Guyana being positioned to be a leader in renewable energy – Head of State

…not just a leader in fossil fuel production

Guyana, with the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project and other assorted renewable energy projects that are in the pipeline, is being positioned to not just be a leader in fossil fuel production, but a leader in renewable energy.
This is according to President Dr Irfaan Ali, when he spoke at the opening of the sixteenth annual Berbice Expo and Trade Fair at the Albion Sport Complex, Corentyne Berbice. According to the President, transforming Guyana into an energy leader is an important development pillar of the Government.
“Not only in fossil fuel, but also in renewable energy. The potential of the Amaila Falls Hydro project, the catalysing of our gas field, to be an important part in the supply of energy around the Guyana Shield corridor. And in all of this, Region Six and Five is well positioned to be the centre piece of growth and development,” the President said.
The Government also plans to have an oil refinery built in Crab Island, Berbice. According to the President, a new advertisement for Requests for Proposals will be launched for this project, which while not renewable in nature would still have important offshoots into different sectors.
“As I speak to you today, we’re about to launch a new ad for a Request for Proposals and that Request for Proposals is for a new 30,000-barrel refinery for national security to be built in Guyana, here in Region Six, in two months’ time we’ll be receiving the proposals from those interested in investing in this.”
“The opportunities this will create for transport and logistics, the services industry, the construction industry, the rental industry, are enormous. And will bring tremendous benefits to the people of this region,” President Ali said.
Construction on the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) was supposed to start this year, as Government continues to ramp up spending on renewable energy projects as well as upgrades to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) infrastructure. The expected completion date was to be 2027.
The AFHP 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.
The revival of the 165-megawatt AFHP was one of the promises made by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic in its manifesto. The project was initiated under the previous PPP/C Administration, but was scrapped by the coalition Administration which had controlled the National Assembly by a one-seat Opposition majority.
The AFHP was the flagship of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
Amaila was expected to deliver a steady source of clean, renewable energy that would have been affordable and reliable, and was envisioned to meet approximately 90 per cent of Guyana’s domestic energy needs while removing dependency on fossil fuels.
The AFHP was first identified in 1976 by the Canadian company Monenco during an extensive survey of hydroelectric power potential in Guyana. Various studies have since justified and strongly supported the construction of the AFHP.
It was only a few days ago that a $362.4 million Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) funded contract was signed for a solar farm at Mahdia, Region Eight, that will benefit close to 3000 residents and significantly reduce the State’s expenditure on heavy fuel oil.
The 0.65MW Mahdia solar farm is being financed through a loan from the IDB, under the under the Energy Matrix Diversification and Strengthening of the Department of Energy (EMISDE) programme. There is also a 1.5MW Bartica solar farm, which will cost $625 million and will soon be completed. (G3)