GEORGETOWN, Guyana, (DPI) – Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips on Thursday turned the sod for a state-of-the-art solar farm facility in Onderneeming, Region Two. The prospective power station forms part of the government’s aim to move away from the complete reliance on heavy fossil fuel, in keeping with its policy of providing an energy mix.
The project aims to add five Megawatts (MW) of power to the grid in Essequibo will have some 12MW of battery storage to ensure a steady supply of electricity to the residents of Region Two.
In his feature address, prime minister Phillips explained how this project ties into the bigger vision found in the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030:
The newer strategy finds its origin in the agreement signed between Guyana and the Kingdom of Norway in 2009, in which Guyana received $220 million for the preservation of its forest for the period 2009 to 2015.
These finances were used to depart from the heavy dependence on fossil fuels through projects such as the Hinterland Electrification Programme, the construction of micro-grids powered by small water sources, and the preparatory work for the massive Amaila Falls Hydro Project.
The prime minister recounted that these programmes were then decelerated or stopped completely by the former APNU+AFC administration although approximately $83 million was left for continued works.
It took the return of the PPP/C administration for the work to rapidly continue, when projects such as the construction of these massive solar farms were put into action.
“That gave birth to the largest solar [photovoltaic] project that we would’ve embarked on in this country. Some 33MW of solar power, and what we are doing today is turning the sod for the first component of that project,” prime minister Phillips explained.
The 5MW solar farm will be connected with a smaller plant that is to be built in Charity, to achieve a total of 8 MW of solar photovoltaic power in the Pomeroon-Supenaam region.
“We will build out this solar system here and we will integrate it [with Charity] so that we have an increase in power…That will be used to propel Essequibo into the future,” the prime minister underscored.
To achieve the 33MW of solar power, Berbice will see 10MW of solar power whilst Linden will have 15MW of solar power integrated into the grids.
“This is a project that I will refer to as the just energy transition. As we move away from using non-renewables to greater use of renewable energy, every community will benefit in the sense of having the electricity to propel the economic and social development of the community,” prime minister Phillips affirmed.
Head of the executive management committee at the Guyana Power & Light (GPL) Inc., Kesh Nandlall, highlighted that the project is the single largest solar farm to commence construction to date. Its expected completion date is December 2025.
“This will bring stability to the generating capabilities in Anna Regina [and its surrounding environs]…I would like to encourage the contractors to work very diligently in ensuring that this project meets the timeline.”
Also delivering remarks at the ceremony was regional chairman, Vilma Da Silva, who lauded the government for taking a “bold step” in the direction of development for the residents of Region Two.
The expansion of the solar energy programme is the fulfilment of a promise made by the PPP/C in its 2020 Manifesto to deliver an “energy mix” for residential, commercial, and industrial usage.
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