E.B.S.

[6] Lecture manuscript on Sustainable Power Engineering, Delft

University of Technology, Prof. dr. B. Ferreira, 2009.

[7] Presentations on Rice Husk PP Nickerie and Power Demand and

Supply for the Future, S. Mehairjan, Jan 2008.

[8] Smart Grid, the Key Driver for a Sustainable Energy Future, Carilec
Industrial Journal, Ravish P.Y. Mehairjan & Evita N. Parabirsing, July
2009.

[9] Energy Efficiency in the Power Grid, ABB Inc., 2007.

2010 CARILEC Engineering Conference Copyright © Mehairjan Samuel & Mehairjan Ravish, 2010