A few days ago, Prime Minister Mark Phillips and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar lamented the lack of sufficient generating capacity to meet peak demand in the Demerara Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS). The shortfall in capacity has forced the Government to have the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) invite proposals from private power generators to supply electricity to the DBIS.
As we considered the situation, we could not help but be saddened. We were sad, when we learnt, that no major investments in capacity were made during the life of the Coalition to improve capacity and thus we now find ourselves between a rock and a hard place. But as disturbing as that is, we were even sadder when we recalled that the Coalition borrowed $30B which, among other things, were earmarked to construct cogeneration plants at Albion and Uitvlugt Estates. It is now two (2) years since those monies were borrowed and those plants are not even designed as yet.
Those plants would have made a meaningful difference and could have seen the approximate $10B earmarked for the purchase of new generating sets for GPL being spent to promote development elsewhere in the country. Apart from that those plants wouldn’t have required the importation of fossil fuels therefore constraining our import bill. And probably most significantly it would have brought in much needed revenue to GuySuCo.
While we should not cry over spilt milk we must be disappointed where the uncreative leadership of the immediate past Government has placed us. As energy demand will rise in the coming years with improved economic prosperity there is a significant opportunity for the sugar industry to make an even more meaningful contribution while sustaining its operations and promoting renewable energy production. This task needs to begin with fervor and cane supplies must be improved to ensure the full utilsation of co-generation plants where feasible.
