Brazilian investors among...

Anti-development

During the opening day, President Dr Irfaan Ali used part of his keynote address at the expo to lambast those who he said have sought to derail Guyana’s economic development. An example he used was the former combined A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Opposition’s non-support of the AFHP, during the President Donald Ramotar Administration.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the GCCC, Anand Beharry explained that the MoU was months in the making. It will serve as a platform to better engage business interests on both sides.

He noted that the MoU will not only result in knowledge sharing and training, but also business to business partnerships. Already, business participation by Newfoundland companies is already evident in Guyana.

“Their experiences will benefit us in an incredible way. They have a level of knowledge, where we should go and how to avoid pitfalls that we could benefit from. One thing I’ve learned is the people of Newfoundland and Energy NL are really excited to ensure that we do not get to the pitfalls that they did,” Beharry explained. (G12)

“Many persons today are shouting from the top of the mountain, about oh, why go hydro? More than decade ago, the then Government who are in office now painstakingly got investors to come here for the investment of hydro, AFHP.”

“You know what they did? They killed the project. An international investor walked away. Today, that project would have been completed and the people of Guyana would have been receiving electricity at half the price. It would have happened a long time ago,” Ali asserted.

AFHP was initiated un- der the previous People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration, but was scrapped by the coalition Administration which had controlled the National Assembly by a one-seat Opposition majority. At present, there is interest from several bilateral partners in the project to finance the construction of the project, with the Government also indicating on several occasions that the project is likely to be retendered.

The AFHP was the flagship of the LCDS. It was ex- pected to deliver a steady source of clean, renewable energy that would have been affordable and reliable, and was envisioned to meet approximately 90 per cent of Guyana’s domestic energy needs while removing dependency on fossil fuels.

The site was first identified in 1976 by the Canadian company Monenco during an extensive survey of hydroelectric power potential in Guyana. Various studies have since justified and strongly supported the construction of the AFHP.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

International Energy Conference and Expo 2023: President Dr Irfaan Ali hosted a cocktail reception in honour of several Heads of Government and their delegations who are in Guyana for the Energy Conference. On Tuesday, at the opening of the International Energy Conference, which is being hosted at the Marriott Hotel, President Dr Irfaan Ali, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines, and former Colombian President Ivan Duque and other officials toured the various booths (Office of the President photos)