– gov’t aiming for 100 percent renewable energy by 2025

GOVERNMENT will soon commence a study on expansion of the power- generation system, with the main focus being on the Guyana Power and Light’s (GPL) power networks.

In light of the budding oil-and-gas industry, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure believes that a previous study of the power- generation system done since 2016, has to be upgraded in order to keep up with the potential changes.

Although the overall focus of the study would be on GPL’s power networks, some of the particular aspects of the company’s work that will be reviewed, include the supply of electricity to Linden and the expansion of power supplied to the Demerara-Berbice Interconnection System (DBIS), said energy experts during a Sustainable Energy Workshop at the Pegasus Hotel on Tuesday.

Coordinator of the Sustainable Energy Programme, Horace Williams, announced that Brugman SAS, a consultancy group from Colombia was hired to do the update at a cost of US$183,000. It is expected to be completed by May.

Williams and other energy experts explained that a part of the study would include identification of the generating capacity at minimum cost for the Linden and DBIS systems.
Prior to this, the experts said that they would need to evaluate cost comparisons among the power-generation technologies that might be applicable for the new power-generation capacity in the two systems.

Their intent is to adjust the diesel generating systems to utilise natural gas, since Guyana might soon provide natural gas locally, instead of importing, when oil production commences in 2020.
The consultancy firm would also analyse and revise the use of renewable- energy technologies and existing natural gas generation options.

“The study enables Guyana to provide cheap and reliable electricity to the country, so we are looking at all the alternatives possible for us to get where we want to be, so that we can be 100 percent renewable by 2025… we want to provide the country with cheap electricity,” said Minister of Public Security, David Patterson.