Dear Editor,
I am pleased that Farfan & Mendes Limited and SOVENTIX Caribbean S.R.L have signed a deal with the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) for the engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning of solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants including Battery Energy Storage Systems for the hinterland at Bartica and Lethem for US$2 per watt. Despite asking, I have not heard from the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) what the further details are, so it is not known if transmission and distribution of electricity are included.
I mention this because the Government has announced that it is going to invest US$400M in a gas pipeline from the offshore oilfields, so surely they must have some idea of what it is going to be spent on. Therefore we must know. We insist on open governance. The nation must know:
1. The expected amount of gas available to be piped;
2. The rate of flow of the gas and hence the nominal cost per watt;
3. Whether all the gas will be immediately used and for what, or if some will have to be stored, where and for how long; and
4. What is to become of the pipeline when the gas runs out?
This query does not address the suitability of the intended distribution hub and environmental concerns. We simply want to be able to assess the feasibility and return on investment in a gas pipeline. Therefore we must also know what the Government expects in terms of oil production and expected revenue.
Because @ US$2 per watt, US$400M can fund 200 MW of solar energy, more than the present 150 MW capacity of GPL, with minimal environmental problems.
Yours faithfully,
Alfred Bhulai
Transparency Institute Guyana Inc.
