Challenges
- Challenging socio-political environment
- Lack of infrastructure
- Scarce fuel supplies
Background
After more than a decade of social and political unrest in Haiti, the United Nations launched a peacekeeping effort in 2004 to bring stability and security to the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country. While much of the U.N. Stabilization Mission (UNSTAMIH) in Haiti consisted of military personnel and police, numerous organizations and companies from around the world contributed by providing various forms of humanitarian assistance.
Solution
In 2007, APR Energy was contracted by the United Nations to support UNSTAMIH by providing 13MW of power for its local headquarters at the Hotel Christopher in Port-au-Prince and at its peacekeeping sites across the country. The company had been providing 50MW of generating capacity for Électricité d’Haïti since 2004, so it was acutely aware of the challenges of providing power on Haiti – principally, an inadequate power grid to distribute electricity beyond major cities and scarce fuel supplies. APR Energy solved the transmission problem by distributing small and mid-sized diesel power modules – from 50KVa to 800KVa – across 26 locations. To ensure constant power, the company installed redundant generating capacity at each site, allowing for daily maintenance on each unit. In addition, APR Energy worked with a third-party contractor to secure reliable diesel fuel imports and distribution to each site.
Outcome
APR Energy participated in the Haiti mission through 2012, providing essential power needed for critical U.N. peacekeeping activities and its efforts to rebuild a nation recovering from a series of ousted leaders, years of political turmoil and natural disasters – including several hurricanes that resulted in catastrophic flooding and mudslides across the deforested island. Thanks to its widely distributed and redundant generating capacity, APR Energy was able to maintain power supplies following a 7.0 earthquake on January 12, 2010, which destroyed countless roads, bridges and buildings in Haiti, including UNSTAMIH’s Hotel Christopher headquarters. Following the earthquake, APR Energy joined with other organizations to organize a medical mission. Over 90 doctors, nurses, and medical support staff were transported into Haiti, along with urgently needed medical supplies.