— says Dr Jagdeo, outlines major transformation for Region Three

REGION Three is slated to undergo major transformation with the roll out of a series of large scale-infrastructural projects, Vice-President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, said during an outreach there on Friday.

Addressing hundreds of residents at separate meetings at the Canal # One Tarmac and Crane Village, West Coast Demerara, Dr Jagdeo reiterated that while the region will see a transformation in infrastructure, agriculture will not be neglected as it is equally important as the oil and gas sector.

He underscored that for agriculture to thrive, proper drainage and irrigation systems have to be in place to minimise flooding, and this is a major focus of the government.
A few months ago, the Vice-President met with farmers, engineers and regional officials from Regions Two, Three, Five and Six, at the Arthur Chung conference Centre to definitively tackle flooding in these regions.

Since then, he said a number of contracts have been awarded, and in Region Three, contracts to the tune of $1.3B have been awarded for procurement of two heavy-duty pumps to improve drainage at A-Line and Canal # One.

“At B-Line, we are now working to build a bigger bridge across the road and open up the sluices there. At Patentia and other areas we are working to expand capability there too. This is crucial for us… once the projects get implemented and combined this will be in excess of $5B in infrastructural work, right here, in this end, to improve drainage,” the Vice-President said.

This is on drainage. Significant attention has also been placed on roads and minimising traffic congestion and in this vein the Mandela to Eccles four-lane road was conceived and executed.
To further minimise the problem on the East Bank, a contract has been awarded to take the road to Diamond.

“So by next year, from Diamond into Georgetown, you will have a new four-lane alignment ready. We have awarded a contract for US$106M from Ogle now to come back to about Eccles area, so you have 12 lanes going into Georgetown,” he told the gathering at Canal # One Tarmac.

SHOWPIECE
The government has also conceptualised, did the feasibility study and raised the finances for the new four-lane Demerara Harbour Bridge. That contract has already been awarded, and according to Dr Jagdeo, when the US$261M high-rise bridge is completed, it will be a “showpiece”.

“[It] will come across the Demerara into this region so people would not have to worry about this harbour bridge anymore. That contract was awarded. We have just gone out to tender for the part from Crane. A four-lane road from Crane will come all the way to connect back the road so you can bypass the traffic in the Vreed-en-Hoop area. Before, maybe by the end of July, we will open the bids for that, so maybe two to three years’ time, that would be completed,” he said, noting that this project alone is around $12B.

The gas-to-shore plant will also be built at Wales, Region Three. The project entails bringing the pipeline in, building the power plant and building a natural gas liquids facility. It will cost over US$1.5B.

THOUSANDS OF JOBS
“It will create thousands of jobs because once this comes in here, a whole range of other industries are going to move to the Wales Industrial Estate. So the pipeline, we are bringing in 50 million cubic of gas to generate 250-300 megawatts of power,” he said, noting that this single plant which is expected to come onstream in by 2024 will cut the price of electricity by 50 per cent.

This will be a big boost to industries and a great benefit to ordinary consumers. Aside from power generation, the pipeline could be an off-shoot for a fertiliser and protein plant.

“In the first 50 million cubic, once we dry the gas, the liquid will be cooking gas. We will have to stop importing cooking gas because we will start exporting cooking gas. That means that the prices can come down significantly,” he said.

ExxonMobil will also be building a massive terminal at the mouth of the river that will create thousands of jobs and pave the way for the servicing of the oil and gas industry from Guyana, and no longer from Trinidad and Tobago or the US.

In addition, several modern hotels will be built in the region; there will be a new road to Parika that will open up thousands of acres of land for agriculture and development; some 1,500 houselots will be allocated in Leonara and the region will enjoy the services of modern hospitals and health facilities, said the Vice-President.

This year, some $2B has been allocated to the region for community roads and residents will benefit from a US$120M project for treated water on the coastland.

However, with the transformation set to take place, Dr Jagdeo urged the residents of the region not to become complacent.
“Don’t fall into this populist view that we have a lot of money. We will get there. If we work hard our people will become wealthy beyond imagination. The government will support that, our people will grow but you have to work towards this; it doesn’t happen overnight.”