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PPP still banking on Amaila Falls hydro, GTE projects to end power woes
…renews 50% reduction in electricity tariff promise in manifesto
Artists impression of GTE
Kaieteur News – After failing to deliver a 50% reduction in electricity prices with the completion of the Gas to Energy project in 2024, with its completion date being pushed back twice, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) is now promising a second gas project alongside the reduced rates for a second term.
In the party’s manifesto, which was launched on Monday the PPP/C said that over the next five years it will complete the Gas to Energy Project, subsequently reducing the “electricity tariffs by 50 percent to consumers on the grid. Complete the rebuild of the T&D network, and the installation of a smart grid, to offtake the additional power being produced, improve network reliability, reduce losses, and improve efficiency.”
Additionally, the party is promising a second gas-to-energy project, which it said will bring an additional 300Megawatt of power to be able to meet future demand given the country’s economic growth trajectory. In an effort to generate even more power for citizens they will also “continue efforts to resuscitate the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP), and install an additional 100 MW of solar power, to further advance the diversification of the energy matrix.”
On August 14 Kaieteur News reported Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo saying that while he is not aware of what percentage of the Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project is completed, he knows that the deadline is still mid-2026. The GTE project, located in Wales on the West Bank of Demerara, includes a Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility and a 300-megawatt (MW) power plant.
Natural gas will be transported from the offshore Stabroek Blocks Liza oilfield via a 12-inch pipeline to the site, where 50 million cubic feet (MMCFD) of gas will be converted to electricity daily.
During a recent episode of Starting Point, Jagdeo noted, “I don’t know the exact percentage but we are still targeting completion by mid next year.” He said that he was informed that a lot of work had been done on the foundation and pile driving.
“The turbines came to the country, but they have been sitting for a while because of the delays in the project,” he added. Back in 2022, government hired CH4 (Texas) and Lindsayca (Puerto Rico) for the construction of the power plant and NGL facility at a cost of US$759 million. However, it was recently announced that the companies have split-up.
Government has assured that this split between the joint venture CH4 and Lindsayca would not affect the completion of the project.
Further, Jagdeo underscored the importance of the project and reiterated the government’s promise to slash electricity bills by 50% through the US$2 billion project.
Notably, the GTE project was initially slated for completion by the end of 2025. Then, in February, Head of the GTE Taskforce, Winston Brassington, said that a more realistic target would be the first half of 2026. However, a few months later, Prime Minister (Retd) Brigadier Mark Phillips estimated that the project would be completed in the second quarter of 2026.
Ahead of the completion of the Wales GTE project, the government awarded a US$422 million contract for the extension of transmission lines for the Guyana Power and Light (GPL). The transmission lines are being constructed along the eastern corridor of the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS). Jagdeo noted, “That project when completed in all of its form, will allow us to solve a lot of the power problems we have.”
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