The Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) community of Linden is set to benefit from projects under the International Solar Alliance (ISA) agreement recently signed by President David Granger, as Guyana forges ahead towards becoming a “solar State”.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon delivering the feature address at Linden Town Week 2018
This is according to Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, who made the disclosure while delivering the feature address at the official opening ceremony of the Linden Town Week (LTW) 2018 event in the mining town on Sunday.
Harmon explained to residents and officials, who gathered for the occasion at the Linden-Georgetown minibus park, that he had received such information and indication of the benefits for the town, adding that the community was “poised for better days”.
“I have some indication and I have some information which I have received and which I verily believe to be true that Linden will be the beneficiary of projects under the International Solar Alliance Agreement that was signed by His Excellency a few weeks ago in India. The solar footprint of Linden is one of your greatest assets and this is something that we have to explore, and you have to understand there’s a benefit for that,” the Minister indicated.
As such, he said the mining community’s mined-out areas which usually serve as demotivators should now be seen as a positive since they would allow for greater access to solar power and the recently-established ISA.
“I have some indication as well, that these mined-out areas can be, and there’s some conversations taking place now (that they can be), converted to green tourism and conservation facilities. I also have information which I verily believe to be true as well – that Conservation International and the World Wildlife Federation collaboratively will be looking at that…,” Minister Harmon told the gathering.
Last month, President Granger travelled to New Delhi, India where he attended and spoke at the ISA Founding Conference and Solar Summit. The Head of State reportedly referenced Guyana’s strategic equatorial location in the Tropic of Cancer, which places the country at an advantage of becoming a “solar State”. The President also alluded to the country’s transitioning to the use of solar energy.
