Region Eight pushing for hydroelectric project
A MINI hydroelectric plant for the supply of electricity to support farming and an education complex at Kato, in Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni), has been deemed feasible and is now under active consideration by the European Union (EU).
A reliable source close to the project said the project is to be funded jointly by the EU and the Government of Guyana.
Chairman of Region Eight, Mr. Senor Bell disclosed yesterday that the programme, long desired for the development of agricultural and cottage industries, seems closer to materialisation.
He said, since the feasibility was accepted, EU officials visited Guyana, earlier this year and agreed to assist with funding a significant percentage of the costs in the form of a grant.
“The plan is to set up the hydro and use the electricity to pump water into the savannahs for large scale agriculture. We also see it as supporting processing of the produce so that they can reach markets in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) and on the coast without spoilage. It will make a big difference, in terms of poverty alleviation and the quality of life of the people in these areas,” Bell said.
The undertaking is deemed feasible with a plant capacity of 570 kilowatts utilising water from the nearby Chiung River.
There will be no need for any dam or impoundment in reservoirs of the type which can cause flooding of large tracts of land. As a result, people living at or near the river would not have to be relocated nor natural habitats and farmlands be adversely affected.
The current will be used to provide electricity to a secondary education complex at Kato for students there and neighbouring villages.
It is envisaged that the project may be able to supply electricity as far as Paramakatoi, another village in the Pakaraima mountains, 14 miles from Kato.
Bell said the Region had been pushing for the Kato project as long ago as 2007 and the EU had given a June 2011 deadline for a final proposal, which officials from the Office of the Prime Minister were working to meet and he anticipates that there could be a clear indication of a starting date by the end of 2012 first quarter the latest.