Govt. killed Amaila to protect its own interest - Harmon

Govt. killed Amaila to protect its own interest – Harmon

Oct 18, 2013 News

– “Knowing about it would have led us to everything else, including Marriott”
Even at a stage where the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric project is in a figurative coma, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is determined to show the nation that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration is the real stumbling block along the path towards the realization of hydro electricity in Guyana.
During a recent interview, APNU Shadow Minister of Public Works, Joseph Harmon said that the administration “is indeed its own enemy”. Harmon told Kaieteur News that most events surrounding the Amaila Falls project could have been avoided had the government been confident enough to divulge the necessary details about the deal.
The politician said that from his perspective, the government’s actions suggest that it didn’t want the opposition to know about and understand the financial architecture of the project.
“And so, rather than exposing it, they themselves were prepared to kill Amaila… because in our respective view, the financial architecture of Amaila would have led us to that of the Marriott, the CJIA (Cheddi Jagan International Airport) expansion project, the proposed specialty hospital and even Skeldon…So rather than exposing to the Guyanese nation the financial arrangements of these projects, the PPP were prepared to kill the Amaila Falls.
Harmon stated that the government had the option to sit with the opposition, and let the real deal come out. He said that the government could have tabled a complete project document in parliament and let the National Assembly deliberate on the viability of the project; “…but no, they didn’t want that!”
Referring to the President’s statement, “We didn’t spend US$30 million to build a road to nowhere” and questioned as to APNU’s consideration for sums already expended by the government, Harmon said the ball is in the administration’s court.
According to him, the APNU took cognizance of the large amount of money already spent, “but what we are saying, is before you spend anything else, let us sit and have a complete project document, let the National Assembly deliberate on complete project.”
The Amaila Falls Hydro facility was intended to supply the nation with 165 megawatts of electricity, at a whopping US$915 million.
The Amaila Falls project was surrounded by much controversy and numerous government officials insist that it was killed by the opposition. But what some deemed as the final nail in the project’s coffin was Sithe Global’s withdrawal. Sithe was the investor/developer of the project. The American company called for parliamentary unanimity and pulled out when that didn’t happen. Several days went by and the country was of the opinion that the project was indeed laid to rest until word came from government officials that “Amaila must happen.”
The Falls is now bone dry, but Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn said that it is not unusual for waterfalls used to provide hydroelectricity to run dry.
The Minister said that the engines currently in use by Guyana Power and Light would have been kept to provide a back up. The smaller engines would have been distributed to places like Mahdia and Port Kaituma and some Berbice locations where electricity is generated for no more than four hours a day.

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Govt. killed Amaila to protect its own interest – Harmon

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