Norway still backing Amaila Falls Hydro Project – Jagdeo

THE NORWEGIAN GOVERNMENT IS STILL BACKING the stalled Amaila Falls
Hydropower Project (AFHP) Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said.

Norway, through its Ministry of Climate and Environment, and the International Climate and
Forest Initiative (NICFI) have been a major supporter of Guyana’s rainforest conservation efforts
upwards of a decade.

In 2014 the Northern European country deposited US$80M in the Inter-American Development
Bank (IDB) as this country’s equity share in Amaila Falls Hydropower Inc (AFHI), “a Special
Purpose Company for realising the 165 MW Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) as a
public/private partnership BOOT project supported by IDB,” a local Department of Public
Information (DPI) online document said.
The Nordic state is also standing behind Guyana’s planned energy transition as outlined in its
Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) had commissioned the firm,
Norconsult, to undertake a review of the Amaila Falls project which was not on the list of
priorities of the David Granger May 2015- August 01, 2020 administration.

A 2016 report said the AFHP project was critical for Guyana’s energy transition.

“The only realistic path for Guyana towards an emission free electricity sector is by developing
its hydropower potential. The fastest way forward is to maintain AFHP as the first major step for
substituting its current oil-fired generation,” the Norway-commissioned report disclosed.

The Granger government differed and was chastised for failing to pursue any major energy
projects to fulfill its promise to have Guyana move to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2025.

Since its return to office, the Irfaan Ali administration has resurrected the AFHP scheme from
which the country can add another 165 megawatts (MW) of new power.

Last month, the Office of the Prime Minister published a notice advertising for a partner to
develop the project with an anticipation startup sometime next year.
The Guyanese administration is also pursuing the Gas-to-Energy project to supply some 250
MW of new power from natural gas from the Liza Phase One offshore project.

The Liza and AFHP projects are expected to be completed and providing power for commercial
use before the next election scheduled for 2025.

The two major electricity projects will drastically lower this country’s emissions of harmful
gases into the atmosphere, and cut the cost of power to the Guyanese consumers by 50 per
cent, according to local estimates.