Months after several international companies submitted their proposals to develop the 165-megawatts (MW) Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP), the Guyana Government is now in the process of putting together the technical team to review the bids received. “Amaila Falls Project is awaiting evaluation right now. We’re putting together the evaluation team,” a senior Government official recently told the Guyana Times. Some five foreign companies are in the race for the AFHP after responding to the Government’s call for proposals, which closed in May. A joint venture (JV) between United States (US)-based OEC USA, GE Vernova, and Australia’s Worley submitted the highest bid of US$800,060,842, according to tender documents seen by this newspaper.

The OEC, GE Vernova, and Worley grouping had previously tendered to be pre-qualified for this project in 2023 before the Government eventually decided to reissue the Request for Proposal (RFP) last year. Coming in second with a US$668,000,000 proposal was a consortium of CAMCE-CMEC from China. China CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd. (CAMCE) and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) have individually undertaken construction projects in Guyana’s public sector and have also bid for major gas-related projects here.

Another Chinese company, China Gezhouba Group Company Limited-HYI, submitted a bid to the tune of US$432,338,377 – the third highest proposal. In addition, Chinese state-owned, Sinohydro Corporation Limited, came in fourth with a US$416,866,949.21 proposal. The fifth company that bid for the project was a JV comprising India-based Afcon Infrastructure Limited and Scandian Infrastructure AB from Sweden. However, no figure was listed for this JV in the tender document seen this newspaper. Back in October 2025, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), which has responsibility for the energy sector, published the RFP invite for the Amaila Falls Hydro project under a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model. According to the RFP document, the project is expected to deliver a minimum installed capacity of 165-MW including the hydro dam, powerhouse, substation, and a 23-square-kilometre (km²) storage reservoir, consistent with environmental studies and permits. However, it was noted that the size of the hydro may be re-engineered to take into account of changes in turbine technology thus allowing more than 165-MW to be generated and transmitted. Under the revised RFP, developers are required to assume all geotechnical risks associated with the project and must demonstrate proven capability and financial capacity to deliver large-scale hydro projects. Only firms or consortia that have successfully built at least three hydro projects of 100-MW or more in the last 10 years will be considered.