GPL to get help from DR energy company to improve operations

InterEnergy Group (IEG), a Dominican Republic (DR) based energy company with bold plans to expand the use of renewable energy in the region, will be partnering with the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) in an effort to help the company better manage its electricity services.
On Tuesday, IEG Chairman Rolando González Bunster was part of panel discussions held during the United Caribbean Forum. Alongside former United States President Bill Clinton and Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali, Bunster outlined his company’s vision for renewable energy in the region.
“We believe that InterEnergy is a company that has to keep on innovating and growing. We’re inaugurating later this month… it is like a station, with 60 outlets for fast charging for automobiles. Electric cars. And they’re all powered by the sun. And there’s a big sign outside. President Clinton visited recently. There’s a big sign that says, charge your vehicle in the sun.”

“We are now in the process of converting that utility to 100 per cent 0 emissions by the end of the decade. We are transforming… obviously we will always have baseload generation as backup. But what we’re putting in is battery systems, hydro systems, we take solar energy and pump it to 400 meters,” Bunster said.
Further, Bunster made reference to a Memorandum of Understanding his company signed with the Guyana Power and Light back in January of this year. The agreement is expected to see the Dominican Republic company lend its expertise in electricity generation and transmission, in addition to smart metering.
“InterEnergy will grow in the region and integrate. We are very happy to have signed a memorandum of understanding with Guyana Power and Light, because we believe we can bring to the Guyana Power and Light some of the knowledge that we gained over the years and help them manage their electric systems in a better way.”
“Especially when the 300 mW of new generation comes online and the future demands they will have in their growth. So, we see that integration and communication between countries,” the Chairman further said, a reference to the Gas-to-Energy project which, when it comes online, will inject 300 MegaWatts (mW) into the grid.

When the MOU between GPL and IEG was signed, both companies agreed to engage in discussions to explore opportunities and identify potential areas for collaboration and development of GPL through the implementation of IEG’s expertise and know-how in electricity generation, transmission and distribution, and in the management of electricity systems and assets.

At the time, Bunster had said that the collaboration was representative of IEG’s commitment to advancing sustainable energy solutions in Latin America. He had said that by leveraging his company’s power generation and distribution expertise, Guyana’s energy landscape can be bolstered while fostering economic and social growth.
“As industry leaders, we are dedicated to leading the transition to cleaner energy, prioritizing renewables and the latest technology for a sustainable future and global decarbonization,” he had said, in a statement from IEG.
Meanwhile, head of the executive management of GPL Kesh Nandlall was quoted in the statement as expressing optimism with the agreement. He said that by combining GPL and IEG’s strengths, the company’s operations can be optimized and better services can be provided to Guyanese.
“This alliance with InterEnergy Group aligns with our vision of a sustainable and technologically advanced Guyana in line with the significant development that the eastern region of the Dominican Republic has experienced under the leadership of this energy company,” Nandlall said.
GPL has been dealing with power failure woes for some time, with the government having to bring in 29.9 MegaWatts of additional power in the form of generators last year. It is anticipated that once the Gas-to-Energy project is online next year, Guyanese will benefit from not only cheaper, but more reliable power. (G3)