Guyana is planning another 300-megawatt (MW) gas-fired power plant, this time in the Berbice region, Dr. Mahendra Sharma, Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), said.
During a panel discussion at the Guyana Energy Conference last week, Dr. Sharma explained that phase one of the Wales Gas-to-Energy project – set to produce 300 MW – will be completed this year. He said they are already advancing plans for an additional 300 MW facility in Wales, as well as another facility at Berbice.
“The vision is looking at almost 900 MW of additional capacity coming from Gas-to-Energy,” Sharma said.
He confirmed the location of the pipeline after the panel.
The planned Berbice facility would have an installed capacity of 300 megawatts, matching the two gas-fired plants already in the pipeline for Wales, on the West Bank of Demerara. The first Wales plant is under construction alongside a natural gas liquids (NGL) separation facility, forming Phase 1 of the government’s Gas-to-Energy project.
A second 300-MW power plant and a second NGL facility at Wales, are awaiting a government decision on bids submitted by prospective builders.
Under Phase 1 of the Wales project, natural gas from the Liza field in the Stabroek Block will be piped to shore to fuel the first power plant. Phase 2 of that project is expected to incorporate additional associated gas from the Hammerhead development, using the same pipeline.
The proposed Berbice plant would represent a separate project, potentially using gas resources from a future development in the Stabroek Block, namely Longtail, and a larger potential project in the southeast gas area.
While ExxonMobil has not yet publicly detailed a full development plan for the southeast gas project, the company has outlined a vision for the delivery of gas to shore to support an industrial hub in Berbice. The hub is being pursued by the government in partnership with the U.S. oil major and is expected to host a range of projects powered by gas.
ExxonMobil officials at the conference, including Upstream President Dan Ammann, said it is the government’s responsibility to establish the demand for the gas by facilitating onshore projects that justify the offshore investment needed to bring the gas to market.
ExxonMobil currently produces oil with an installed capacity exceeding 900,000 barrels per day (b/d). The first gas flow from any Stabroek Block project is expected by year end from the Liza field. The government plans to use the gas to generate power domestically and cut the cost of electricity by 50%.
