TWENTY-TWO bids have been submitted for the provision of alternative energy in Bartica, the Public Infrastructure Ministry (MPI) has disclosed.

Consistent with the Government’s plans to ‘Green Bartica’, the Public Infrastructure Ministry has, through a public tender process, solicited proposals from independent power producers to design and develop a generation system utilizing an appropriate renewable energy technology, or combination of technologies, under a build-own-operate-and-transfer (BOOT) structure, to supply 1.5 MW of power to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Bartica grid, under a negotiated and agreed power purchase agreement.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the MPI said the ‘Request for Proposal’ for submissions based on solar technology closed on Monday with a total of 22 bids submitted. Submissions were made by: Scheherazade Isoof Khan Business Development (Guyana); Jamaica Energy Partners (Jamaica); Trinidad and Tobago Power Ventures Ltd.; GMS Solar (Guyana); UDECM Inc. (Ontario, Canada); Solar City (USA); Innogen Technologies Inc. (Barbados); Green Hearth Tree Energy (Canada); Future First Energy Experts and Suntuity (USA); Roraima Consulting Inc. (USA); DYNAF (Curacao); Blue Tech Financing Solutions (USA); Sunmoon; Pinnacle Construction and Engineering (Guyana); Deltro Group (Canada); Our Sun Guyana Inc.; SMA Sunbelt Energy (Germany); Associated Energy Developers (USA); Solus Energy (USA); K&P Project Management Company (Guyana); AGRLNDMAR Global (USA), and Peka Solar & Renewable Energy Inc. (USA).

The press statement said Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) facilitated the opening of the tenders in an occasion attended by representatives of 10 of the bidding companies and observed by Dr. Mahender Sharma, GEA CEO; and Horace Williams, CEO of the Hinterland Electrification Company Inc.

In remarks, Dr. Sharma expressed appreciation to the bidders for their participation in the tendering process and support of Guyana’s vision for energy security, following a sustainable path. The proposals will be evaluated on criteria, including their construct, efficiency, capacity, availability, and experience of the bidders. Following this evaluation, a shortlist of qualified firms will be formally engaged by the MPI, and those firms will be invited to submit full and comprehensive proposals.

The ‘Green Bartica Plan’ is a Government of Guyana initiative that involves a holistic approach to sustainable economic growth in the impending township.

Chairman of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council’s (NDC) Interim Management Committee (IMC), Mr Gifford Marshall, had told Guyana Chronicle that an alternative source of energy would open “new doors of opportunities for the people of Bartica.”

The IMC Chairman said he is pleased that there are ongoing discussions on the possible establishment of solar farms, wind mills and hydro power plants in Bartica – a decision which would reduce the town’s dependency on fossil fuel.

Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) former Regional Chairman Holbert Knights, who currently heads the Bartica Independence Green Alliance (BIGA), had also said that an alternative source of energy would mean well for the people of Bartica. He opined that it would significantly reduce the cost for electricity.
It was pointed out that, on an average, residents pay between $8,000 and $10,000 monthly for the supply of electricity. However, Knights said, for those operating in the commercial sector, “it is much higher.”

Currently, Bartica is being powered by GPL. However, it has been a long and hard struggle to keep the lights on. The power station has, for years, been encountering technical problems because most of the operating generators have “outlived” their time.