– says Amaila Falls Hydro Project has to happen
Having recognised the importance of hydropower in Guyana’s renewable energy mix, efforts are being undertaken to scale up investments in this area, with the Government seeking to establish nearly a dozen mini-hydro projects across the country. This is according to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Mahender Sharma, during an appearance on the Starting Point podcast. “We’re also looking at a number of hydropower studies in a number of different areas. There are more than 11 sites we’re actively looking at, at the small hydro level,” Sharma stated. The GEA Head had previously touted hydropower as a premium renewable energy, noting that it brings a greater level of predictability and availability when compared to other sources, especially in hinterland areas where the power demand is growing. In fact, only back in February, he reported that the two mini-hydropower plants in Region Nine (Upper Takutu -Upper Essequibo) have already saved the Guyana Government in excess of 17,000 drums of fossil fuel, less than two years after coming into operation. During a panel discussion on the ‘Changing Power Landscape’ at the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo (GECSCE) in Georgetown, Sharma said these two hydro plants are already reducing the country’s carbon footprint.
“In about 13 months of operation – the smaller [hydro plant] now operating for 13 months and the larger one now operating for six months, have already saved more than 17,000 drums of diesel. With just those two [hydro plants], we’ve already avoided over 17,000 drums of diesel,” the GEA Head had stated. According to Sharma, the cost of those drums of fuel amounts to some 27 per cent of the capital investment on the two mini-hydro projects. In December 2024, the 0.7-megawatt (MW) Moco Moco Hydropower Plant was commissioned, with the capacity to generate approximately 4,565 MW/h of electricity annually. Months later, in July 2025, the 1.5-MW Kumu Hydropower Station was operationalised to bring approximately 9,700 MWh of clean energy annually.
These two mini-hydropower facilities were rehabilitated by the Sri Lankan firm – Vidullanka PLC, under a US$12.85 million programme funded by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).
Amaila Falls Hydro Project
However, the hallmark of hydropower in Guyana is the 165-MW Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP). Just last year, the Government issued a revised Request for Proposal (RFP), inviting companies from around the world to develop the Amaila Falls Hydro Project under a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model. That RFP invitation has been further extended and will run until May 8.
According to the GEA Head, it is important for the Amaila project to be realised.
“I’m really excited about Amaila. I think that has to happen,” Sharma declared during the podcast. In the RFP document, it is noted that this project is expected to deliver a minimum installed capacity of 165-MW, including the hydro dam, powerhouse, substation, and a 23-square- kilometre (km²) storage reservoir, consistent with environmental studies and permits.
However, it was noted that the size of the hydro may be re-engineered to take into account changes in turbine technology, thus allowing more than 165-MW to be generated and transmitted – something which Sharma had talked about in February. “Amaila is going to be extremely significant. While this was tagged at 165-MW some years ago, we believe that the technology has advanced to a stage where we can get more from it,” he had stated.
“The considerations for machine efficiency, for advances and improvements in hydraulic losses and friction losses in design construction – the kind of technology that you have now available to you to make the assessments, conducting the geotechnical [studies and] … laying of pipe penstock is incredible, and there is so much more that can be done.”
The ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has been keen on reviving the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, which has been on the cards since 2011 but was blocked by the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition both in and out of office. The 165-MW project was the flagship initiative of the Bharrat Jagdeo-crafted Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). However, the project failed to take off despite having a developer in the United States (US)-based Sithe Global, which was backed by the investment major – The Blackstone Inc.
In August 2013, Sithe Global announced that it was pulling out of the project, which it said was too large to continue without national consensus and cited the lack of consensus in Guyana’s Parliament. At the time, the then APNU and AFC Oppositions, holding majority seats in the National Assembly, had both voted down key pieces of legislation, which consequently halted the project.
Then during its term in office from 2015 to 2020, the APNU+AFC Coalition regime again shelved the project. The revival of the 165-MW hydropower project was one of the promises made by the ruling PPP/C in its 2020 Elections Manifesto. In November 2021, the AFHP was awarded to China Railway First Group (CRFG), but negotiations fell through after the company wanted to change the BOOT model, which the Government rejected. A revised RFP was then issued in 2023, and four companies – Rialma S.A. (Grupo Rialma) from Brazil; China International Water & Elec. Corp; Lindsayca CH4 Guyana Inc., and a group made up of OEC, GE Vernova, and Worley – had submitted tenders to be pre-qualified for the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project. Those bids were under evaluation for several months before the Government decided to retender the project.
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