“A ROSE by any other name is still a rose,” quipped Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon, when asked to respond to the promises of Brigadier (rtd) David Granger pertaining to the Amaila Falls Hydropower project.The presidential candidate for the alliance of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) speaking to GMSA stakeholders on Tuesday said, “We will also develop hydroelectric power within a project which we have identified as the Potaro Basin Development Authority, which could embody the present Amaila Falls.”

Dr Luncheon at his news conference held on Wednesday at the Office of the President, welcomed APNU’s endorsement of renewable energy as a future prospect, particularly given the Opposition’s disposition on the matter in the 10th Parliament.
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 and received the AFC’s support, butAPNU voted down the bill and motion.
“I am happy that the renewable energy agenda of the APNU does indeed find favour with [the] Amaila Falls Hydropower Project,” Dr Luncheon said.
PLUS FOR INVESTORS
He highlighted that APNU’s endorsement of advancing renewable energy will also find favour with investors.
The cabinet secretary said, “It is to my mind some convergence [of support] and if you recall Blackstone and Sithe Global held out that when the Government and the political Opposition were at one, they will feel more confident in moving forward with the investment.
“The PPP/C and the major Opposition party seem now to be saying we are in favour of going ahead with Amaila Falls. It is a plus where investors are concerned.
The potential benefits of a more stable and reliable source of energy through the advancement of hydroelectricity was also targeted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), last December, as an area for continued focus.
The IMF has been joined by several other regional bodies that have underlined the benefits of hydropower in Guyana.
Also, last September, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, at the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) 35th meeting of the Region’s Heads, underscored the renewable energy potential of Guyana.
The President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Warren Smith, at the Bank’s 44th annual meeting in the latter part of May 2014, noted the possibility of Guyana being able to export surplus hydropower to the Caribbean, as well as the potential benefits for the local economy.
Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Persaud, has also been vocal on the issue and recently called for the development of Guyana’s hydropower capacity, particularly given that cheap energy supply can increase Guyana’s competitiveness in several emerging sectors, since it is more economical to establish “energy farms” as compared to paying “significant costs” for fossil fuels.
Other major organisations, including the Organization of American States (OAS), have publicly stressed the need for a shift in the energy paradigm to initiatives that are more sustainable.
2015 START
Asked about the move forward for the project, Dr Luncheon gave the assurance that construction will begin before the end of the year, confident that the ruling party will be returned to office and push its development agenda.
“The President’s statement is so informative and so definitive it bears repeating. We anticipate before the end of the year, work to start on Amaila,” he said.
Development partners’ have indicated their continued support based on confidence in the project’s merits.
This expression of support follows last October’s promised transfer of an accumulated US$80M in payments from Norway, US$45M released in 2013 and US$35M released last October, to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which would be used as Guyana’s equity contribution to the project.
The transfer of the monies to the IDB follows a clear indication of support for the project from the Bank last August, when the organisation made it clear that it was “still on board” for the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project.
The hydropower project 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. Electricity produced there will be delivered to Georgetown and Guyana’s second largest town, Linden.
The AFHP is anticipated to result in substantial savings to the nation’s coffers, particularly in terms of foreign exchange for the purchase of heavy fuel oil, as well as create many opportunities for jobs, among other advances.