…GMSA calls on Government to improve power generation; Govt recognizes the problems and is addressing them, Minister of State says

WHEN the recently completed grid code is reviewed by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), local renewable power suppliers will have an opportunity to be connected to the power grid.

This was noted on Wednesday by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon while he addressed members of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) at the body’s Annual General Meeting at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.

The establishment of a grid code is a move being undertaken by the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) which will facilitate the introduction of renewable energy from intermittent sources, which include wind and solar and non-intermittent sources–biomass and hydro.
At the meeting on Wednesday, outgoing head of the GMSA, Shyam Nokta, during his address to the gathering which included Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin as well as major business sector operatives, called on the authorities to urgently address the country’s electricity problems. “We urgently need to see the needed-improvements, power generation, transmission and distribution systems as well as rapid action to advance mature and feasible initiatives for renewable clean energy,” said Nokta.

Minister Harmon said that the issue of supplying stable electricity has engaged successive governments over a period of time. He expressed the belief that government would now be able to address such issues “in fundamental ways” and provide meaningful and decisive solutions to the country’s energy problems.

He said that government recognizes the importance of energy and each time there is a power outage, time, money and resources are lost.
Minister Harmon noted that in the medium and long term, Guyana remains on a path to diversify its energy mix and to strengthen the power generation sector. He said the government has been actively engaged in discussions regarding the commercial use of natural gas from offshore Guyana as a transitional fuel.

He said there is an agreement with the Kingdom of Norway and the use of natural gas appears to be one of the issues “that we have to deal with”. However, he assured that it is considered a “transitional arrangement “ noting that while natural gas is cheap and clean, it is not a renewable resource.
Minister Harmon told the gathering that GPL has invited expressions of interest for the development and installation of a 50 megawatt natural gas power plant. In addition, various renewable projects are underway and under exploration, including solar and wind power projects.

As regards the grid code, he noted that after being reviewed, GMSA members who can provide renewable power would have an opportunity to supply power to the national grid.
Minister Harmon described the power grid as “the nuclear of the initiatives” and according to him, efforts are ongoing to strengthen its operation.