GUYANA and the Kingdom of Norway will enter into a landmark forest partnership for financing this country’s largest ever solar power projects, a statement from Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) said yesterday.

The support from Norway comes as Guyana continues to boast low deforestation levels, the statement read.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips, who also has responsibility for electrification, is quoted in the release outlining the country’s success since 2009 in producing one of the world’s first low carbon development strategies.
“We set out to show that it is possible to maintain forests while also creating prosperity and opportunities for our people to thrive.

“Norway has been a steadfast partner in our work to find international solutions that support this objective. The world needs far more collaborations like ours – so I hope that today’s announcement will motivate others to recognise that progress is possible,” PM Phillips said in the statement.

“The agreement signed today, June 22 on World Rainforest Day, between Guyana, Norway and the Inter-American Development Bank is a major step for Guyana’s green energy transition,” the NICFI said.

“Guyana will use funds received for its low deforestation rates to finance eight large-scale solar energy projects. In total, the projects will provide 27,000 households with cheap, clean energy – benefitting approximately 70,000 people,” the statement said further.

Dubbed the “Guyana Utility Scale Solar Photovoltaic Program (GUYSOL)” the NICFI statement said eight utility-scale, photovoltaic solar projects, totalling 33 Megawatt peak (MWp) with associated 34 Megawatt hour (MWh) energy storage systems will be distributed across three areas in Guyana.

“For years, the South American country has been one of the world’s leading countries on rainforest protection.
“While tropical deforestation rates remain high in some countries, Guyana – whose forest is about the size of England and Scotland combined – has successfully kept its forest cover of 85% and with only 0.05% deforestation,” the Norway-supported initiative said.

Providing remarks on the partnership, Norway’s Climate and Environment Minister, Espen Barth Eide praised Guyana’s “continued leadership to protect the country’s vital rainforests, and welcome its decision to use some of the payments for maintaining a low deforestation to scale up solar energy generation.”

Guyana has benefitted, according to NICFI, from a total of approximately US$220 million as results-based payments from Norway.
“These funds have been invested in the country’s low carbon development, financing renewable energy, flood protection, green job creation, as well as land titling and development funds for indigenous peoples,” NICFI said.