Suriname offers help to Guyana on Amalia Falls Hydropower Project

…as Staatsolie Managing Director floats areas for potential collaboration

Lauding the merits of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP), Managing Director of Suriname state oil company Staatsolie, Annand Jagesar, recently proposed that this could be one of the projects that Suriname provides assistance to Guyana with.
During the recently held Guyana Energy Expo and Supply Chain Expo (GECSCE), Jagesar spoke of areas in which Guyana and Suriname can collaborate. These areas range from the Gas to Energy (GtE) Project to Local Content.
Additionally, an important area in which assistance was offered is in AFHP Project. The Amaila Falls Project, which Jagesar claimed they were very jealous of, is one in which he had high praise for. He noted that Suriname itself has experience with hydropower projects… experience that it can lend Guyana.

“We have a hydro project, which is 1500 square kilometres (km). You have a hydro project that is 30 square kilometres and can generate the same amount of energy. So that’s a good project. I think nobody would oppose such a project. It’s difficult to innovate a lot of land these days. So very nice project. If you’d like, we’d like to join there. We have some experience,” Jagesar explained.
Jagesar went on to explain that there are studies which support proposals for hydropower using current from the ocean or marine energy. He described this as an exciting proposal and noted that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) could potentially provide funding.
“One exciting thing about hydro, another big project to impress you guys, eventually maybe we can look at (current). Because, you know, in the sea we have better pockets for (current). We looked at the studies and it looks good.”
“So, we’ve convinced IDB to maybe build transmission lines. If you maybe make a programme where hydrocarbons will be replenished by renewables, it might work. So, plenty of stuff to talk about,” he also said.
During the energy conference, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had also spoken of the importance of hydropower, to the future energy matrix. The Vice President was at the time addressing youths during a segment of the GECSCE at the Marriott Hotel Friday last.
“Right now, we’re working at getting the Gas to Energy Project going. When that project is completed, we will cut electricity prices by 50 per cent. It is a transitional fuel, because right now we’re generating all of our power from diesel. And bunker C.”

“So even with that facility, we’ll cut our emissions by 45 per cent. And if you read the LCDS (Low Carbon Development Strategy), you will see we have an energy mix for the future. It includes gas, so we’ll build the gas facility. It includes hydropower. And it includes solar,” the Vice President said.
Jagdeo assured that this year, about 100 Megawatts (MW) of solar will be added to the grid. He noted that already, 35-MW have been added through a programme funded by the IDB. However, Jagdeo also noted the hurdles that come with seeking to integrate renewable energy in a way that will have it replace existing baseload energy sources.
“Renewable energy, particularly wind and solar, they’re not baseload. They’re just energy. So what happens is if the sun doesn’t shine for a particular period, you don’t (have power) unless you have batteries. You’re at the mercy of the elements. Same thing with wind. It could slow down and then you have to have fossil fuel kick in.”
“I don’t think integration is a major hurdle now. But simply, there’s this mistaken view you can use it to supplant baseload. and until batteries become cheap enough to allow solar energy to come in as baseload constant, and becomes ₵5 or ₵6 per kilowatt hour (kWh), then you can’t displace energy produced from the gas,” Jagdeo had explained.
Suriname’s Afobaka Dam is an example of a hydro power facility in the neighbouring country. The hydropower from the dam supports a 180-MW power station. In Guyana, the Government has repeatedly stated the AFHP, which is the hallmark of hydropower in Guyana, will be constructed despite the many delays.
Previously, four companies, Rialma S.A. (Grupo Rialma) from Brazil, China International Water & Elec. Corp, Lindsayca CH4 Guyana Inc, and a group made up of OEC, GE Vernova and Worle, had tendered their proposals for the 165-MegaWatt project. Last month, the Vice President had said that the project would eventually be retendered.