The Age: Timor Hapara Construsaun Sentral Eletrisidade

Subject: Tradusaun artigu husi jornal The Age, "Timor stops work on power plants" (haree orininal iha okos)

Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin, Australia

18 Marsu 2009

Timor-Leste nia Presidenti Jose Ramos Horta interfere halo atraza construsaun sentral eletrisidade besi tuan tolu neebe bele mos hamosu poluisaun makas ba ambienti.

Sr. Ramos Horta deklara iha uma fukun nasional horseik katak hamosu preokupasaun barak kona ba sentrais eletrisidade hirak nee presiza resolve didiak, incluindu mos lalaok negosiasaun ba acordo faan no sosa husi Xina ho montante US$400 milloens (A$606 milloens).

Nia dehan katak nia husu ona governu coaligasaun atu harii grupu independenti ida tau hahu halo avaliasaun ba impactu ambiental no avaliasaun ba tecnologia kona ba maior projetu infraestrutura iha rain ida nee.  Grupu ida nee bele buka hetan riskus neebe mosu ba ambienti husi projetu ida nee.

Grupus ambeinti nian, ONG iha Dili, no opozisaun FRETILIN mos critica makas porjetu sosa sentrais eletrisidade hirak nee tanba segredu neebe haleu nia no tanba rumores neebe mosu kona ba iregularidades iha kontratu ho kompanhia husi Beijing – ho naran Chinese Nuclear Industry 22nd Construction Company.

Tuir akordu nee, maske Timor-Leste riku ho rekursu gas, nia tenke sosa fali oleo todan ba tinan tolunulu hodi usa halau sentrais eletrisidade, sentrais hirak neebe envolve tecnologia neebe susar atu halo gestaun no hirak neebe rain barak taka tanba estraga ambienti makas liu.

ONG independenti iha Dili ho naran Lao Hamutuk. Deklara katak sentrais eletrisidade neebe uluk usa iha Xina tinan rua nulu liu ba sei halo udan si'in, halo poluisaun ba be'e, produs lixu no foir toxiku, liliu halo poluisaun ba ar no produs gas ida neebe halo dadaun mundu laran sai manas liu.

Sr. Ramos Horta  hatete ba parlamentu katak nia mos iha preokupasaun hanesan hirak nee, incluidu mos "tecnologia neebe atu usa, impactu ba ambienti, folin akordus reciprocais neebe negosia ho companhia neebe hetan contratu nee husi governu."

Nia deklarasoens hirak nee laos baibain, no nia koalia sai dadaun bainhira preokupasaun barak mosu kona ba falta transparensia iha kontratus governu nian neebe bele karik envolve korupsaun iha nivel aas liu iha Dili.

Nia dehan Primeiru Ministru Banana Gusmao assegura ba nia katak nia sei simu rekomendasaun hirak neebe grupu independenti sei halo karik, no bainhira construsaun sentrais eletrisidade hirak nee lao ba oin, governu sei halau gestaun ba nee ho "matan kroat no transparensia".

Construsaun be sentral dalan uluk iha tasi ibun Hera nian la dok husi Dili, lolos hahu ona iha fulan kotuk maibe hetan atrazu too agora.  Governu deklara ona katak sentrais hirak nee no rede eletrisidade nasional sei hahu operasaun iha tinan ida nee nia laran.

Lao Hamutuk hahu kestiona projetu ida nee bainhira Ministeriu Finansas loke prazu semana tolu deit ba kompania sira neebe hakarak hatama sira nia proposal atu harii sentrais eletrisidade.

"Ami fiar katak governu hatene ona se mak atu manan projetu no loke tender publiku nudar formalidade deit," Lao Hamutuk dehan.  Sira deklara katak projetu nee laos realistiku, no katak sentrais hirak nee sei halo poluisaun makas liu no sei taka dalan ba utilizasaun fontes energia alternativa seluk.

Sentrais hirak nee labele usa oleo ka gas neebe Timor-Leste produs iha Tasi Timor.

The Age
Timor stops work on power plants

  * Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin
  * March 18, 2009

EAST Timorese President Jose Ramos Horta has intervened to delay the construction of three second-hand and highly polluting electricity plants.

Mr Ramos Horta told parliament yesterday that concerns about the plants needed to be dealt with, including the way the $US400 million ($A606 million) deal was negotiated with China for their purchase.

He said he had asked the coalition Government to establish an independent body to carry out an environmental impact assessment and technological evaluation of the country's largest infrastructure project. That group would determine any risks that the project posed to the environment.

Environmental groups, non-government organisations in Dili and the Fretilin opposition have criticised the purchase of the plants amid secrecy and rumours about irregularities in contracts with the Beijing-owned Chinese Nuclear Industry 22nd Construction Company.

The deal would oblige gas-rich East Timor to import heavy oil for at least three decades for plants using difficult-to-manage technology that has already been phased out in many countries for environmental reasons.

La'o Hamutuk, an independent non-government organisation in Dili, said the plants that had operated in China for more than two decades would create acid rain, water pollution, toxic solid waste, particulate air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Ramos Horta told parliament he shared many of the concerns, including the "technology to be used, its environmental impact, the costs involved and the reciprocal arrangements that were negotiated with the company to whom the contract was awarded".

His unusual intervention comes amid growing concern about lack of transparency in the awarding of government contracts and possible high-level corruption in Dili.

He said Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao had assured him he would accept any recommendations from the independent body and that if the plants went ahead, the Government would be "meticulous and transparent" in managing them.

Construction on the first plant near the coast at Hera, a few kilometres east of Dili, was to begin last month but has been delayed. The Government has said the power plants and a national power grid would be operating by the end of the year.

La'o Hamutuk questioned the project after the Finance Ministry gave only three weeks for expressions of interest in power generation in June 2008.

"We believe that the Government already knew who would get the project and conducted an open tender only as a formality," La'o Hamutuk said. It described the project as unrealistic, saying the plants would generate so much electricity that they would make alternative energy power sources unnecessary.

The plants would not be able to use oil and gas found in East Timor or in the Timor Sea.