Use Guyana’s uranium to solve energy woes – Ramotar

(Kaieteur News) – Former President Donald Ramotar has called on the government to consider developing nuclear power plants using Guyana’s uranium resources, arguing that this could provide a solution to the country’s longstanding energy challenges.

In a letter to the editor, Ramotar said, “We have now discovered that we have a very important mineral in our country, Uranium. That discovery has many implications. Today though it should be looked at from our country’s interest.”

He described uranium as one of the best, cleanest, cheapest and most reliable sources of energy, and suggested that the government consider building one or more nuclear power plants.

“We should think about building a nuclear power plant or plants in our country. This would be the most viable solution to the energy question in Guyana,” he added.

Former President Donald Ramotar

Ramotar also suggested that the government invite companies with experience in developing nuclear power facilities to undertake such a project, pointing specifically to Russian companies. “Therefore, we should invite them to work with us on such a project,” he said.

He further urged the government to examine the agreements signed in relation to uranium and ensure they “have a handle on it.”

The former president identified energy as one of Guyana’s biggest challenges, noting that the issue has plagued the country since the 1970s. He pointed to the reliability of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and the significant costs associated with renting power ships.

He also raised concerns about the Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project, which the government has said will reduce consumers’ electricity bills by 50 per cent. However, the project has experienced several delays and remains behind its initial timeline.

“The Gas-to-Energy project is way behind schedule. Moreover, who knows when Exxon Mobil will tell us that they cannot give us any gas and that they need to use it to reinject in the oil wells. After all it is not in the contract of 2016 that we get gas, and we believe in sanctity of contracts,” he added.

Ramotar’s remarks on uranium come as the Environmental Assessment Board (EAB) reviews a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to waive the requirement for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for exploration activities at the Kurupung Uranium Project in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

The review was triggered by appeals filed by seven organisations and over 50 citizens including former Executive Director of EPA Dr. Vincent Adams, against EPA’s decision. As a result, the exploration work at the Kurupung property is stalled until the EAB rules.

The project is controlled by Canada-based U92 Energy Inc. through its wholly owned subsidiary, LIA (Guyana) Inc.

LIA Guyana holds exclusive rights to occupy and explore the property under two Prospecting Licences (PLs) issued by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) on April 19, 2024. The licences permit exploration for uranium, other radioactive minerals and rare-earth elements for an initial period of three years, ending April 18, 2027, with an option for two additional one-year extensions through April 18, 2029.

The project area covers approximately 92.2 square kilometres and has an estimated historical resource of 20.6 million pounds of uranium.

Source: Kaieteur News