Mega energy projects on track for 2022 commencement – Prime Minister

–Garden of Eden plant to resume in two weeks

Guyana is on track to commence two transformative, mega projects which will revolutionise the energy sector – the Gas to Energy project and the Amaila Falls Hydropower project.

Revealing this during an interview with the National Communications Network on Sunday was Prime Minister, (ret’d) Brigadier Mark Phillips.

Speaking to Chief Editor, Leeron Brumell on ‘Budget in Focus’, the Prime Minister said “Amaila Falls is likely to start definitely within the second half of this year… by our projections, by 2027, that project should be completed, and we as a people will be getting 165 megawatts of electrical power.”

He also said that the Gas to Energy project, for which construction will also begin this year, is expected to be completed in 2024. This is a 300 MW undertaking which will provide about 250 MW of power.

These two projects will provide 415 MW of power, which will cater for Guyana’s baseload capacity for demand in the next five years, as projected by Guyana Power and Light (GPL). They are expected to cut the cost of power by 50%, resulting in reverberating positive impacts for consumers and companies across several industries, and acceleration of the country’s economic development.

The projects will also clean up Guyana’s energy sector, which has historically relied almost entirely on diesel and heavy fuel oil. Hydropower will provide a renewable source of energy, while natural gas will act as a bridging fuel.

“While it is using gas, it is clean energy, cheaper energy, and it’s a transition project for us.” Prime Minister Phillips said.

The retired Brigadier also reminded of the three 33-megawatt solar panel farms which will be constructed—in Berbice, Linden and Essequibo. This will add to several micro-grid projects which will commence in different parts of the country, powered by renewable energy. These include the Kumu Falls hydro project and the Moco Moco hydro project, both in Region Nine, meant to power Lethem, and surrounding communities. A 1 MW solar farm is also under construction in Lethem.

Garden of Eden plant to resume in two weeks

Prime Minister Phillips also said that the 46.5 MW Garden of Eden power plant should resume operations within two weeks.

“They’re in the process of bringing back online those generators, so just in maybe another week or two weeks, all those generators will be back online.”

He had announced a temporary halt on operations at the facility, earlier this month, so that technical challenge encountered at the site could be resolved. The Prime Minister had held an emergency meeting with Wartsilla’s management. Still within the terms of warranty, Wartsilla agreed that it would dispatch a team of some 20 engineers around the clock to address the matter.