Hydropower in the Caribbean
This page keeps a running list of hydroelectric plants in the Caribbean, with capacities and status as published by the owners, utilities, regulators and news reports listed under Sources. Last updated: October 2026.
Jump to: Belize · Dominica · Guyana · Haiti · Jamaica · St. Vincent and the Grenadines · Suriname
Belize
The three Macal River plants operate as a cascade: Chalillo stores water in its reservoir and releases it to Mollejon and Vaca downstream, both of which are run-of-river. The Government of Belize completed its purchase of the three plants from Fortis on 31 October 2025, renamed the company Hydro Belize Limited, and offered shares to the public in an oversubscribed share sale.
| Plant | Capacity | Owner / operator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mollejon | 25.2 MW | Hydro Belize | Run-of-river; built 1995 |
| Vaca | 19 MW | Hydro Belize | Run-of-river; commissioned March 2010 |
| Chalillo | 7.3 MW | Hydro Belize | Storage dam; built 2005 |
| Rio Grande (Hydro Maya) | 3 MW | Hydro Maya Ltd | Run-of-river near San Miguel, Toledo District; rated site capacity in the PUC’s 2026 licence notice |
Dominica
DOMLEC operates three hydro plants on the Roseau River. Hurricane Maria caused major damage to the Padu turbine house and its conveyance system, and washed away the diversion weir upstream of Trafalgar along with about 400 feet of pipeline. DOMLEC has tendered work to make the Padu turbine building more resilient to hurricanes. Ratings are generator ratings in kVA as published by DOMLEC.
| Plant | Capacity | Owner / operator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Trafalgar | 3,520 kVA | DOMLEC | 2 × 1,760 kVA |
| Padu | 1,880 kVA | DOMLEC | 2 × 940 kVA |
| Laudat | 1,240 kVA | DOMLEC | 1 × 1,240 kVA |
Guyana
Two run-of-river plants, Moco Moco and Kumu, now supply the Lethem Power Company grid in Region Nine alongside a 1 MW solar PV farm. In a test reported at Kumu’s commissioning, the two hydro plants supplied all of Lethem’s electricity for a full 24 hours. The proposed 165 MW Amaila Falls hydropower plant has not been built.
| Plant | Capacity | Owner / operator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kumu | 1.5 MW | — | New build; commissioned 11 July 2025 |
| Moco Moco | 0.7 MW | — | Rehabilitated and upgraded from 500 kW; commissioned December 2024 |
| Tumatumari | 1.5 MW | — | Defunct since the last of its two 750 kW turbines failed in the late 1980s; private rehabilitation proposed |
Haiti
| Plant | Capacity | Owner / operator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Péligre | 54 MW (rated) | Électricité d’Haïti (EDH) | Three turbines. A US$48.8 million refurbishment by Alstom–Comelex, funded by the IDB, KfW and OFID, aimed to restore the plant’s original rating. |
Jamaica
JPS operates seven hydroelectric plants. Reported total capacity differs by source: the Government’s 2022 Integrated Resource Plan update lists JPS hydro at 28.7 MW for 2019 to 2021, while JPS gives 26 MW on its renewables page and about 23 MW on its business overview. Hydro supplied 3.2% of Jamaica’s net generation in 2021. The 7.2 MW Maggotty expansion on the Black River, commissioned in January 2014, added a new powerhouse alongside the original 6 MW plant completed in 1959.
The IRP’s preferred plan calls for 34.3 MW of new hydro capacity from 12 small plants, to be installed between 2027 and 2033. Published capacities for the individual St. Ann and Trelawny plants differ between sources, so they are not listed here.
| Plant | Capacity | Owner / operator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maggotty | 6 MW (1959) + 7.2 MW (2014) | JPS | St. Elizabeth |
| Constant Spring | 0.77 MW | JPS | St. Andrew; reopened December 2009 |
| Lower White River | — | JPS | St. Ann |
| Upper White River | — | JPS | St. Ann |
| Roaring River | — | JPS | St. Ann |
| Rio Bueno A | — | JPS | Trelawny |
| Rio Bueno B | — | JPS | Trelawny |
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
VINLEC operates run-of-river hydro plants at South Rivers, Richmond and Cumberland, all on St. Vincent. Under its Hydro Rehabilitation Project, the wood-stave pipelines at Richmond and South Rivers were replaced with glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) and both stations were automated for remote control. VINLEC shut down Cumberland 3 on 30 September 2025 because homes had been built close to its wood-stave pipeline; the station accounted for less than 2% of VINLEC’s output. Cumberland 1 and 2 remain in service.
| Plant | Capacity | Owner / operator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland | 3.65 MW | VINLEC | Three run-of-river stations, five units in total; Cumberland 3 retired September 2025 |
| Richmond | 1.1 MW | VINLEC | 2 × 550 kW Turgo units; opened 1962 |
| South Rivers | 0.96 MW | VINLEC | 3 × 320 kW after works completed August 2018; first entered service 1952 |
Suriname
| Plant | Capacity | Owner / operator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afobaka (Brokopondo) | 180–189 MW (sources differ) | Staatsolie Power Company Suriname | Six turbines; built in the 1960s. The state took over the plant from Alcoa on 1 January 2020. Staatsolie is studying a turbine upgrade and floating solar on the reservoir. |
Sources
- Fortis Belize – Operations
- Fortis Inc. – 2010 results (Vaca commissioning)
- Greater Belize Media – Hydro Belize share sale
- PUC Belize – Hydro Maya licence notice (March 2026)
- CDB – DOMLEC Padu Hydro upgrade tender
- Guyana Energy Agency – Kumu commissioning
- Renewable Energy World – Tumatumari rehabilitation plan
- IDB – Péligre refurbishment contract
- MSETT – 2022 Jamaica Integrated Resource Plan
- JPS – Renewables Profile
- Renewable Energy World – Maggotty expansion
- JIS – Constant Spring reopening
- VINLEC – Operations
- ANN – Cumberland 3 decommissioning
- Renewable Energy World – Afobaka modernization study
- Amsterdam News – Suriname takes control of Afobaka
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Compiled from utility, regulator, developer and government sources, with press reports where noted. Last checked: October 2026. Spotted an error or a newer project? Let me know.