As Guyana transitions from fossil fuel to renewable energy, British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller, believes that there is massive potential for the development of wind energy in the country.
“I’m very keen that we promote wind turbines in Guyana. It has not happened as yet but it’s something that I will continue to pursue,” the British diplomat said in a recent interview with this publication.
According to Miller, the United Kingdom (UK) has a really strong renewable energy offer, especially in wind.
“The UK’s offer on renewable energy is really great. In fact, I was in Aberdeen last year and Aberdeen is very famous for its deep-sea oil and gas. Interestingly, they’ve now switch massively over to wind and a lot of the skills that were developed for oil and gas – the welding, the engineering, the leadership, the management – are very transferable into the renewable energy sector, into particularly wind,” she pointed out.
The British envoy believes that the same can be replicated in Guyana, that is, transferring the skills and expertise in the local oil and gas industry into wind. But with the country’s petroleum sector fairly new, High Commissioner Miller recognised that this transition could take some time.
“There have been some early discussions but at the moment, I think Guyana is very focused on the Gas-to-Energy. But overtime, I think it’s an area that’s definitely worth exploring… It’s something I’ve had discussions on [but] we’ve not made a huge amount of progress yet. But I think it’s something that I will continue to pursue,” the UK diplomat contended.
The Guyana Government has touted its model Gas-to-Energy (GtE) Project, which comprises a 300-megawatt combined cycle power plant and a Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility at Wales, West Coast Demerara (WCD), as a flagship initiative in the country’s transition to renewable energy. The GtE Project will utilise the rich natural gas that will be piped on land to fuel the power plant and NGL facility from offshore Guyana, where ExxonMobil and its partners are producing oil.
This natural gas project coupled with a massive solar panel initiative that is being rolled out through the hinterland and remote communities is leading Guyana’s transition to cleaner and sustainable energy. Government is also keen on reviving the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project.
Back in May, Head of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Dr Mahendra Sharma, had disclosed that the Government is actively studying the potential of investing in the development of wind energy in the country.
“Guyana, we’ve been looking at wind for some time. The coast of Guyana generally is favourable, but the wind speeds aren’t as attractive as we want them (to be). But what has happened on the technological front is that turbines have become more efficient at converting that energy from wind power (into) electricity. So, we are looking at this, and GEA has established, and is actively collecting, wind data,” he noted.
However, Dr Sharma, who was at the time speaking during a meeting of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services, explained that it would take some time before a decision can be made on investing in wind energy.
“You need to spend at least 12 months to collect that data before you can make an investment decision, and that involves acquiring wind measuring towers and anemometers at multiple levels, and collecting that data consistently over 12 months; and it is on that basis that you can decide on the level of wind insertion.”
The GEA Head added, “So, we’re doing this. We’re about to set up one on the East Coast (of Demerara), and we have already started collecting some wind data at Leguan actually; and we believe that, that could be a site for wind opportunities.”
Back in 2015, the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) Government had approved the detailed examination of a proposal by Guyana Wind Farm Incorporated (GWF) for a 26-MW wind energy plant to be established at Hope Beach, East Coast Demerara (ECD). Back then, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson had reported that investors had secured their financing for the project, which proposes a US$0.12 fee per kilowatt hour (kWh).
Then, under the PPP/C Government in 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had approved construction of the US$45 million Hope Wind Farm Project. The project was earmarked to be located on 27 acres of land leased from the state at Hope Beach (HB), and private leases at Chapman’s Grove (CHG), respectively some 28km and 30km southeast of the centre of Georgetown.
In 2023, Dr Frederick Sukhdeo, a consultant with Hope Wind Energy Incorporated, had stated that the project would be a publicly traded venture that would open up opportunities for anyone in Guyana to buy shares. The start-up of this project remains uncertain.
