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The Guyana Government over the weekend issued a new revised Request for Proposal (RFP), inviting companies from around the world to develop the 165-megawatt (MW) Amaila Falls Hydro Project under a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model. Only just over a week ago, President Dr Irfaan Ali disclosed that his Administration would be going out for expressions of interest for a number of projects, including the hydropower initiative. He subsequently confirmed to the Guyana Times that this includes the revival of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP), and that the technical teams were finalising the document. Subsequently, on Sunday, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) published the call for RFPs in the local newspapers. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration has been keen on reviving the 165-megawatt (MW) Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP), which has been on the cards since 2011 but was blocked by the APNU+AFC (A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change) coalition both in and out of office. According to the ad that was published in Sunday’s edition of the Guyana Times, the project, which is expected to deliver a minimum installed capacity of 165 megawatts (MW), forms a key part of Guyana’s clean energy transition. The hydro facility will include a dam, powerhouse, substation, and a 23-square-kilometre storage reservoir, consistent with environmental studies and permits. Revised RFP 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 ten years will be considered. The government has stated that while the transmission network will be developed separately, the size of the hydro may be re-engineered to take advantage of advancements in turbine technology, potentially allowing for greater power generation. This project will be executed through a new Special Purpose Company (SPC), which will receive all relevant licenses and permits previously issued up to April 2015. Independent supervision of the project’s design and construction will also be engaged under agreed Terms of Reference (ToR). Qualified developers are required to submit detailed proposals, including project schedules, EPC price breakdowns and financing plans, along with several other undertakings, as outlined in the RFP issued by the OPM. The deadline for submissions is February 15, 2026, and all proposals must be submitted to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), Main and Urquhart Streets, Georgetown. For additional information, interested companies may contact the Gas-to-Energy Task Force at the Office of the Prime Minister via email at [email protected], with a copy to [email protected], or by telephone at +1 (592) 225-2602. It was noted that the Government reserves the right to select suitable partners or annul to the process without incurring any liability. Amaila Falls Hydropower Project The 165-megawatt AFHP was the flagship initiative of the Bharrat Jagdeo-crafted Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). However, the project failed to take off despite having a developer in United States-based Sithe Global, which was backed by investment major – The Blackstone Inc. In August 2013, Sithe Global announced that it was pulling out of the project, which it said was too large to continue without national consensus and had cited the lack of consensus in Parliament. At the time, the then APNU and AFC oppositions, holding majority seats in the National Assembly, had both voted down key pieces of legislation which consequently halted the project. Then during its term in office from 2015 to 2020, the APNU+AFC Coalition regime, again, shelved the project. The revival of the 165-megawatt hydropower project was one of the promises made by the ruling PPP/C in its 2020 Manifesto. In November 2021, the AFHP was awarded to China Railway First Group (CRFG) but negotiations fell through after the company wanted to change the BOOT model which government rejected. A revised Request for Proposals (RFP) was then issued in 2023 and four companies – Rialma S.A. (Grupo Rialma) from Brazil; China International Water & Elec. Corp; Lindsayca CH4 Guyana Inc., and a group made up of OEC, GE Vernova and Worley – had submitted tenders to be pre-qualified for the Amaila Falls Hydropower project. Those bids were under evaluation for several months. However, VP Jagdeo told the Guyana Times earlier this year that the PPP/C Government would have to re-tender the project after much attention was not placed on the bids that came in due to pending General and Regional Elections held on last September 1. But the Vice President went on to underscore the importance of this project to the continuous energy mix that the government is pursuing. “What we’ve committed to is an energy mix that is sustainable, and hydropower is part of that energy mix– so it has to be part of our ongoing plan. So, it is a combination of gas, wind, solar and hydro – that’s the energy mix of the future. Clearly, we’re moving to the gas, which you saw will cut our emission profile. We’re doing some solar. We’re examining some wind but for smaller communities, and hydro will be a part of it. So, [the AFHP] will have rollover as part of our commitment to a cleaner energy mix for the future as part of our energy transition,” the Vice President told this newspaper at a January 2 press conference.
