Amaila hydro developer sells stake in hydro project

Sithe Global, the US-owned company that was developing a 160-megawatts hydro-electric project for Guyana at Amaila Falls, Region Eight, seems to have abandoned hopes of the initiative.

The developer, which announced a pullout in 2013, has sold its stakes, says Minister of State, Joseph Harmon.
The official was yesterday being questioned about the project, during his post-Cabinet press briefing at the Ministry of the Presidency.
Insisting that Government has not abandoned hopes for the Amaila Falls site for the development of an electricity project, the Minister said that Sithe Global has sold off its interests.
“My understanding from Minister (David) Patterson (Minister of Public Infrastructure) only recently (is that) Sithe Global…the company that held the intellectual property rights…(it has) …sold those rights to somebody else so that what ….is taking place outside of Guyana—that is not under our control.”
He explained that the Ministry of Public Infrastructure has presented a Public Infrastructure Plan going forward for Guyana and that plan envisages the development in roads, bridges and electricity. In the generation of electricity, various means are considered, either by wind, solar and hydro.
“All of these are sources of energy, we do not rule out any of them. That is to say, that in the hydro electricity sector, Amaila Falls is still one that is being considered. But what I want to say is that all of these issues – all of the various 80-something waterfalls that are here in Guyana – we are exploring them and we will make the best use of these resources at the appropriate time and in the best interest of the Guyanese people.”
The project was a major one for the previous administration, under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic. In fact it would have been the biggest project for the country.
Guyana has already spent US$40M-plus to build a number of access roads leading to the Region Eight site.