$1B deal inked for Lethem, Bartica Solar Farms

The Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) on Wednesday signed two agreements with Farfan & Mendes Limited and SOVENTIX Caribbean S.R.L for two solar farms in Lethem in Region Nine and Bartica in Region Seven.

According to a statement from the GEA, the companies were selected from a total of eight –local and international – which participated in the bidding process; the process commenced with the opening of bids on January 7, 2020.

The total contract amount for the two solar PV farms at Lethem and Bartica is GY$1.098 billion; the duration for the completion of the two sites is estimated at 330 days.

The deals are for the execution of the engineering, procurement, construction and installation and commissioning of solar photovoltaic power plants, including battery energy storage systems for the hinterland.

The contracts were signed on Wednesday at the Office of the Prime Minister by Chief Executive Officer of the GEA, Dr. Mahender Sharma and managers of the companies.

This project falls under the renewable energy solutions for the hinterland which seeks to address the energy diversification policy goals of the Government of Guyana, by increasing the electricity access for the hinterland/rural areas with renewable energy solutions.

It is a major component under the Energy Matrix Diversification and Strengthening of the Department of Energy (EMISDE) programme funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

By the end of 2023, this programme will finance the investment in solar technology by providing a reliable electricity source to the expanding needs of power supply in the three hinterland townships, currently relying on fossil fuel, the GEA said.

This will involve the installation of three solar Photovoltaic farms in Bartica (1.5MW), Lethem (1.0MW), and Mahdia (0.65MW), totalling approximately 3.15 megawatts and implementation of a storage capacity to manage intermittence of these sources.