As the Hosororo Hydropower Project nears commencement of installation, the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) recently held a public consultation with residents of Mabaruma and other stakeholders as a part of the process to ensure that they were aware of what the project entails and its benefit to the community.
During the community engagement, Regional Chairman, Mr. Brentnol Ashley, thanked the GEA and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure for ensuring that the project was resuscitated. “Initiatives like these will aid the transformative process of the region,” Mr. Ashley emphasized. “I am happy that this is going to become a reality,” he added and indicated that the RDC fully supported the project. He also urged technical support from GEA to allow for the sustainability of the project. Similarly, Mayor of Mabaruma, Mr. Henry Smith, welcomed the project and said that it will lend to significant development of the township.
According to Dr. Mahender Sharma, CEO of GEA, the Hosororo Hydropower Project site has been of interest for several years and “…the project is also serving as a capacity building exercise for the GEA, as it allows the Hydro Power Support Engineers of the Agency to gain knowledge and experience of hydro power development. Noting that the hydropower project was the most economically feasible when compared to solar and diesel, he highlighted that “…while it would cost US$0.50 to produce a kilowatt-hour from diesel and US$0.36 to produce a kilowatt-hour from solar, hydropower would cost US$0.31 to produce a kilowatt-hour of energy…”. He further stated that “…thanks to grant financing for the Project, this cost would reduce to US$0.21/kWh”.
Though the Hosororo hydropower plant will only contribute eight percent of Mabaruma’s energy demand (approximately 64MWh a year), Dr. Sharma noted that the supply “…would help the township diversify its energy mix, provide energy security, and reduce the use of fossil fuel”. He said too that the project is one of very low environmental impact since structures, such as a powerhouse, were already in place from the project’s first attempt in the 80’s.