Guyana can be an export base for energy crops

By Samuel Sukhnandan

Executive Director and co-founder of Clenergen Guyana Incorporated, Jessica Hatfield says Guyana could become the base for export of energy crops, to all Caricom states, because of the country’s rich natural resources. Hatfield told Guyana Times International that Clenergen has been in Guyana for the past three years, looking at possibilities of producing electricity through the use of waste agricultural products and bamboos. The director said she has met with the government of Guyana and is now looking to finalise a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to begin operation.
“I’ve applied for an MoU for a large scale plantation, which is in the process of going through”, Hatfield said. She added that Clenergen plans to work with agricultural producers and hinterland communities to help develop mainly large scale electricity projects. This will be done using waste agricultural products and creating large scale bamboo plantations with the use of gasifiers. Hatfield said that Clenergen is looking at the immediate savannahs to develop these projects. This is especially so, since most of the communities within the savannahs are not serviced by the national electricity grid.
The team identified rice by-products as potential agriculture waste products that can be used to generate electricity, not only for communities, but rice millers themselves. Hatfield told this publication that rice husk is usually burnt, but that it could be used instead to generate electricity, as there is a specific gasifier that can be used with it. There will be two benefits: one is to create electricity and two is to get rid of the waste (rice husk) without having to burn it and creating environmental hazards. “We are going to India in July with a representation of rice millers and local businesses to have them look at these gasifiers in action… to see with their own eyes how it works”, she stated.
Hatfield sees this venture, as one that will benefit the local agriculture sector, and create employment as well as other economic opportunities for many Guyanese. In addition to rice, she said during her first year in Guyana, she came to realise that coconut husk is usually dumped in substantial amounts, in the Pomeroon River. Upon realising the threat it can pose to animals in the sea, she took a few samples of the coconuts and shipped them overseas for the technical team to examine the possibility of having it used to generate electricity. Fortunately, she was informed that it could be used.
The company’s director and co-founder recently returned from Europe where she now has secured funding for the bamboo project. Clenergen is now looking to have rice millers and coconut producers take up the opportunity to invest in a similar project. The company also plans to give both technical and financial assistance where there is a need. The company will begin with the smaller projects and move on to larger ones where bamboos will be planted, to help in creating electricity for communities. The company is also looking at creating the same plantations in mining communities, either to help to generate electricity for the mines or the communities close to where they operate.
Clenergen was established by Hatfield and Mark Quinn, who is the chief executive officer. Hatfield is also the chairperson of Clenergen Foundation and the environment director of the corporation. Clenergen offers strategic clean energy generation to address the requirement for renewable and sustainable supplies of electricity. The company has a skillful team capable of operating combustion steam, gasification, and anaerobic digestive biomass power plants.
Clenergen has already worked with countries like India, Philippines and Ghana, and is looking to create similar projects in Guyana.