Work advancing rapidly on Onderneeming solar farm

Work is advancing rapidly on the mega solar farm at Onderneeming, Region Two with the contractor aiming to complete the project ahead of schedule.

The initiative, which falls under the Guyana Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic (GUYSOL) programme, will bring real benefits to the people of Region Two, powering homes, businesses, and communities for years to come.

Already, substantial civil works have been completed, which include site clearing and leveling.

Providing an update on the project during a site visit on Saturday, Programme Coordinator Amir Dillawar said that construction of the project’s internal roads is almost complete.

The 15-acre project site, initially lightly forested, underwent two months of clearing before construction could begin.

Currently, the team is progressing with the pile driving phase, which entails hammering large, sturdy columns into the ground to provide a strong foundation for the structures that will be built on top.

“In terms of the piles, they have to drive 3,000-plus piles. To date, they have driven almost 1,000. So, it is an activity that requires around-the-clock work. We’re driving in excess of 100 piles a day. And we’ve already started to install the mounting structure for this site. All equipment, solar panels, et cetera, have already been shipped and delivered in Guyana for installation in this location,” Dillawar said.

He reminded that the portion under construction at Onderneeming will generate five megawatts of power and will be connected with a smaller plant that is to be built in Charity, to achieve a total of eight MW of solar photovoltaic power in the Pomeroon-Supenaam region.

“The other site in Charity is 3 megawatts of solar with battery systems to be installed there. So, this is the largest farm in Essequibo, and it is the most advanced in terms of work at this point in time,” he added.

According to Dillawar, the project is ahead of schedule, and while it is slated for completion in December this year, he expects that by mid-year it may be completed.

“They are pushing very hard to finish ahead of the schedule. [There may be delays] but it is definite that it will be done by the contractual time,” he assured.

Head of the Executive Management Committee of the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) Kesh Nandlall explained that the peak demand in the Essequibo region is about 10 megawatts, so this initiative will be a massive addition to the generation capabilities in the region.

“We are also adding additional generation as we go along. We have procured three additional generators, 1.6 MW each. They will be here in about three to six months,” he said.

This will also be complemented with the procurement of two additional Caterpillar generator sets, boasting 1.5 MW of generation capacity each. These will arrive within the next two weeks, according to Nandlall.

“The programme also has other areas that are focused on training. We will train 50 women in solar PV installation and maintenance, and this training will be a paid apprenticeship programme. We are also going to train an additional 20 individuals in the area of renewable energy management and technology,” he explained.

In fact, the project has already provided employment to several women from the community.

One such employee, Denise Tull, a mother of four said that she is now exposed to a new area of work that offers additional practice.

“I am proud to be a part of this project. For my family it is an extra income, and it feels good waking up every morning knowing that I get to go to work, because I was unemployed for a very long time,” she told the media.

The project is a major milestone in Guyana’s journey towards a greener future. It forms part of the government’s ambitious Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030, which aims to harness the power of nature while protecting Guyana’s forests (Republished from the Department of Public Information)