The Malacia papers are a series of small pieces that grew out of a proposed naval wargaming campaign in the summer of 2011. Having written a history of a battleship (partly as a relief from a science fiction novel I'm trying to write) I found myself creating a country and a history. The name Malacia comes from Brian Aldiss' novel 'The Malacia tapestry' which is about a city where change is not allowed (and is well worth reading); this is reflected in the Traditionalist and Progressive party's attitudes.
I see Malacia as being where Guyana is, I've used its geography and the only change I've made is moving a mountain northwards. I also pronounce Malacia with a hard 'c'; ie Malakia.
The hydro-electric project is not unrealistic; a 200Mw installation was built in the 1890s in Scotland for aluminium smelting. The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway started its electric service in 1905-8 using overhead conductors at 6.6Kv.