The Hoskinson Group, a US company involved in the conversion of waste to energy held talks last week with the Guyana Government and private sector officials about developing a project here.
A release from the company on Friday said that it is in the process of conducting a feasibility study which is expected to be completed by the end of the year after which a detailed proposal will be submitted to the government for consideration.
Hoskinson’s Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Gustavo Solorzano accompanied by its representative for Guyana, Wesley Kirton held meetings with several government agencies including G-Invest, the Guyana Energy Agency, the Guyana Power & Light, the Ministry of Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Mayor & City of Georgetown. They also held talks with Prime Minister Mark Phillips, Leader of the Opposition Joseph Harmon and US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch, the release said.
The team also toured the Haags Bosch landfill on the East Bank of Demerara and the operations of Puran Brothers Inc. on the West Bank of Demerara where discussions were held with officials on the volumes of waste collected and methods of collection and disposal of various categories of waste.
The release said that Hoskinson is proposing to invest in the project without any financial outlay on the part of the Government. The company said that the sustained viability of the proposed multi-million US dollar project is dependent on the successful negotiation of a power purchase agreement between the company and GPL as well as a guaranteed supply of a specific volume of waste on a daily basis to the conversion plant.
“We are very encouraged by the initial response of all the stakeholders and now have a basis for moving forward with a detailed proposal for consideration by the Guyana Government,” said Solorzano. He posited that this project would be a transformational one in terms of the way Guyana handles its waste disposal resulting in significant environmental benefits and financial savings for the country.
“Given Guyana’s projected development in the near and long term the volume of waste is expected to quadruple and this project will provide for tremendous benefits in relation to ensuring clean communities and the reduction in contamination of ground water and air that emanate from landfill operations…,” he pointed out.
