Amaila Falls Hydropower (AFHP) station must be pursued relentlessly

Dear Editor,
Guyana badly needs the Amaila Falls Hydropower station (AFHP). We know this and we need to act. I see that the Vice President and People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has yet again commented on this issue, saying, “…in approximately two weeks, the PPP/C Government will request proposals for this much-anticipated AFHP.”
In recent months, the necessity and urgency of this venture was made starkly clear as blackout woes descended on Guyanese. Being aware of the gravity of the situation, President Irfaan Ali actually urged Guyanese to return to generators, as constant blackouts continue to plague the land. He explained that “…efforts are underway to increase power generation,” (but) he believes companies that were not previously on the national grid have turned to it, thereby putting a strain on the Guyana Power and Light’s (GPL’s) capacity. So, yes, the issue is neither bad rulership nor damaged equipment, but excessive demand. Hence, the go-ahead for the AFHP is more than urgent.
Editor, I personally was expecting this kind of situation to come down on us. I recall the Guyana Government, during the 2021 National Budget presentation, expressly stating that it will push for development of the 165MW AFHP. As we all know, we would not have been where we are currently had this vital venture not been shelved by the previous Administration, the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC).
The word then from Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh was that the project “will become a reality” under President Irfaan Ali. He did give the reason too, noting that “the hydro plant has been targeted by the Government to help incorporate sustainable and cheaper electricity into the grid, and as part of a low-carbon development strategy.” Thus the foresight was always there, and I guess it is just a matter of implementation.
As Guyanese, we need to realise, and this was iterated on many occasions, that the single biggest impediment to accelerated development is the absence of adequate, affordable, and reliable energy. Getting to the ‘moment of truth,’ Jagdeo explained, “We’re hoping, within a maximum of two weeks, to go out back for the requests of proposals.” His update is that “…up until last week, the Government received several proposals, and Korea, Austria and Brazil have shown interest in the project.”
At least for me, optimism is high. In terms of its realisation, the AFHP, when completed, is likely to bring in about 160 megawatts of power. This will really be of huge help, and moreso with a plan for possible solar expansion at the AFHP. I know that the target date is year-end for bids to be completed, so we still have to allow for due process to take place.
According to Government’s explanations in our dailies, “Guyana has now got at least two proposals from companies in Brazil to do the ‘hydro’, and some other companies out of the US… So, soon you would see us going back out to another [tender] process in that regard.”
Editor, I back up to December 2016, when an independent assessment of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) did reveal that the only realistic path for Guyana moving towards an emission-free electricity sector is by developing its hydropower potential, and the fastest way forward is to maintain the AFHP. The totally independent report was compiled by Norconsult, an engineering and design consultancy firm out of Norway, which was contracted by the Government of Norway, and it very clearly detailed an “objective and facts-based” assessment of the project on the agreement of the two Governments, and made some telling statements.
In a nutshell, the go-ahead is unambiguous, and the PPP/C must simply continue this pathway until the realisation of its objective.

Yours truly,
HB Singh