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$362.4M Mahdia solar farm expected to commission within two months
The solar farm in Mahdia being constructed back in November 2023.
Kaieteur News – Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Dr. Mahender Sharma on Wednesday said that the $362.4 million solar farm that is being built in Mahdia, Region Eight is expected to be commissioned within two months.
The CEO provided the status update during his appearance at the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services. While speaking about solar farm projects in his brief presentation, Dr. Sharma said: “As we speak, a 0.65-megawatt solar farm is in its final stages of construction and testing. They’ve already started inserting some energy into the Mahdia Grid and we are hoping to commission this within two months.”
It was reported in October 2022, that the Government of Guyana had signed an agreement with a private local firm to supply 686-kilowatt peak (kWp) electricity equivalent to 0.686 Megawatt (MW) of solar power to benefit the residents of Mahdia.
This newspaper reported that the contract was awarded to Standby Power Engineering Company (SPECOM) to the tune of $362,411,200. The new 686kWp farm was reported to be constructed on 1.7 acres of land and once completed, will benefit over 2,884 residents. Notably, the solar project is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank through the Energy Matrix Diversification and Strengthening of the Department of Energy (EMISDE) program.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Dr. Mahendra Sharma
When the agreement was signed, Prime Minister, Mark Phillips in a statement explained that this venture also aligns “with the LCDS 2030 agenda, which saw the installation of solar farms at Lethem and Bartica, 28 solar mini-grids, and 29 off-grid locations totalling 3.415MW of installed capacity coming on stream.”
According to the Prime Minister, “This is an important project for us because we talk about bridging the digital divide. As a government, we are committed to also bridging the energy divide. We are committed to bringing development to the Hinterland of Guyana.”
In the statement also, it was noted that the project was expected to be completed by the end of 2023. Dr. Sharma in his presentation also stated that a one (1)-megawatt solar farm that was commissioned on August 5, 2022 (represented as the first mega-scale solar farm installed in the country), has since seen the Lethem Power Company been able to displace 3428 drums of diesel by capturing the sun’s energy and inserting it into the company’s grid. “You have avoided the use of 3428 drums of diesel and that is equivalent to about 1677 tons of carbon dioxide avoided from that singular installation over that time period,” he explained.
The CEO further stated that on March 31, 2024, they had commissioned what is now the largest solar farm installation in the country, and that is in Bartica. This 1.5-megawatt solar farm with 2.5-kilometer transmission line, he mentioned has since displaced 2254 drums of diesel, and that equates to about 1100 tons of carbon dioxide emissions avoided as a result of that installation alone. In addition, Dr. Sharma related that there are a few others that are under construction, 0.75-megawatt farm at Wakenaam that is being led by the Guyana Power and Light and the GEA is implementing 0.60 megawatts at Leguan, both of which are expected to be completed by the end of this year.”
- Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Dr. Mahendra Sharma, Economic Services, Mahdia Grid, Parliamentary Sectoral Committee
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