GEORGETOWN – Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has clarified that while there has been mention of a second hydropower plant in Guyana, the government’s focus remains on the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project.
At his last press conference, Jagdeo addressed questions on government’s plans for a second hydropower project following statements by Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud, who suggested that the government is exploring additional hydro projects to expand Guyana’s renewable energy capacity.
In response to Persaud’s remarks, Jagdeo stated: “So I don’t know, I have not seen what he has said because right now we believe that the Amaila Falls now will come in at maybe 7 or 8 cents or even below that per kilowatt hour…”
Jagdeo reiterated the government’s commitment to Amaila Falls, which has faced delays since its introduction in 2011. He emphasised that Amaila remains a priority for the government as it seeks to provide affordable energy. “We believe that we could revisit the Amaila and it will be a feasible project and bring in power at a price that is very competitive, remember if it comes in at 7 or 8 cents per kilowatt hour even with us cutting electricity prices from 22 cents to 11 cents per kilowatt hour we can still sell that and make money,” he explained.
Regarding future hydropower initiatives, Jagdeo stated: “Nothing beyond Amaila in a fixed way has been determined as yet.” He added that other projects remain in the conceptual phase or as expressions of interest, citing that while Brazil had expressed interest in a larger project to supply northern Brazil that discussion happened a long time ago. “Any other project beyond that (Amaila) will just be a conceptual stage,” he said.
In a report by OilNow, Foreign Secretary Persaud outlined plans for diversifying Guyana’s energy matrix, potentially incorporating two hydropower plants to add approximately 370 megawatts of capacity by 2035. It was stated that Persaud made the disclosure during an event on October 16, when he delivered the keynote address at the La Jolla Energy Conference in San Diego. (Kaieteur News)…[+]

Photo: Guyana’s Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud (Institute of Americas)