Back in 2019, when the Coalition was living on borrowed time, after they had refused to leave office when they were defeated on the No Confidaence Motion, then Infrastructure Minister David Patterson (of banglegate fame!) boasted about how he’d deliver a 188MW power generation plant by 2021!! That, of course, was after spending hundreds of millions on a sole-sourced plan, and promising to have a new fixed-span bridge across the Demerara River by 2018!! Declared the Bling Minister, “So, we have gas. What we are doing is building out the architecture. It comes in by pipeline, and we will have a 188-megawatt power plant”.
Your jaded Eyewitness was dubious about the timeline, and pointed out, “If Exxon have excess gas above their needs, they COULD then make that available. But they wouldn’t know until they actually start pumping the oil out of the sea – which isn’t scheduled till 2020. Even if we give Patterson the benefit of the doubt: that he’ll get enough gas to run a 188MW power plant, has he looked into what it would take to run a pipeline from 100 miles – in waters more than one mile deep – to shore at Bohemia??” At that time, Coalition elements were busy securing land on the Berbice foreshore at Bohemia, and your Eyewitness figured they were strategically preparing to fill their pockets. Later they gobbled up land in the East Coast Demerara area!!
But your Eyewitness’s skepticism about getting the pipeline and the plant going within a year became moot when the Coalition was ejected – rigging, kicking, and screaming! – in 2020. However, it’s more than ironic, now that the PPP Government announced they’d be building a 300MW gas-powered plant at Wales, the same Patterson and his compadres are hollering and complaining about “costs”!! Did they ever look into the “costs” back in 2019?? Do they realize that the 12-inch diameter pipeline that is demanded by the 100+MW increase demands costs more than the 8-inch they’d contemplated?? Do they realize that the present worldwide supply-chain problems have pushed up the cost of pipelines?? But hey!! When you realize that somebody (or bodies) has/have been left holding the bag with those lands they bought on the ECD, you may understand their ire!!
But the larger irony is that, since the PPP Government negotiated with Exxon to absorb the cost of the pipeline up front on their books – and then amortize it via expensing it out or “selling” the gas that’s ours at the FPSO flange, it means that, right away, Guyana benefits by not having to hold a billion US dollars in debt on OUR books!! Your Eyewitness hopes the Coalition accepts that SOMEBODY gotta pay for the pipeline!!
PNCs still mathematically challenged?
…magic
Your Eyewitness must confess he waited up for the Superbowl!! But before you bash him for “selling out”, please remember that our beloved cricket is straight from the imperialist Brits, while the oval-shaped football game is from the Yanks, who overthrew ole (mad) King George III!! Anyhow, it was quite a game, with a score that’s the equivalent of 400 runs scored in a T20 match!! Lots of fireworks plus the drama of the winning quarterback finishing the game injured!! Ahhh…the drama!!
But the biggest drama is traditionally during the half-time show, when there’s always a big show that seeks to knock the socks off the fans at the stadium and in TV land!! This year, they received an unexpected shot in the arm (so to speak) when superstar Rihanna demonstratively announced her (very advanced) pregnancy when she belted out her performance in an appropriately designed outfit!!
Your Eyewitness was surprised that some locals expressed she only mentions Barbados, and not Guyana. Hey…she was designated a Bajan National Hero!!
…but no more
A man just died because of a GPL power surge. After every blackout, Guyanese experience these surges – and damage to appliances. GPL must be made to compensate the bereaved family for this unfortunate taking of a life.
