The Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) has entered into an Agreement with Farfan & Mendes Limited and SOVENTIX Caribbean S.R.L 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 at Bartica and Lethem in two lots.
The total contract amount for the two solar PV farms at Lethem and Bartica is GY$1.098 billion dollars. The duration for the completion of the two sites is estimated at 330 days.
The Agreement was signed on Wednesday at the Office of the Prime Minister in the presence of Derrick Cummings – Permanent Secretary, Office of the Prime Minister; Dr. Mahender Sharma – Chief Executive Officer of the GEA; Mr. Martin Carto – Alternative Energy Manager of Farfan & Mendes and SOVENTIX, and Mr. Mfon Akpan – Project Coordinator of GEA.
From the eight companies – both local and international – which participated in the bidding process that commenced with the opening of bids on January 7, 2020, Farfan & Mendes Limited and SOVENTIX Caribbean S.R.L emerged as the winning bidder.
In a statement, the GEA said that Farfan & Mendes Limited and SOVENTIX Caribbean S.R.L complied with all the requirements necessary for the execution of the project, inclusive of being substantially responsive to the terms and conditions of the bidding documents and also representing the lowest evaluated cost.
This project falls under the renewable energy solutions for the hinterland, which is one of the major components under the Energy Matrix Diversification and Strengthening of the Department of Energy (EMISDE) programme funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
“The renewable energy solutions for the hinterland 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,” the statement said.
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.
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.
The GEA thanked all the companies involved in the bidding process and said it looks forward to their active participation during the upcoming bidding process for the Mahdia solar PV farm.
