Govt also has plans for wind, solar renewable energy – Min Bharrat

– exploring all renewable energy options to keep up with power demand

When it comes to renewable energy projects, the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) has dominated local conversations for years. However, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has assured that it also has plans for solar and wind energy.
Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat in a recent address, informed delegates from Africa and the Caribbean Community (Caricom) of the Government’s plans for the energy sector. These plans, encapsulated in the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), include solar and wind as viable renewable energy options to confront the growing demand for power.

“The gas-to-energy project is utilising 50 million cubic (feet of gas) per day, to generate 300 megawatts of power. Some people may say 300 megawatts of power is not much. But in Guyana, our peak consumption is maybe 200 right now. But right now, with the amount of development that is coming to our country, 12 new hospitals and 15 new hotels.”
“And so many other new industries coming on stream very shortly, our housing programme, the 300 megawatts would be used up. That is why we’re doing a hydro project of 165 megawatts. We already are working on installing 23 megawatts of solar energy. And we have plans for wind as we move on,” Minister Bharrat said.
Bharrat also made reference to the mini-hydro projects currently being undertaken in the hinterland. He noted that due to Guyana’s terrain, it’s very difficult for hinterland communities to be connected to the national grid.
“Because of the geography and cost of getting infrastructure into those areas. Hence solar power generation is critical in those regions, as well as hydro and mini-hydro,” Minister Bharrat explained.
The demand for electric power is being driven by the massive developments that are unfolding across the country, and already, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has projected that a whopping 236 megawatts of electricity would be needed in 2024.
When the Government entered office in 2020, there was a demand for 120 megawatts of electricity. This grew to 136 megawatts in 2021; 156 megawatts in 2022; and then peaked at 184 megawatts in 2023. This year’s peak was recorded when all industrial customers were on the grid.
Minister within the Public Works Ministry Deodat Indar, on Thursday during a press conference, projected that the demand for power would meet 236 megawatts next year. This means that in less than five years, power demand would have increased by almost 50 per cent. According to the Minister, plans will be set in motion to adequately cater for this demand.
The Government currently has a number of plans in the pipeline to grow the country’s energy capacity. These include the 300 MW gas-to-energy project which, when it comes online, could see Guyana saving between US$150 million and US$200 million in foreign currency that would otherwise have been invested in the country’s fuel importation.
The scope of Guyana’s gas-to-energy project consists of the construction of 225 kilometres of pipeline from the Liza field in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, where Exxon and its partners are currently producing oil.
It features approximately 200 kilometres of a subsea pipeline offshore that would be run from Liza Destiny and Liza Unity floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels in the Stabroek Block to the shore.
Upon landing on the West Coast Demerara shore, the pipeline would continue for approximately 25 kilometres to the NGL plant at Wales, West Bank Demerara. The project is slated for a 2025 start-up.
Meanwhile, the Government, in staying true to its promise, has reinvited Requests for Proposals (RFP) under a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model, to advance the development of the long-awaited Amalia Falls Hydropower Project.
According to published documents from the Prime Minister’s Office, the project will integrate and expand Guyana Power and Light’s national grid capacity to include Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice). (G-3)