600 residents to benefit from $200M Annai solar farm
Some 600 residents of Annai, North Rupununi, Region 9, are set to benefit from a clean, renewable and reliable energy source with the installation of a 300-kilowatt solar farm. The pilot project is part of a Hinterland Electrification programme funded by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the cost of $200M (US$1M). This will be a utility-scale installation rather than rooftop solar, to ensure all the villages are powered.
On Friday, a team comprising Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock, Member of Parliament (MP), Hon. Mervyn Williams, Guyana High Commissioner to India, HE David Pollard and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) and the Hinterland Electrification Programme briefed the residents on the project. The team also visited the identified location for the project. At a community engagement at the village Benab, High Commissioner Pollard explained, Annai was adopted by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) when the leaders saw the rich unspoiled area via videos and photographs. The area has the highest density of protected areas in Guyana and is an area with a high commitment to environmental sustainability.
“That represents some level of commitment in Indian together with ours to ensure that what we are here to talk about today will come to fruition. It is notable that President David Granger himself felt that he needed to be involved in the decision. That adoption by the ISA must be a real commitment to try to develop the project as part of a wider project to pursue solar energy in Guyana’s interior.”
The aim is to provide an adequate supply of energy that will not damage the environment and at the same time, lead the way for the creation of jobs and more positive economic activities in the North Rupununi. The High Commissioner pointed out that ultimately, the plan is to ensure every household is fully powered with the same amount of energy as those on the coast, as well as any other household in any other country. (Kaieteur News)