Minister David Patterson replies to the wind turbine issue

Apr 25, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
Reference is made to the article published in your April 10th edition, under the headline, “$1B wind-powered hotel opens doors in Corriverton.” The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) extends our congratulations to Mr. Haresh Narine Sugrim for executing such a major investment and achieving his dream in establishing a first-class hotel in Corriverton.
It is a demonstration of love for one’s country and community, confidence in Guyana’s future, and will no doubt create job opportunities and boost tourism services in the county. The Government of Guyana is committed to the development of indigenous renewable sources of energy, including wind energy, to provide new electricity generation capacity towards a Green Economy. We therefore commend Mr. Sugrim for embracing this policy and his plans for utilising wind energy for his business energy requirements
Your article states that Mr. Sugrim is experiencing challenges in obtaining Government’s approval to establish his wind turbine, which is in country, to support the hotel operations. The MPI and the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), which are responsible for the development of Guyana’s energy sector, including facilitating the development of renewable energy, are unaware of Mr. Sugrim’s plans to install a wind turbine for his business operations, or of any application for the supply of electricity to his business.
On this issue, it should be clear that except for compliance with the regulations of the Government Electrical Inspectorate and other authorities with respect to electrical installations and construction of building structures, there is no requirement under the law for any licence or other government permission to self-generate. It is only where the intention is to supply electricity to others that the law requires an application to the Minister for a licence to so supply. The law also limits the opportunity to distribute electricity in areas which are exclusively authorised to a public supplier, for example GPL. The law also provides the process for independent power producers to supply power to public suppliers for distribution to the public.
While the Government welcomes and encourages the development of renewable energy for supply to the national grid, it is necessary for this to be done within the framework of the law and in a structured manner. The Government is currently in the process of updating the National Energy Policy, developing a Green State Development Strategy and an Energy Transition Roadmap which have at their core, the development of indigenous renewable energy resources to reduce Guyana’s dependence on fossil fuels and the development of a green economy.
The Draft Energy Policy is available for public comments on the websites of the MPI, GEA and Hinterland Electrification. The recently updated Study of Guyana’s Power Generation System Expansion identifies the role for renewable energy replacing GPL’s diesel generation capacity, including up to 26 MW of wind energy generation capacity within the immediate future.
Integrating renewable energy into the grid requires developing the grid to a ‘smart’ state to accommodate intermittent/variable energy sources, and compliance with GPL’s grid code. A study on the integration of distributed generation to GPL’s grid was recently completed and GPL is currently reviewing the technical and legal framework to support this development.
Also, the MPI recently engaged a wind energy expert to advise the Ministry on the process and technical requirements for development of wind energy to supply the grid consistent with international standards and best practices. The MPI and the GEA are available to speak with Mr. Sugrim on his wind energy plans and to provide whatever assistance the Government can to support this development.
Hon. David Patterson, M.P.
Minister of Public Infrastructure

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