Guyana can tap into energy; other solutions close to home – French Ambassador

…notes potential to partner with French Guiana

While Guyana has formed partnerships across the world with a view of fostering development in sectors such as agriculture, oil and gas and energy, it is important that solutions closer to home, such as French Guiana, are not overlooked.
This is according to French Ambassador to Guyana Nicholas de Lacoste, in a recent interview with this publication during the visit of a French Guiana trade delegation led by President of the Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane, Gabriel Serville.
“We underline that [the people of Guyana] are neighbours with French Guiana. There are plenty of solutions which have been worked out. Which are completely adapted to the local circumstances here,” de Lacoste said.
“And what we have advised, kindly, our Guyanese partners, it’s better to look not far away for good solutions with proven efficiency, than go far away overseas to find solutions which already exist and are working.”
During the trade delegation’s visit, President Serville had informed this publication that one area for potential cooperation between the two countries is in renewable energy. According to Serville, French Guiana has already developed an extensive renewable energy system. He said that French Guiana would like to share its technological knowledge with Guyana.
“We’re looking to have a good cooperation with Guyana. There are French Guianese companies who are already here looking to invest. And we’re looking to have strong ties and enhance bilateral cooperation,” Serville had explained.
“French Guiana is already using as far as 71 per cent of renewable energy out of the total. We’re already using different types of renewable energy. So, we’re quite far when it comes to development and we would like to see that transposed [to Guyana] as well,” he had also said.
There are a number of policy decisions the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has taken towards realising its renewable energy ambitions. These include the revival of the 165-megawatt Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP), which was one of the promises made by the PPP/C in its manifesto.
The AFHP was the flagship of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). It 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.
Guyana has received avid interest and even proposals from Brazil and other countries for the 165-megawatt hydropower project. Earlier this month, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had expressed anticipation that in the near future, the Government might go out for another bidding process for Amaila Falls.
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.
Previously, China Railway First Group (CRFG) had won the contract to undertake the project. However, they had subsequently informed Government that they were facing difficulties meeting the contract obligations of a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model. While the company had proposed an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract, Government did not budge and the contract was terminated.
Meanwhile, there was a $362.4 million Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)-funded contract that was signed last year 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 Energy Matrix Diversification and Strengthening of the Department of Energy (EMISDE) programme. There is also a 1.5MW Bartica solar farm, which cost $625 million and was commissioned in April.