Norway team shoots down Amaila Falls hydro project
A review of the planned US$900M-plus Amaila Falls hydro power is out, with the Coalition Government insisting that the findings had justified its stance that the initiative in the current form was not in the best interest of Guyana.
The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), in support of the Norway’s Ministry of Climate and Environment’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), had signed an agreement with Norconsult AS of Norway, on June 20th, 2016 to carry out an initial analysis. It will be recalled that in August 2013, the preparations for implementation of Amaila Falls Hydropower Project came to a standstill, as the Parliament of Guyana did not vote unanimously in favour of certain features of the project presented by its main sponsor, Sithe Global, a US-based investor in the international energy market. At that time, the National Assembly was controlled by a oneseat Opposition majority of A Partnership For National Unity and the Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC). Sithe Global withdrew from its position as main sponsor throwing the project’s future into jeopardy. The Government of Guyana, represented by the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Natural Resources and the Government of Norway, represented by the Minister of Climate and Environment decided at a meeting in Paris in December 2015 to perform “an objective and factsbased” assessment of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project. The project was heavily pushed by the last two administrations of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) but ran into trouble early, specifically problems with the access roads to the Amaila Falls dam site in Region Eight. The roads collapsed in many parts and the contractor was fired. Costs ran from US$15M to US$40M. The US$900M-plus tagged for the 165 megawatts project was seen as too costly, with criticisms over the technical readiness of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. to take the power. There were also questions over whether the dam would actually be able to sustain the promised power, with one photo even showing the waterways dry.
(Kaieteurnews.com)