McLean calls for reconsideration of Amaila Falls project

… says small hydros, solar power insufficient

Former Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), (ret’d) Major General Norman McLean, has called for focus to be placed on large-scale hydro projects such as the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project, noting that small-scale hydro projects will be insufficient to power local industries.
Speaking at the Private Sector Commission’s (PSC) Annual General Meeting on Thursday, McLean, who also previously served as the Commission’s Secretary, posited that hydropower is the key to Guyana’s development.
“Guyana is blessed with all the water and water falls to make hydro the key to our development; after all, we are the land of many waters,” he posited.
To this end, McLean noted that focus needs to be placed on developing large-scale hydro projects that can serve tradition sectors that have carried Guyana’s

economy for years.
He pointed out that emphasis on small hydros such as Moco-Moco, Tumatumari, Eclipse and others can only electrify small surrounding communities with areas like Lethem, Mahdia, Konawaruk, Arakaka, Mathew’s Ridge and so on, standing to benefit from afforded fulltime electricity.
“[Small hydros] would provide electricity outside the grid and those local communities will, therefore, benefit from these small hydros… If we are to industrialise Guyana Amaila; Korow, Turtuba and others need to be developed to ensure Guyana’s economy is sustainable through clean and renewable resources,” he asserted.
The former PSC Chairman went on to outline that local sectors continue to endure very high prices for generating electricity and while Government’s initiatives like the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) is commendable, projects based on solar and wind will not electrify and industrialised Guyana.
Following years of uncertainty over its future after it was abandoned by the coalition Government, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman last month breathed new life into the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project (AFHEP) when he appeared before the Parliamentary Sectoral Natural Resources Committee.
Before assuming office, the A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change’s refusal to endorse AFHEP forced the main developer, Sithe Global, to walk away from the project. APNU and AFC claimed they were awaiting an evaluation from the IDB, which was in receipt of US$80 million from Norway that was specifically committed to AFHEP. But with no developer, the IDB declared an investigation was moot and the coalition Government had since ducked AFHEP, citing technical and financial concerns.
However, after attending COP25 in Paris, Minister Trotman last month announced, “… the Ministry of Finance and Cabinet considered it the best option for an objective re-assessment (of AFHEP).” But he noted that funding is an issue with the project, which was the brainchild of former President and current Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo.
Just before the release of a report by Norconsult, an engineering and design consultancy firm from Norway, which was contracted by the Government of Norway for an “objective and facts-based” assessment, the coalition Government issued a statement claiming the Norconsult consultancy justified Government’s position that the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project was not financially viable for the country, and would be a burden to the people of Guyana.
But when the report was made public, its conclusions and recommendations were the complete opposite, and declared that “the only realistic path” for Guyana moving towards an emission-free electricity sector and achieving its 2025 Green Agenda commitment was to develop its hydropower potential in general, and maintain the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project in particular.