Nearly 3,000 residents of Mahdia, Region Eight, will benefit from a new 0.69 megawatts (MW) solar farm that should be completed by next September.
The contract for this project, valued at some $362.4 million, was inked on Wednesday between the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) and the Standby Power Engineering Company (SPECOM).
In brief remarks, GEA Head Dr. Mahender Sharma explained that this new project will significantly reduce the amount of harmful, expensive fossil fuels used by the community. In fact, the community could see about 25 to 30 per cent less diesel being used.
“The project works to displace the existing diesel use.
“What we want to do is minimise the amount of fossil fuels used for that purpose,” Dr. Sharma explained.
Electricity supplied by the Mahdia power and light company is currently subsidised. As such, the GEA Head said that the addition of this solar power to the community is expected to “influence cost in a big way”.
According to information provided to members of the media, the solar farm would be constructed into two identical subsystems with each substantial power capacity.
In addition to offsetting atleast 30 per cent of the annual electricity to the Mahdia mini-grid, the solar farm would have the capacity to supply electricity to the community in excess of two hours daily without the operation of diesel generators.
Following an open tender process, the Mahdia solar PV project was awarded to Standby Power Engineering Company (SPECOM). Aundrea Cambridge, the General Manager and Marketing Engineer of SPECOM, assured all that the project will be completed before the end of 2023 and on budget.
Importantly, this local company was also responsible for the Mabaruma solar farm and the solar power system at the Public Buildings in Georgetown.
With this project getting underway, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips said that it is part of Guyana’s overall plan to use more renewable energy sources.
