Guyana to supply Caribbean with energy from oil, renewable sources

With a prolific oil and gas industry offshore and plans to develop a sophisticated energy mix that includes renewable energy sources like solar and hydropower, Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali said the country is positioning itself to become a regional energy exporter.

“We want to create a regional energy hub of which we are a net exporter of energy most of much must come from renewables,” President Ali said at a Clinton Global Initiative event at the sidelines of this year’s United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday

He explained that Guyana can become this energy hub by possibly exporting oil and gas which is currently being produced at a prolific Stabroek Block offshore Guyana.

But Guyana will also get energy from more environmentally friendly sources like solar energy, wind power, and hydropower.

Altogether, the country plans to develop a more sophisticated energy mix that will meet the growing energy demand in Guyana and in other parts of the Caribbean. This is a plan that has already found support among some regional leaders.

Simultaneously, President Ali posited that Guyana will continue to protect its vast forests that help to save the earth by trapping harmful emissions like carbon dioxide that come from burning fossil fuels such as oil and diesel.

But he also believes that country that demonstrate this level of environmental stewardship should be better supported.

“… how are we going to ensure that in the transition there is just reward for those countries who are keeping the environment, keeping the forests and ensuring that forest contributes to the climate equation?” President Ali asked.