Guyana will be receiving financial and technical assistance from the Japanese Government to improve energy efficiency which will ultimately trigger a reduction of power outages in the city.
The initiative, which will cost an estimated US$17 million, will be invested in the procurement and installation of energy saving streetlights as well as the enhancement of substation equipment and distribution lines in Georgetown.
The project will also include the installation of a PV System and energy management system at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Headquarters at Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown.
A signing ceremony for the project, named “Introduction of Renewable Energy and Improvement of Power System” and the handing over of the grant aid was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wednesday morning.
St Lucia – based Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will be the executing agency of the project.
JICA’s Chief Representative, Tetsuhiro Ike said after three years of implementation, transmission loss will be reduced to about 1.6 million KW/h per annually through the provision of substation equipment and distribution lines.
Within the 2023 timeline, Tetsuhiro said it is expected that the energy generated by the PV system at the CARICOM Headquarters will be 600,000 KW/h per year and the energy consumption at the Secretariat will be reduced by approximately 70,000 KW/h annually.
He also noted that the project is expected to reduce the carbon emissions equivalent to approximately 1600 tonnes per year.
Further, an estimated US$3 million will be used to procure more than 10,000 LED streetlights for Guyana.
Junior Minister of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson said some 4,000 street lamps will be available in the coming weeks for installation across the country.
She said the installation of these energy efficient lamps will see a 65% reduction in the annual energy consumption of street lights.
Albert Gordon, the Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) – the country’s powerhouse – said this initiative could result in fewer blackouts.
“This particular project will help both in terms of improving reliability and improving losses,” Gordon explained. He noted that this is just part of a larger plan – which encompasses support from other agencies – to transform GPL into a more reliable utility company.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge and Japan’s Ambassador to Guyana Mitsuhiko Okada also delivered remarks at the ceremony where they expressed a willingness to deepen the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.
Guyana and Japan have enjoyed bilateral relations since 1967.
