Bilateral partners interested in investing in Amaila Falls Hydro-Project – President Ali

(DPI) In solidifying his position that the PPP/C Government will not abandon the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP), President Irfaan Ali has disclosed that several bilateral partners have expressed interest in the project.

The president was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the 150k Guyana Coders Initiative.

The president noted that investors from the United States and Canada are among those that can bid for the project.

He said this initial stage features several assessments.

 “There are a lot of ongoing bilateral talks, and then we have to make a structured decision as to how we can go forward,” Dr Ali noted.

The pre-2015 PPP/C Administration had initially conducted extensive studies of the project, including an environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA), and allocated some US$80 million (garnered from the Guyana-Norway partnership) to finance the project.

However, from 2011 onwards, the combined parliamentary opposition of APNU and AFC halted the advancement of the project.

In May, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo disclosed that the project could go back to tender after the initial executing company, China Railway Limited, requested to change the Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) contract’s arrangement to an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract.

The Amaila Falls Hydropower Project forms part of the government’s transformational agenda for the advancement of the country’s renewable energy grid. It is expected to bring an estimated 160 megawatts of power, affording Guyanese access to cheaper and reliable electricity.