New PPP/C Gov’t firm on promise of cheaper, more reliable electricity 

DPI, Guyana, Monday, August 17, 2020

The Amalia Falls Hydro Power (AFHP) project is among a list of measures to be reviewed by the PPP/C Government to deliver on its promise to provide cheaper, and more reliable electricity.

In an interview with Stabroek News, Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, is quoted as stating that the new PPP/C Government plans to utilise a combination of hydro, wind, and solar power to address the country’s energy needs.

“We are going to go back to hydro and an energy mix – hydro, wind, solar; all of them. Amalia would be part of that too,” the Vice-President said.

He added that the Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic, (PPP/C) Government will not only develop its Amalia Fall Hydro Power (AFHP) project, but also other mini-hydro projects. However, the feasibility of these projects would need to be reviewed.

In keeping with its manifesto, the PPP/C Government said it remained committed to providing the nation with “cheaper and more reliable electricity”.

The manifesto states that electricity is key for the economic growth of Guyana. “In the period up to 2015, the PPP/C ended the blackout norm of the 1980s, and returned a sense of normalcy and stability in the provision of electricity to households, businesses, and industry.”

“Generation capacity was installed and increased across the country; on the Coast and Hinterland,” it further states.

His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, also spoke on the subject during his inauguration speech, stating that his Government will seek to add 400 MW of new generation capacity, including hydropower, over the next five years.

The Head of State said this was to stimulate business enterprises.

“We will reduce the cost of energy by 50% through a mix of hydro, gas, solar and wind.”

The Amalia Fall Hydro Power (AFHP) project is expected to generate reliable, affordable, and clean energy.

Reservations about the project by APNU and AFC, when previously in opposition, led to the main investor – Sithe Global – withdrawing. In 2015 when the APNU+AFC Coalition Administration came into power, the project was left dormant; then in late 2017, it was halted altogether.

The project is thought to be a fundamental component of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), intended to significantly lower the country’s carbon footprint while reducing the country’s long term energy costs and exposure to the volatility of imported oil prices.

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