Winston Brassington, head of Guyana’s Gas-to-Energy Taskforce, said the Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility at Wales will be ready before year’s end, while only part of the 300 megawatt (MW) power plant will deliver electricity this year.
He provided the update on day three (February 19) of the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo, addressing progress at the Wales Development Zone on the West Bank of Demerara.
“We’re going to have the power plant online by the end of the year. “Demand is exploding. We need additional power as soon as possible,” he told the conference.
He said the US contractor, Lindsayca has committed to completing the project in stages. “Our contractor…has assured us that they’re going to complete the 300 megawatt project, first – the simple cycle by the end of this year,” he explained.
According to Brassington, the initial configuration will not deliver the full 300 MW. He confirmed that 228 MW will be available in this first phase.
He said the NGL facility, which will produce cooking gas, will come on stream just before the power plant.
“Sixty-three million gallons per annum of propane, butane…that’s end of this year,” he added.
The full combined cycle configuration will be completed next year, in line with previous announcements. “The whole 300 megawatts will be completed,” he assured.
Brassington noted that the pipeline supplying gas from the Liza field offshore Guyana was completed by ExxonMobil at the end of 2024 and is awaiting the plant’s start-up.
The Gas-to-Energy project is expected to cut electricity costs by about 50% and reduce emissions from power generation by shifting supply away from heavy fuel oil, according to government statements.
Lower power costs are also seen as key to improving Guyana’s investment climate and competitiveness for local businesses.
