300 MW power plant: As works progress, businesses urged to join national grid to reap benefits

The construction of the 300-megawatt (MW) combined cycle power plant at Wales, West Bank Demerara (WBD), that aims to significantly reduce the cost of energy by means of an energy mix, is progressing, with work on the transmission lines already underway.
Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar last week gave an overview of the project during the launch of the 60th anniversary activities of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA).

The Government’s multimillion-dollar gas-to-energy facility will see natural gas being piped from offshore operations to Wales, where the 300 MW power plant and an integrated Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) plant are being constructed.
The plant aims to reduce the cost of energy by at least 50 per cent through an energy mix, thereby potentially saving Guyana US$150 million on power generation annually.
“The site has already been developed, the access [and] the material offloading facility [are in progress], the road into Wales is being constructed, the pipeline from offshore is coming in, the contracts have already been awarded for the onshore bit from Crane to take it to Wales. So, the different parts of the project have already been awarded,” Indar said.
Through the turbines used at the plant, 300 MW of energy will be generated, which is double the amount that Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) currently provides.
“That will be dispatched through 230,000 volts (V) transmission lines. It will come from Wales, go to Vreed-en-Hoop to the power station, then it will come to the back of Garden of Eden then it will go to the back of Eccles where the control centre will be. From that control centre, it will be broken down into 69,000 V and 13,800 V to be dispatched across the country,” Indar said.

Indar noted that contracts have already been awarded to undertake the transmission and distribution aspect of the project, with work on these components having already begun.
Meanwhile, GMSA President Ramsay Ali encouraged businesses to ensure they’re on the national grid as not only will the cost of electricity be significantly reduced but the operational cost of businesses will be slashed as well.
“GPL will be willing to work with all of us to get ourselves back on the grid because it would be shameful if the gas-to-shore gets here and the energy costs go down significantly and you’re not on the grid. So, I’m saying to companies who are not on the grid, you should be starting to make those preparations to get on it,” Ali said.
Further, Indar noted the 165 MW Amaila Falls Hydro Project and the 33 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) farms in Essequibo, Linden and Berbice will complement the power plant.

Active interest
In June, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had announced that there was active interest from Brazil to bring the Amaila Falls project to life after it was hindered when the China Railway First Group (CRFG), the company that won the contract, had informed the Government of its difficulties meeting the contractual obligations.
This project will be based on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model where the company will supply electricity to GPL Inc at a cost not exceeding US$0.07737 per kWh and where the company will provide the entire equity required by the project and undertake all the risks associated with the project.
Meanwhile, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) had approved the use of US$83.8 million, earned from Norway to keep Guyana’s rainforests intact, for the construction of eight solar farms that aim to add renewable energy sources to Guyana’s grid.