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SMEC Wins Rural Electrification Project in Bhutan SMEC has recently won a contract from the Asian Development Bank to plan a major expansion of the rural electricity network in the Kingdom of Bhutan. Most of Bhutan’s population live in rural areas, often in mountainous terrain, and about half of the communities have no electricity supply. Under its current five-year plan (2002-2007) the Government of Bhutan intends to electrify a further 15,000 rural households covering the country’s entire 20 administrative districts. This is part of a medium term strategy to provide universal access to electricity for the population of 800,000 by 2020. The first stage in this process will be the connection of an additional 8000 households. SMEC has been engaged to assist the Department of Power in Bhutan to carry out socio-economic household surveys, conduct an engineering feasibility study and identify the most viable projects with the largest possible poverty reduction impact. The socio-economic analysis will also address the ability of customers to pay and will include environmental assessment. This is the first project SMEC has implemented in Bhutan for more than a decade, though the company has been involved with the country for nearly 20 years, primarily in roads. SMEC’s General Manager Power, Greg Sturgess, does not consider that this absence will impede progress with the project. “Very few foreigners work in Bhutan, so each one is remembered well”, he said. “People still ask after SMEC staff who worked in Bhutan years ago and are now senior executives in the company. It is as if they were there only yesterday”. Greg Sturgess regards Bhutan as one of the most challenging countries in which SMEC works. “The Government of Bhutan has adopted a cautious development strategy, seeking to reconcile the benefits of modernisation with the retention of traditional values and customs. This means that our staff must be especially sensitive to local conditions and to consultation with both villagers and officials”. Greg Sturgess is especially pleased that SMEC is now working in the power sector. The population of Bhutan lives almost entirely in the countryside, so rural electrification is one of the most beneficial forms of investment in terms of improving the quality of life. “SMEC has been involved with rural electrification in Asia for more than 30 years”, commented Mr Sturgess. “Yet it still amazes us to see the impact which connection to a power supply has for the residents of remote villages. Many of the most taxing and tedious of everyday tasks can suddenly be made easier and community life after sunset expands dramatically. I am particularly pleased that we can now contribute to achieving this sort of outcome in Bhutan”. The present project will last approximately 12 months and will involve six SMEC staff for varying periods. Appendices Facts & Figures: Kingdom of Bhutan Land Area: 47,000 square kilometres (about the size of Switzerland) in the central Himalayas with Tibet to the north and several Indian states to the south, east and west History: historical origins are unclear; independent and isolated throughout its existence; Buddhist for around 1500 years Government: parliamentary monarchy Population: 800,000 Religion: 75% Buddhist, 25% Hindu Capital: Thimphu (population: 50,000) Terrain: rises from only 160 metres on the southern plain to several peaks of more than 7000 metres in the north; mountainous highlands with forested valleys and pastures Climate: three separate climatic zones ranging from hot and humid in the south through temperate to severe alpine in the north; rainfall is primarily in the summer monsoon (June-August) Economy: subsistence agriculture, (poultry, livestock and vegetables); hydro-electricity; tourism restricted in region and numbers Languages: Dzongkha, Nepali, regional languages, English SMEC Projects in Bhutan
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