Home Letters Gas-to-shore power plant within framework of a new energy frontier
Dear Editor,
The location of the gas-to-shore power plant should be conceptualised within a holistic framework of a new energy frontier, where it should be coterminous with a deep-water port, light and heavy manufacturing industries, and an Export Processing Zone.
This gas turbine power plant should be the central power station bank for the Berbice- Demerara Interconnected Grid, with capacity of approximately 300MW, which would adequately supply all our present and projected national energy consumption.
This type of reliable and affordable power should be in a cluster with the other industries, such as a small refinery, LPG plant (cooking gas), fertiliser plant, agro-industries, plastics, polymers, chemical, pharmaceuticals and a host of other assembly and light manufacturing plants. The rationale should be that industries requiring uninterrupted power supply by generating their own power would each be in a great position to pipe the natural gas from the gas-to-shore plant that would be in close proximity, and utilise it to run their plant.
A deep-water harbour close by would enhance the movement of materials for manufacturing as well as export.
A cost benefit analysis of supplying natural gas to existing power stations at Kingston, Vreed-en-Hoop, Garden of Eden and Canefield should be examined against the cost of retrofitting their limited percentage of available engines, which could be converted to work with natural gas. It might well be more economical to continue working these power station on HFO and Diesel.
Citing of the shore-to-gas power plant in the most feasible location can be our harbinger to place Guyana in the realm of a modern industrial nation.
Yours sincerely,
Reggie Bhagwandin