Gov’t committed to Low Carbon economy – Prime Minister  

Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, on Wednesday, reiterated government’s commitment to achieving a low carbon economy through energy diversification.

He was at the time addressing the opening of the International Solar Alliance’s (ISA) Fourth Committee Meeting for Latin America and the Caribbean Region at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, Kingston.

The three-day confab will see Guyana adding its voice to the alignment of the region’s strategic priorities and initiatives in the area of solar power generation.

ISA is a member-driven and collaborative platform aimed at increasing the deployment of solar energy technologies as a means of enhancing energy access, ensuring energy security, and driving energy transition in its member countries. 

Delivering the feature address, the prime minister lauded the collaboration between ISA and its members in delivering sustainable solar energy solutions.

“The Government of Guyana has benefitted from the ISA’s support in the areas of technical cooperation and grant assistance. These projects include the Solar PV Demonstration Project at the Orealla Health Centre, and training and capacity-building sessions for Guyanese professionals…in the area of solar technologies,” he highlighted.

PM Phillips, who holds responsibility for the country’s energy sector, reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to developing a low-carbon economy with a transition to clean energy as a national priority.

“Our government is committed to achieving a low carbon economy and advancing the nation’s transition away from conventional energy sources. As the minister responsible for energy, I am extremely heartened by the timeliness of ISA’s contributions in the area of solar energy development,” he explained.

Further, PM Phillips noted the administration’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 will see Guyana becoming a front runner in the fight against climate change.

“…Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy which promotes, among other things, the development of utility-scale solar PV farms, solar mini-grids and solar home systems as part of our country’s ongoing energy transformation,” the prime minister said.

Meanwhile, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, who also serves as vice president of the committee, posited that Guyana is chartering a path of undeniable development through beneficial partnerships with the ISA.

“We are working with the ISA to make sure that we can learn, [and] that we can benefit from the skills within the ISA secretariat,” Minister Indar said.

Director General of the ISA, Dr Ajay Mathur also congratulated the government on its work in drafting the LCDS 2030, and its intention of tabling it in the National Assembly.

“Prime Minister, I’d like to congratulate you…on the LCDS and [the plan to] take it to0 parliament, and paving the way forward,” he said.

A one-megawatt solar farm is currently being developed in Lethem and is expected to officially commence operations later this week.

Guyana’s involvement in these meetings forms part of the administration’s commitment to creating an energy mix for cleaner, more reliable sources of energy.

The ISA seeks to develop and deploy cost-effective and transformational energy solutions powered by the sun to help member countries develop low-carbon growth trajectories, with particular focus on delivering impact in countries categorised as Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS).