India ready to lend assistance in renewable energy – High Commissioner

Guyana’s plan to pursue renewable energy by 2025 has been matched with India’s commitment to providing support to meet this juncture.
This was recently recommitted by the Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Venkatachalam Mahalingam who noted that his country is ready to provide assistance in harnessing bio and renewable energy. After Guyana would have forged a partnership as one of the founders in the International Solar Alliance, provisions can be made to extend the areas in the renewable resources domain.
He also ascertained that forestry resources, the sugar belt and rice sector are zones where reformation can be executed.
“The Founding Member status of Guyana in the International Solar Alliance since March last year paves way for access to Indian concessional finance in the area of solar energy. Apart from solar, India is also ready to offer its assistance to Guyana in harnessing bio and renewable energy under its Green State Development Strategy. India would also be ready to provide its assistance in enhancing value addition to Guyana in its forest products, in reforming and upgrading sugar industry and in diversifying rice-based products,” said the High Commissioner.
A number of renewable energy farms and facilities have been the goal of Guyana and the Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson, had provided some information on a US$3.8 million solar farm, which was slated for completion at the ending of 2018.
The farm, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), was expected to be constructed at Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).
He had also spoken of securing funding from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to establish photo-voltaic (PV) farms at Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini) at a cost of US$1.8 million; Kwakwani, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) to the tune of US$2.6 million; and Matthews Ridge, Region One at a cost of US$2 million.
After President David Granger’s India visit to attend the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Founding Conference and Solar Summit which made Guyana a member of the said alliance, it was pointed out that a line of credit of US$15 million would be available to Guyana.
However, in relation to the 2025 deadlines, some key points were raised when Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo zeroed in on solar energy plans for Guyana. He noted that one crucial question with the Government’s solar power initiatives involves using back-up energy generation.
According to Jagdeo last July, who conceptualised the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), this situation would then warrant extra back-up energy being introduced, as much as 100 megawatts if that was the wattage being generated by the solar power.