NEW YORK, Sept 24, CMC – The Guyana government could in the coming weeks decide on the preferred proposal for the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project as it confirmed it is still in the process of evaluating bids.
The Amaila Falls Hydropower Project will be developed in Region Eight and is designed to deliver a minimum of 165 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy to the national grid.
It forms part of the government’s broader energy strategy, which seeks to diversify Guyana’s energy mix through investments in natural gas, hydropower and solar energy.
The project was advanced more than a decade ago but encountered a major setback in 2013 amid disagreements over parliamentary support. The renewed effort to develop Amaila Falls is in line with Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030.
President Irfaan Ali, who held talks with the president and chairman of the United States Export-Import (EXIM) Bank, John Jovanovic, here earlier this week, has indicated that the financial has expressed interest in financing the project.
A government statement said that it is one of several major infrastructure initiatives discussed between President Ali and the bank’s president.
The statement said that Ali “made it clear” that the government’s preferred approach involved a design, build, finance and operate arrangement supported by a power-purchase agreement.
“We are hoping that in the coming weeks, we will be in a position to say what structure or what bid is the best in the interests of Guyana’s development and our people’s development,” Ali is quoted as saying in the statement.
The statement said that the LCDS strategy identifies hydropower as an important component of the country’s transition towards cleaner energy. Once operational, the facility is expected to supply large-scale renewable electricity to the national grid and contribute to Guyana’s long-term energy security.
“In addition to Amaila Falls, the bank has expressed interest in supporting Guyana’s proposed second gas project, a deepwater port and other infrastructure investments,” the statement said, adding “no successful bidder or finalised US EXIM financing agreement for Amaila Falls has been announced”.
CMC/gt/ir/2026