–remains high priority for Guyana’s energy mix, Dr Jagdeo says

IN pursuing a diverse energy mix, the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) remains high on the agenda for the Government of Guyana, Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary and the country’s Vice-President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has said.
Responding to questions from the local media on Thursday, the General Secretary said that the project remains feasible and is a critical component in the country’s ultimate goal to maximise its renewable energy sources.

He, however, acknowledged the stalling of the project, highlighting other massive projects being done, particularly the country’s gas-to-energy project, which when completed is expected to provide around 300 megawatts (MW) of power, using natural gas from an ExxonMobil pipeline.
In 2023, it was announced that the government would revive the Amaila Falls project. In October of that year, they invited Revised Requests for Proposals (RFP) under a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model for the Amaila Falls project.

“We had four persons pre-qualified, but I think it got overtaken a bit by time. So, we’ll probably have to either engage the best of those, or ultimately probably go out back to another process.
“It’s a crucial project for us to achieve the energy mix that we said we want for Guyana,” Dr Jagdeo added, noting that the energy transition is already taking place in Guyana.

The General Secretary went on to say: “If we move from producing all of our power through burning fossil fuel and diesel to now using gas, we can cut our emissions by 35 per cent immediately.
“So that is part of the transition. Secondly, with us putting in about 25MW of solar panel[s] that is part and that has been awarded already, the projects have been awarded and that’s part of the energy transition. So, we also have the next thing is Amaila, right? And that’s the one that we would get back to.”
Although no specific timeframe has been set, Dr Jagdeo affirmed: “It’s high on the agenda and it’s still a financially feasible proposition.”
He stressed too that it is required for the country to achieve the energy mix and the energy transition.

Earlier this week, International Environmental Adviser, Former Minister of Climate and the Environment, and Former Minister of International Affairs of Norway, Erik Solheim, highlighted Guyana’s untapped potential to exploit its natural waterways to bring on stream a renewable source of energy through hydropower.

The former Norwegian minister was on Tuesday addressing a panel discussion held here in Georgetown at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).
“Guyana has a huge hydropower potential which is untapped. We worked on that in the past; I understand that you tried to revive that, and we hope that can happen because hydropower is still the most important renewable power in the world,” he said, citing the efforts to bring new life to the country’s flagship Amaila Falls hydropower project.

Solheim said: “Hydropower will play the role as the battery. Sun is not shining all the time; wind is not blowing all the time. But then you use hydropower as a pump storage; as a battery for solar and wind.”