IN the 2011 action plan of the Alliance For Change (AFC) it was highlighted that they believe that a low carbon strategy is commendable from an environmental perspective; however its focus is misdirected. The thrust of the government’s current strategy is the quest for compensation from foreign countries for Guyana not to cut down its forests. The government will then receive the funds and decide how to spend them.
Renewable energy under the PPP is dependent on obtaining highly uncertain inflows of US$580 million per year. The AFC’s approach is to be proactive. Renewable energy can be done right now rather than waiting for funds.
The AFC proposes that renewable energy, eco-tourism, agro-industrial processing and information and communications technologies (ICT), assembling and manufacturing of low-priced computers must be the main thrust of production activities.
Moreover, we do not need to wait until uncertain REDD funds are realised. Renewable energy could be funded by foreign direct investment (FDI) and/or concessional borrowing from the IDB and other similar agencies. The AFC believes that energy needs should be met with a portfolio of renewable energy sources and not a single energy source.
However, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic has made some key achievements in the area of electricity generation, transmission and distribution, these include:

1.  Expanded generation capacity, from 85 MW in 1991 to 166 MW in 2011, including some 30 MW of bagasse power at Skeldon.

2.  Reducing electricity losses from over 50 percent in 1991 to less than 30 percent today.

3.  Extending the grid to include 45,000 families who before, never had electricity.

4.  Commencing a hinterland electrification programme that will see the distribution of 11,000 solar panels to bring electricity for the first time to homes in the hinterland.

Further, as outlined in the 2011 manifesto, over the next five years, the next PPP/Civic Government will:

1.  Bring electricity to every single Guyanese household, by extending the national grid to include all new housing developments, unserved and hinterland areas.

2.  Transform Guyana into a country that meets almost its entire national demand for electric energy from renewable sources, by completing the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project.

3.  Improve efficiency in the national grid by completing the upgrade of the transmission network.

4.  Using renewable sources, including bio-fuels, mini-hydropower plants where feasible and household photovoltaic panels where more appropriate, bring electricity to every home in Guyana’s hinterland.

5.  Develop and promote an energy efficiency policy aimed at encouraging more responsible and efficient use of electric energy by industrial, corporate, and household consumers, including through public education and other incentives to motivate energy efficient behaviour.

6.  Make Guyana a country that produces sufficient power to meet the needs of the manufacturing, agro-processing and minerals processing sectors such as alumina and aluminium production.

7.  Develop our capacity to supply nearby export markets, by facilitating a second large scale privately-financed hydropower project.

In addition, the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project will catalyze a seismic shift in the energy infrastructure of Guyana, in the environment for doing business, and in the quality of life in Guyana.
This single project will materialise the largest investment ever made in Guyana, with more than 2,000 jobs being created during the construction phase, and when completed will result in annual savings of US$135 million on the national fossil fuel import bill, generate more than 150 MW of power from a renewable source, and reduce the cost of power to the final consumer, thereby in turn improving the investment environment, reducing the cost of living, attracting investment, and creating more jobs.
It will transform Guyana from a country that is completely dependent on fossil fuel sources for electric energy to a country that utilizes only renewable sources for the national power grid. The project will also establish a prototype for future hydropower projects, whether to meet expanded domestic demand or for the export market.