A one-megawatt solar farm valued at $565M is expected to be constructed in Lethem.
The plan for the solar farm is currently awaiting approval from the international tender, after which the construction will commence.
The project, which “is anticipated to take a year to come into fruition,” will provide Lethem with a more stable source of electricity.
It is also expected to supplement the diesel-based electricity supply and according to Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, within two-and– half years, Lethem will be fully operable on renewable energy.
The establishment of the Lethem Solar Farm is part of a larger, national project to equip the Rupununi and other outlying areas, such as Mabaruma, Bartica and Mahdia, with enough access to a reliable energy source by 2020.
The government commissioned a 0.4MW solar farm in Mabaruma in 2018 and a solar photovoltaic (PV) system is expected to be constructed in Mahdia in June of this year.
Patterson told the Department of Public Information that a loan from the Islamic Development Bank was recently approved to fund the feasibility study for the establishment of a $1.4 billion hydropower system, using the Moco Moco and Kumu Falls located in the Rupununi. (PR)
