-residents envision economic growth, reliable power supply

FROM students to business owners and engineers, residents across Region Ten (Upper Demerara- Berbice) are in strong support of the plans to install a 15- megawatts (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) system.

Guyana Utility-Scale Solar Programme (GUYSOL) on Tuesday held a community meeting at the Watooka Lodge to engage residents, local leaders and community representatives on the plans for the upcoming implementation of solar farms at Retrieve, Block 37, and Dakoura.

Former Mayor of Linden and current A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Parliamentarian Sharma Solomon welcomed the development and told the Guyana Chronicle that these solar farms present the “opportunity to expand the power grid in Region 10.”

The benefits, however, go far beyond reliable power generation as Solomon also stated that the solar farms will also bring expanded investment opportunities within the three locations and the wider region.

He said: “Power generation allows for economic expansion.”

Further, business leaders echoed similar views.

In an invited comment to this publication, Linden resident and President of the Linden Chamber of Commerce, Lyndon Younge commended the engagement and highlighted how it helped residents and stakeholders understand how the project can translate into real opportunities.

Adding to this, Younge, who is also an electrical engineer, said: “[In] the long term, it’s going to help our power grid to be more efficient and have available power, especially if we have small business, medium sized businesses, coming to invest with manufacturing, that they can be sure that they have some level of sustainable and available power. This forum, I think, [was] good to inform the community what is happening.”

He further stated that GUYSOL’s commitment to human resource development will also empower residents to gain employment and even encourage some to start their own ventures.

Students from the Linden Technical Institute also expressed optimism regarding the project.

Esha Bradford, a resident of Old England related that these solar farms would bring more reliable power to the region, and her classmate Marlon Larose shared similar sentiments.

Additionally, Linden’s Town Clerk, Lennox Gasper said the engagement was “very informative,” and highlighted the positive impacts that will stem from the three solar farms.

Meanwhile, Shakira Elexey, a resident of Wismar said: “These solar farms that coming, they’re very good, and will ease us and I must say thanks to the Government of Guyana.”

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government continues its aggressive national drive to strengthen power reliability and expand renewable energy infrastructure.

GUYSOL Programme Director, Amir Dillawar during the engagement emphasised the importance of the direct engagement and affirmed that the implementation of the solar farms aims to expand renewable energy capacity and enhance power reliability.

According to Dillawar, the power generated from the solar farms will be significantly cheaper, helping to reduce government electricity subsidy and in the long run, pave the way for more revenue to be injected in other development priorities within the region.

Construction is scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2026 and should conclude in the first quarter of 2027.

The solar farms will be built through a joint venture between SUMEC Complete Equipment and Engineering Company Limited and XJ Group Corporation.

The project is being funded under the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.
This US $83 million is part of the US $220.8 million earned by Guyana through its forest climate services through its partnership with Norway during the previous PPP/C’s term in office.

The objective of the programme is to diversify Guyana’s economy and facilitate a smooth transition to cleaner, cheaper, renewable energy sources.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips stated that almost 50 MW of power will come from solar farms and mini hydropower grids alone by the end of this year.

More than half of this power is coming from the GUYSOL programme.

The commissioning of recent solar farms highlights both the rapid pace of progress and the administration’s resolve to bolster power generation across the country.

Just last week, the US$8.14 million, 3MWp Charity Solar Farm was commissioned and is set to benefit over 3,000 residents of Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

Last November, a US$10.4M solar farm was commissioned at Onderneeming. This together with the one at Charity is expected to offset more than 9,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Investments in remote-controlled substations and real-time monitoring systems are also expected to improve grid reliability and responsiveness. The two facilities contribute 8MWp of solar capacity and 12MWh of battery storage to the regional grid.
Under the GUYSOL programme, Berbice has also benefitted from the addition of 10MWp of solar capacity through the commissioning of solar farms at Hampshire, Prospect, and Trafalgar, strengthening energy security in Regions Five and Six.