So the Amaila Falls Hydro Project is back on the front burner. The Government of Norway is expected to fund another study to determine once and for all the project’s feasibility, while the Government of Guyana has indicated that this is one of the several options being considered as possible sources of renewable energy. In 2009, the two governments entered into an agreement – The Guyana/Norway REDD+ Partnership – whereby Guyana would benefit from payments up to US$250 million through 2015 to limit deforestation degradation rates as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Payments were to be made based on independent verifications of performance in a number of areas against benchmarks set in relation to: (a) gross deforestation; (b) loss of intact forest landscape; (c) forest management; carbon loss as an indirect effect of new infrastructure; (d) emissions resulting from illegal logging activities; and emissions resulting from anthropogenically caused forest fires.
To date, Guyana has received US$190 million. The shortfall was mainly due to the aborted Amaila Falls Project which Norway
