Mega solar power projects underway as Guyana seeks to meet growing energy demands

Photo: GPL Inc/April 1, 2023. Retrieved from newsroom.gy

Guyana’s energy demand is growing and more solar power projects are coming on stream in coastal and hinterland areas to meet that demand, according to the Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Dr. Mahender Sharma.

Peak demand for electricity in Guyana stands at about 153 megawatts (MW) currently. In coming years, however, that demand is expected to triple.

One major upcoming solar project, Dr. Sharma said, is the construction of eight utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in Berbice, Linden and Essequibo.

“This 33MW will largely feed into the Demerara Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS),” he said.

The DBIS is Guyana’s main power grid that uses diesel, an environmentally- harmful fossil fuel, to produce power. It supplies about 78 percent of the country’s energy needs.

Through the use of US$83.3 million accumulated from Norway to keep Guyana’s rainforests intact, the new solar farms promise to add much-needed solar power, an environmentally-friendly source of power, to Guyana’s grid.

Dr. Sharma said the bids for this project were already received and are in the process of being evaluated. If the government opts to proceed with any of the bids, contracts for the construction of these farms could be awarded this year.