GPL avoids questions on energy demand – Kaieteur News

GPL avoids questions on energy demand


Kaieteur News – Despite several attempts to seek answers, Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Incorporated continues to avoid questions from Kaieteur News about the country’s energy demand and how it is expected to grow within the next ten years.
Kaieteur News thought that these details needed to be ascertained with the arrival of natural gas and other forms of energy being discussed and introduced to Guyana. With this in mind, this announcement on December 17, 2020 reached out to the state agency’s Public Relations Officer, Shevion Sears, asking for the details on what the country’s current electricity demand is, and how it is expected to grow within the next ten years. , among other energy supply issues.
Sears acknowledged the email the same day, stating that it would “implement” the Kaieteur News request. A follow-up email was sent to the PRO on December 29, requesting an update on when the request would be fulfilled, but no response was received. Calls were even made to contact the CEO (CEO), Bharat Dindyal, but even those efforts were in vain.
The American Institute advises Guyana to conduct an assessment of the country’s power demand before it brings its natural gas ashore, which could force it to accept an oversupply of gas and leave the energy sector financially unsustainable.
In the Institute’s report titled, ‘Guyana’s Gas-to-Power Potential,’ author Kathryn Hillis said that while Guyana has significant electricity reliability problems, consuming too much gas at a time is likely to lead to an oversupply of gas. the nation’s 750,000 people.
“Gas should be brought onshore by a phased approach,” Hillis had written, “where the government only buys incremental natural gas as electricity demand increases and infrastructure is developed, so Guyana does not accrues any unwanted gas surplus. ”
The Institute had advised that government should first focus on providing power to coastal areas, then seek to supply power to the hinterland once adequate infrastructure has been developed in the area.
The Institute found it relevant to weigh up, having seen that Ghana has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to bring its gas ashore, and its failure to properly assess its energy needs at the right time has left the African nation struggling to find uses for the gas for which it pays hundreds of millions of dollars.
Also in the mix are renewable forms of energy, such as solar, wind and hydro. Many foreign organizations have expressed interest in investing in renewable energy in Guyana, the latest being Fortescue Metal Group (FMG).
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Investment Office (GO-Invest), Dr. Peter Ramsaroop, said earlier this week that the company is trying to set up operations in three countries and has shown a keen interest in Guyana.
During a recent visit to Guyana, Fortescue had discussed harnessing renewable energy from the Amalia Falls Hydropower Project – another renewable energy project – to produce green energy products such as ammonia, hydrogen, fertilizers and metals for local and foreign markets.



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