Guyana Power and Light (GPL) is undertaking approximately US$800 million in infrastructure investments to modernise the national electricity grid and significantly alleviating the power outages.
GPL Chief Executive Officer Keshe Nandlall, during an interview on Starting Point, said the rapid growth in electricity demand has placed significant pressure on an ageing distribution network, with peak demand more than doubling from 125 megawatts in 2020 to 255 megawatts currently.
“The growth in the demand is creating [strain] and taxing the network, the distribution network, and we are seeing overloaded networks. We are seeing transformers overload,” Nandlall explained.
He said the customer base has also increased from approximately 201,000 in 2020 to 250,000, while rapid expansion in housing, manufacturing, hospitality and other sectors continues to drive electricity demand.
According to the CEO, the ongoing infrastructure programme includes new and upgraded substations, more than 200 kilometres of distribution feeders, double-circuit transmission lines and other investments designed to provide greater capacity and redundancy across the grid.
Nandlall said GPL is also constructing a double-circuit underground cable beneath the Demerara River to provide an additional connection between the Kingston and Read and Hoop substations, with drilling already underway.
“These contracts have already been signed. Some of these contracts are more than 60 per cent completed. All their engineering procurement have been done. Materials have been shipped. Construction has already been started,” he said.
The CEO also pointed to the Gas-to-Energy project as a major component of the country’s future energy security, with the first phase expected to provide up to 300 megawatts of electricity. He said GPL’s infrastructure upgrades are being coordinated with the phased delivery of that power.
Nandlall said the additional generation and grid upgrades should result in a significant reduction in the frequency and extent of outages by around June 2027, although occasional interruptions would remain necessary for maintenance and emergency works until a fully redundant, smart grid is established.
“Well, it should be significantly alleviated,” he said, while noting that the company’s longer-term objective is to develop a modern, self-healing grid by 2030.
The planned system will incorporate a national control centre and smart equipment capable of monitoring electricity flows from generation facilities through substations, feeders and transformers, allowing GPL to identify faults and reroute electricity where redundancy is available.
“We are building that redundancy within the system to ensure that when we invest all of this, all these monies into our capital programme, that we get a proper infrastructure that provides reliable, resilient, and cost-effective electricity to our consumers,” Nandlall said.
Meanwhile, GPL is pursuing additional short-term generation capacity to bridge the gap until the Gas-to-Energy project is fully operational. Nandalal said the company is also preparing for the Christmas period by adjusting loads across feeders and seeking additional generation.
“We are doing our best, and we are seeking additional generations to support us for Christmas,” the CEO said.