CHAIR of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Persaud, on Wednesday, referenced recent comments made by the President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Warren Smith, on the possibility of Guyana being able to export surplus hydro-electricity to the Caribbean, as well as the potential benefits for the local economy.

He also restated the Commission’s call for the development of Guyana’s hydropower capacity.
“We call on our leaders, both in Government and Opposition, to work on realising our hydropower potential, whether it is Amaila Falls or any other source,” he said at the PSC’s 22nd Annual General Meeting (AGM), held at the Pegasus Hotel.
In a prior interview on the subject, Persaud had said energy cost is indeed a very significant impediment to the growth of Guyana’s manufacturing sector.
However, that sector is not the only one affected by the high cost of energy, as so too is the services sector, whose providers are using more Information Communication Technology (ICT) and other enhanced techniques these days, such as robotics and sensors.
According to Persaud, cheap energy supply can increase Guyana’s competitiveness in the several emerging sectors, since it is more economical to establish “energy farms” as compared to paying “significant costs” for fossil fuels.
“It can be a catalyst for the transformation of our local transportation sector, through the use of more hybrid and electric-powered vehicles, both for commuter and freight purposes,” he said, adding:
“Enhanced agricultural systems due to the ability of farmers to adopt gadgets required to be powered by electricity. For example, photocells used to improve photosynthesis of crops in greenhouses and pumps used for drip irrigation.
“Advanced technologies can be adopted in classrooms making our education systems better. More advanced medical equipment can be adopted to better enhance health care.
“…I could keep going on and on with regards to the advances our economy could make if we were guaranteed cheap energy.”
Stressing the need for Guyana’s leaders to ensure that the country moves at a faster pace towards the realisation of hydropower, Persaud said:
“The longer they delay this, the longer it will take for our population to come out of the stranglehold of poverty and underdevelopment.”
Slated to be this nation’s most ambitious undertaking ever, the Amaila Falls Hydro Project (AFHP) is touted to be able to provide Guyanese with a cheaper, reliable and sustainable electricity supply. It involves the construction of a hydropower plant in the area of West-Central Guyana, where the Amaila and Kuribrong Rivers meet. Electric current produced there would be delivered to Georgetown, and Guyana’s second largest township, Linden.
The AFHP is anticipated to result in substantial savings to the nation’s coffers, particularly in terms of foreign exchange and the purchase of heavy fuel oil.
Additionally, the potential benefits of a more stable and reliable source of energy through the advance of hydroelectricity was also targeted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), last December, as an area for continued focus.
On July 18, 2013, the combined Opposition in Parliament defeated the Hydroelectric Power (Amendment) Bill in the National Assembly and, in August, the Government took the legislation back to the House Assembly and received the backing of the Alliance For Change (AFC) but A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) voted down the bill and motion.
However, the current People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration has since made public its commitment to ensuring that hydropower becomes a reality for Guyana.

(By Vanessa Narine)