– Residents benefitting from lower energy prices
Residents and the business community of Mahdia can breathe a sigh of relief as years of frequent blackouts may soon be a thing of the past. The town’s electricity supply has received a significant boost with the arrival of an 800 kVA generator.
The new generator arrived in the community on Sunday last and is expected to benefit some 825 residents and businesses in the mining town.
For years, the existing generating capacity of the Mahdia Power and Light (MPL) company struggled to keep pace with the town’s growing energy demands.
Chief Executive Officer of the Hinterland Electrification Company Inc, Horace Williams, explained that peak demand stood at 570 kVA in 2024 and climbed to 630 kVA in 2025. By the end of this year, he projects demand could reach 700 kVA.
“The idea is to have enough generation, so you have some room to reserve, and also to meet any shortfall due to maintenance or repairs, but also to meet the growing demand in the community,” Williams said during a telephone interview with the Department of Pubic Information (DPI) on Wednesday.
The 800 kVA investment, therefore, not only addresses current demand but also provides a safeguard for continued growth.
Beyond reliable power, residents are also seeing relief in their electricity bills.
Town Clerk Kevin Gildharie confirmed that residents are now benefitting from a 30 per cent reduction in electricity costs, a directive issued by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali in August.
“That itself made a huge impact within the mining town because basically, we have a 30 per cent reduction in electricity costs,” Gildharie noted.
He added that the price reduction has already begun attracting new investments to the area.
In addition, Mahdia is benefitting from a $362 million solar farm project by the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA). It includes a 2-kilometre, 13.8 kV transmission line for efficient energy distribution and is expected to supply 935 MWh of electricity annually.