More than 15 companies submit proposals to revive, develop Amaila Falls project

With a four-day extension to the September 26 deadline for proposals to develop the 165 MW Amaila Falls hydro project, some 17 companies have already signaled their interest in partnering with the Government of Guyana.

The project, which has long been pursued by the People’s Progressive Party government, will help meet projected demand from 2026 and integrate sustainable and cheaper electricity into the grid, as part of a low-carbon development strategy.

Speaking to the News Room by telephone on Wednesday, Prime Minister Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips said that as of Wednesday, some 17 proposals has already been submitted.

He could not provide any details on the companies immediately.

“I didn’t check and see if its Guyanese companies or regional companies but I know it was just about 17 companies,” the Prime Minister explained.

He did not say what was the reason for the extension. The company that is selected will have to develop the project on the Kuribrong river, a tributary of the Potaro river, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, either on the basis of a 20-year BOOT concession or on a design-build-finance (DBF) basis, according to the notice announced by the Office of the Prime Minister on 23 July.

The scope of work includes building a dam, 165 MW hydro plant, and related works; creation of a 23 km2 storage reservoir consistent with the environmental studies; a 270 km-long, double-circuit 230 kV transmission line from Amaila to Sophia, Georgetown; 230 kV substations in Linden and Sophia, and upgrades and completion of roads and bridges to the site (85 km of new roads and 122 km of existing roads).

The development of the AFHP is needed to fulfill the current development and expansion plan of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), which projects that total capacity required will be 465 MW and energy of 2,900 Gigawatts-hours (GHW) in 2025.

The government intends for construction work to begin in the second half of 2022 for commissioning by the end of 2025.

The proposed completion date for the 165 MW project would see it being compl

eted one year after the 300 MW Gas-to-Shore project, which will supply at least 250 MW.

The project was in the making for years, but from 2011 to 2015, the combined parliamentary opposition of APNU and AFC, prevented the project from proceeding.

The APNU+AFC shelved the project once it won the 2015 election but with the return of the PPP/C in 2020 it is being revived.