The government yesterday met a team from German company Siemens Energy as a critical phase of the massive and severely delayed gas to energy project approaches.
Siemens Energy was announced in January, 2025 as the operator and manager of the government’s 300-megawatt combined-cycle power plant at Wales under Phase One of the Gas-to-Energy project.
Earlier this week the government announced a December 4th
initial test firing of one of the gas turbines as work continues to bring an initial 57 megawatts of electricity onto the national grid. This will be pivotal moment in this project which has been conservatively valued at around US$2b and has been the focus of several controversies.
The Office of the Prime Minister said yesterday that representatives of Siemens met Prime Minister Mark Phillips to discuss preparations for the start-up and operation of the plant.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s office noted that Siemens Energy will be responsible for the power plant, including its auxiliary facilities. The company’s team is currently in Guyana to begin mobilisation and technical coordination ahead of operations.
The arrangement provides for Siemens Energy to operate the facility for five years, with an option for renewal. It also includes a 20-year maintenance programme for the plant’s turbines. The value of the contract was not disclosed.
Discussions at yesterday’s meeting covered management timelines, staffing, training, logistics and the technical requirements for transitioning the plant from construction to operation.
Phillips, who has responsibility for the energy sector and the gas-to-energy project, told the company’s representatives that the immediate focus was on ensuring that the plant was ready to begin operating.
“The focus now is on the technical work, mobilisation and preparations required to ensure that the plant is ready for start-up and, importantly, that it operates safely, reliably and efficiently,” the statement quoted him as saying.
The government said Siemens Energy’s involvement was also expected to provide training, mentorship and the transfer of technical knowledge to Guyanese workers. The intention, it added, is to progressively develop a local workforce capable of assuming greater responsibility for operating and maintaining the facility.
The meeting followed a visit by Phillips to the Wales project site earlier this week to inspect ongoing works and receive an update on the implementation schedule.
The government is projecting that the first gas turbine will begin operating by the end of this year and supply approximately 57 megawatts of electricity to the national grid. The remaining generating units are expected to be brought online subsequently.
The administration has repeatedly said that the gas-to-energy project will increase electricity-generation capacity, improve the reliability of the national grid and reduce electricity costs.
Also attending the meeting were gas-to-energy Project Lead Winston Brassington, Bobby Gossai Jr, other members of the project’s task force and representatives of Siemens Energy.
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