— Prime Minister

PRIME Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips has said that several transformative energy projects will commence this year.
Speaking during a recent NCN programme titled, “Budget in Focus,” the Prime Minister said among the major projects to get started are the Amaila Falls Hydro project and the gas-to-energy project.

“Amaila Falls is likely to start definitely within the second half of this year… by our projections, by 2027, that project should be completed, and we as a people will be getting 165 megawatts of electrical power,” he said.

The Prime Minister added that the gas-to-energy project is expected to be completed by 2024. He said that it will help to reduce electricity costs by approximately 50 per cent.

“While it is using gas, it is clean energy, cheaper energy, and it’s a transition project for us,” he said.
Three 33-megawatt solar panel farms will be constructed — in Berbice, Linden and Essequibo, respectively.

In addition to these, several micro-grid projects will commence in different parts of the country, while several small renewable energy undertakings will begin in Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo. Among these are the Kumu Falls hydro project, which is likely to produce 1.5 megawatts of electricity, and a one-megawatt solar farm that is under construction at Lethem.

GARDEN OF EDEN POWER PLANT
During the interview, Prime Minister Phillips also stated that the 46.5 megawatts Garden of Eden power-generation plant is expected to resume operations within two weeks.

“They’re in the process of bringing back online those generators, so just in maybe another week or two weeks, all those generators will be back online.”

Earlier this month, the senior government official had announced that operations at the facility would be temporarily halted as officials attempt to diagnose technical challenges with the generators.

He had immediately convened an emergency meeting with the management of Wartsilla. At that point, the company, still under warranty, agreed to dispatch a team of engineers to Guyana to correct the challenges.

Some 20 engineers have since been working around the clock to rectify the problem.

(Office of the Prime Minister)