…as GtE transmission network nears completion

Vice President (VP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Monday announced that the transmission network for Guyana’s flagship Gas-to-Energy (GtE) Project has reached 99 per cent completion, describing the development as a major milestone in the country’s energy transformation. In a post on his social media pages, the VP said, “Guyana is on the verge of a new era of affordable and reliable electricity. The project represents a major step in the country’s energy transformation, using natural gas to reduce electricity costs, improve energy security and create a stronger foundation for future renewable energy development.” The video with accompanied the VP’s post, highlighted the transmission infrastructure that has been constructed to transport electricity from the 300-megawatt (MW) natural gas-fired power plant at Wales, West Bank Demerara (WBD), across the Demerara River to the substation at Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara (ECD). It notes that while most of the transmission towers stand approximately 40 metres tall, the towers spanning the Demerara River are significantly larger. “Most of these towers will stand about 40 metres tall, but the towers crossing the river are more than three times that, standing at 146 metres,” the video states. According to the video, the transmission lines extend from Wales in Region Three to the Goedverwagting substation in Region Four and will play a critical role in integrating the new power plant into the coastal grid on the Demerara Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS). “The cables connecting the towers run from Wales in Region 3 all the way to the substation in Goedverwagting in Region 4 [will]… move electricity generated from natural gas at the new 300-MW power plant into Guyana’s existing grid, helping deliver more stable and expanded power across the Demerara Berbice Interconnected system,” the video said. The video also reiterates one of the project’s primary objectives, saying, “Once completed, the gas to energy project will cut electricity costs by 50 per cent for both residents and commercial consumers.”

The GtE Project is one of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government’s flagship initiatives and was conceptualised to reduce electricity costs while increasing the benefits Guyana derives from its rapidly expanding oil and gas sector through the utilisation of natural gas from the Stabroek Block. Located at Wales, WBD, the highly anticipated GtE Project comprises a 300-MW combined cycle power plant and a natural gas liquids (NGL) facility that will utilise the rich natural gas piped onshore from the Stabroek Block to generate cleaner and cheaper electricity for consumers. The US$759 million GtE Project is being constructed by United States (US)-based contractor Lindsayca. Meanwhile, the offshore Stabroek Block is operated by ExxonMobil, together with co-venturers Chevron and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). The first-of-its-kind project in Guyana combines modular gas processing technology for faster deployment with high-efficiency combined-cycle power generation and infrastructure designed to suit the country’s tropical conditions. It is being partially financed through a loan from the US EXIM Bank. ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) and its co-venturers have already completed the installation of approximately 250 kilometres (km) of 12-inch pipeline to transport natural gas from the offshore Stabroek Block to Wales.