GPL Proposed Continued Power Cuts Unacceptable

GPL Proposed Continued Power Cuts Unacceptable

OPINION BY: Hem Kumar September 2026
Guyana is being told to wait another nine months—possibly longer, given the country’s record of delayed major projects—for relief from recurring power outages. That is an extraordinary position for a government overseeing one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.  

GPL’s claim that approximately US $800 million is being invested in generation, transmission and related infrastructure does not erase the immediate reality confronting citizens: blackouts disrupt homes, hospitals, schools, small businesses, manufacturing, construction, food storage, telecommunications and essential services. For families, the burden is physical, financial and psychological. For businesses, it means lost production, damaged equipment, higher fuel costs for standby generators, spoilage, missed deadlines and reduced confidence in expanding operations.

The problem is not simply that electricity infrastructure takes time to build. It does. The deeper issue is whether the government and GPL planned adequately for the explosive rise in demand that accompanied the oil boom, rapid housing expansion, commercial development and increased industrial activity.

Demand reportedly rose from about 125 megawatts in 2020 to a record 242.64 megawatts, while GPL’s customer base grew from roughly 204,000 to 250,000. Those figures should have triggered far earlier and more aggressive investment in firm generation capacity, reserve margins, substations, transmission lines, transformers, distribution upgrades and maintenance planning.

Instead, Guyanese are being asked to accept conservation measures, self-generation by businesses and scheduled interruptions while waiting on projects that should have been planned and sequenced years ago. It is particularly troubling that, even with added capacity from power ships and solar installations, the country remains so vulnerable to outages, equipment failures, network constraints and peak-demand pressures.

Solar additions in Berbice, Essequibo, Linden and other communities are welcome, as are transmission and distribution upgrades. But solar power does not by itself solve the evening peak between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., when demand is highest and solar generation is unavailable. A reliable system requires dependable baseload and dispatchable generation, sufficient reserve capacity, modern transmission infrastructure, upgraded distribution networks, energy storage where appropriate, and transparent maintenance and contingency plans.

The gas-to-energy project may eventually provide a major improvement, but it cannot be used as a substitute for accountability over the present crisis. Citizens need more than broad assurances that conditions will be “significantly alleviated” by June 2027.

They deserve a public, independently verifiable timetable showing:

♦ The generation capacity currently available, including dependable—not merely installed—capacity.

♦ The projected demand growth through 2027 and the reserve margin needed to prevent shortages.

♦ Each transmission, substation and distribution upgrade, its cost, contractor, completion date and expected benefit.

♦ The causes of each major outage, including generation shortfalls, equipment failures, third-party damage and planned maintenance.

♦ The specific measures being taken to protect consumers and businesses until the new projects are completed.

♦ The consequences for contractors and officials when deadlines are missed or infrastructure repeatedly fails.

A nation earning unprecedented oil revenues should not be normalizing prolonged blackouts as an unavoidable growing pain. Energy reliability is not a luxury; it is the foundation for industrialization, job creation, investment, public safety and a decent quality of life.

If the promised relief is still nine months away—and perhaps longer—then the government must acknowledge that this represents a serious planning failure. Guyanese should not have to bear the cost of inadequate foresight while being asked to celebrate record economic growth.

Editor’s Note: US $800Million Is Not a Substitute for Answers

The public has been told that approximately US$800 million is being invested in Guyana’s electricity infrastructure and that blackouts should be “significantly alleviated” by mid-2027. That is not enough.

A figure of this magnitude cannot be used as a public-relations shield while households, workers and businesses continue to suffer the economic, physical and emotional strain of unreliable electricity. Guyanese are entitled to know precisely where this money is going, who is receiving it, what work is being delivered, and when the public can reasonably expect measurable improvement.

At present, the US$800 million claim raises more questions than it answers. Is this sum actual expenditure, approved funding, signed contracts, projected future spending, private-sector investment, borrowing, grants, or a mixture of all these? Does it include solar plants, transmission expansion, substations, transformers, distribution upgrades, maintenance works and emergency generation? How much is assigned to each component?

The distinction matters. A large aggregate figure can create the appearance of decisive action while concealing delayed projects, incomplete works, inflated costs, duplicated announcements or investments that will not directly address the outages now punishing consumers.

GPL and the Government must therefore publish, without delay, a complete project register for every component of the claimed US $800 million investment program. It must identify:

♦ The precise composition of the US $800 million figure, including whether each amount is spent, committed, contracted, financed or merely projected.

♦ Every generation project, its capacity in megawatts, location, contractor, contract value, financing source, commissioning date and actual delivery status.

♦ Every transmission and distribution project, including new lines, substations, transformers, feeders, control systems and network upgrades, with its location, cost, contractor, completion target and expected service benefit.

♦ The amount paid to date, outstanding commitments, cost variations, extensions of time, penalties for delays and all reported cost overruns.

♦ The procurement method used for each contract, together with the names of successful bidders and the basis on which they were selected.

♦ A clear separation between works intended to meet new demand and works needed merely to repair, replace or stabilize an overstretched existing system.

♦ Demand forecasts through 2027,the expected dependable generating capacity, the required reserve margin, and the basis for claiming that outages will be substantially reduced.

♦ A public monthly progress report showing what has been completed, what has slipped, what has changed and who is accountable.

This is neither hostility to investment nor opposition to development. It is a demand for basic stewardship of public resources and respect for electricity consumers. Every blackout has a cost: spoiled food, damaged appliances, interrupted work, lost sales, costly generator fuel, disrupted education, unsafe conditions and mounting frustration.

An oil-rich country cannot credibly ask its people to celebrate unprecedented national wealth while treating dependable electricity as a future aspiration. Nor can it ask citizens to wait quietly until mid-2027, or beyond, based solely on broad assurances and unaudited headline figures.

The public will not be comforted by another large number. It will be comforted by evidence: signed contracts, clear costs, functioning equipment, completed transmission lines, reliable power and accountable officials. Until then, the US $800 million claim remains a number in need of proof.

“The US$800 million program should now be subjected to formal parliamentary scrutiny and, where public funds, state guarantees or state entities are involved, rigorous examination by the Auditor General. Parliament must require a full accounting of the projects, contracts, financing arrangements, expenditure, delays and projected outcomes. The Auditor General must be positioned to determine whether taxpayers and electricity consumers are receiving value for money, whether procurement rules were followed, and whether cost overruns, avoidable delays or weak oversight have compounded the crisis. Guyanese have waited long enough in darkness. They are owed transparency, accountability and a power system that works.