–as $51.148B for project gets approval

PRIME Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips on Monday maintained that the simple cycle for the landmark gas-to-energy (GtE) project is expected to come on stream in November as the National Assembly approved the sum that has been allocated for it in Budget 2025.

PM Phillips spoke about the project during the 98th sitting of the twelfth parliament as the House dissolved into the Committee of Supply to examine the estimates and expenditures for the various agencies.

As the committee examined allocations for power generation, members of the House asked the PM to confirm the completion date for the GtE project, for which some $51,148,235,000 was set aside under capital expenditure.

In response he said: “The first of November the simple cycle will be on stream for the gas-to-energy project.”

The simple cycle involves the sourcing and cleaning of natural gas, which is then compressed and transported for power generation.

Meanwhile, when asked to disaggregate the $51 billion sum included in the budget, the Prime Minister noted that it includes monies for the natural gas liquid plant (NGL) transmission lines and substations and transformers, along with the construction of a building for the Guyana National Control Centre among other critical components.

The GtE project, spearheaded by the Government of Guyana in collaboration with ExxonMobil and its Stabroek block co-venture partners, CNOOC and Hess, is set to revolutionise the nation’s energy landscape, and will power a 300-megawatt power plant.

It comprises several components, including a 200-kilometre, 12-inch-diameter pipeline, the power plant and natural gas liquids (NGL) facility, transmission main, national control centre, and upgraded transmission and distribution system.

The project is expected to play a critical role in lowering energy costs by at least 50 per cent through an energy mix that includes gas, solar, wind and hydropower.