Dr. Mahender Sharma, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), recently drew attention to the significant advances being made in driving Guyana’s transition towards renewable energy expansion and the incorporation of an energy mix.
He made the disclosure during a recent presentation to the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services.

He stated, “Our Low-Carbon development Strategy 2030 is geared towards a massive expansion of renewable energy across the country. The strategy aims to decouple economic growth from the use of fossil fuels by utilising low-carbon energy sources to meet the demand, and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.”

Furthermore, he highlighted that the policy framework is categorised into distinct domains, each with the common objective of delivering affordable, reliable, and steady electricity supply to residences and commercial establishments.

Part of the strategy, Dr. Sharma said, is to add more than 500 megawatts of new capacity in a number of areas, by way of 165 megawatts of hydropower, 300 megawatts of gas, or investing in solar off-grid systems in other locations.

Providing the details on some of the accomplishments thus far, the GEA head said that one of the flagship projects that were completed in 2023 was the distribution of close to 30,000 solar home systems to hinterland and riverine communities.

“These are 160-watt panels providing lighting and some cooling from a fan, and mobile charging. This contract was signed in November 2022, and up to today, we have already distributed 29,499 of the 30,000 units,” he reported.
Moreover, he affirmed that the initial mega-scale solar farm was commissioned in 2022, possessing a capacity of 1 megawatt. Since the commissioning and operation of the Lethem Power Company, the grid’s capacity has been increased, resulting in the displacement of approximately 3,428 drums of diesel.
This displacement is equivalent to about 1,677 tonnes of carbon dioxide avoided from that single installation over that period.
In addition, Sharma highlighted that there are two hydropower plants currently in the process of being built in Lethem. The 0.7-megawatt plant at Moco Moco will be supplemented by the construction of a new 1.5-megawatt plant, thereby increasing the overall capacity of Lethem’s grid upon completion.
“On the 31st March 2023, we commissioned what is now our largest solar farm installation in the country; a 1.5-megawatt solar farm with a 2.5km transmission line. And since its commissioning, it has already displaced 2,254 drums of diesel, and that equates to about 1,100 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions avoided as a result of that installation alone,” Dr. Sharma said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sharma told the Committee that a .65-megawatt solar farm is in its final stages of construction and testing, and there are hopes to have same commissioned in two months’ time.
Further to this, it was noted that the government’s policy is to provide reliable power to the people of the country, even as it was noted that in the immediate term, the power demands of the Demerara Berbice Interconnected System and other outliers are being addressed.
The policy strategy entails the utilisation of a combination of gas, solar, and hydropower in the short, medium, and long term to meet the energy needs of the country’s citizens for the next five to ten years.