–GPL says, sought over $28M from reckless drivers for infrastructure damage

THE Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has announced that it has demanded compensation of over $28 million from reckless drivers, whose actions have resulted in significant damage to the utility company’s infrastructure and disruptions in the supply of electricity.
This was according to Kesh Nandlall, GPL’s Team Leader of the Management Committee, during the Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC) review of the company’s 2024 Operating Standards and Performance Targets (OSPTs).

PUC Chairman, Dr. Nanda Gopaul said that GPL reported 17 vehicular accidents in 2024, which led to power supply disruptions in multiple areas across the country.
“We have been reading about motorcycles running into electricity poles, cars knocking down poles, causing loss of life too. Were you able to reclaim some costs from these accidents through vehicle insurance or from the owners?” Gopaul questioned Nandlall, noting that reckless driving appears to persist and will likely continue unless stricter measures are enforced.

Nandlall replied: “We have invoiced a few people to the extent of about $28 million for instances of network damage. I think it’s a little bit more than that. A lot of them, we do charge them through the police for the other small incidents. We have a team that works along with the police to take the necessary actions.”

It was revealed that not all power outages are caused by GPL itself. External factors such as traffic accidents continue to impact the company’s utility poles and infrastructure, ultimately disrupting electricity distribution.
Divisional Director for Transmission and Distribution at GPL, Shaun Hamlet, revealed that, in 2024, approximately 17 per cent of the power outages on the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS) were caused by vehicular accidents that damaged utility infrastructure.

In addition to road accidents, construction and farming activities are other external factors contributing to power disruptions. Together, these external factors accounted for 49 per cent of the power outages recorded last year. There was an increase in both the frequency and duration of blackouts.
For the same year, GPL had set a target of 85 outages, based on the System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI). However, the company exceeded this target by 44.7 per cent, recording a total of 123 outages. This represents a 28.125 per cent increase compared to the 96 outages experienced in 2023, when the target was set at 90.

SAIFI is a reliability metric used by electric power utilities to measure the average number of times a customer experiences an outage during a specific period, typically a year.
Additionally, Hamlet said that most of the outages occurred in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), primarily along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) and East Bank of Demerara (EBD).
It is for this reason that the company has been going after the perpetrators, including reckless drivers and contractors, to have them stand the costs of repair/replacement.

Apart from these external factors, the majority of outages last year were attributed to the company’s challenges with power generation due to an increase in demand.
Internal challenges include overloaded feeders due to unprecedented growth, weakened pole structures caused by soil erosion and construction activities, as well as labour shortages.

It was previously reported that in September 2022, GPL commenced a procedure that involves persons from its transmission, legal and loss reduction departments and the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
In this process, GPL determines responsibility for power disruptions by gathering evidence to identify the specific vehicle or equipment involved and its owner, whether an individual or contractor. The company’s legal department then contacts the responsible party to seek compensation, assessing the cost of the service disruption and the associated expenses.

This initiative supports the government’s broader efforts to enhance accountability on the nation’s roads.
Attorney-General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, SC, has strongly encouraged victims of road accidents to pursue compensation, including through legal action, emphasising that such measures can deter negligent behavior.
In a notable example of such legal action, the Attorney-General initiated proceedings against Troy Humphrey, who was behind the wheel of a motorcar when it collided with the fountain at the Eccles/Mandela roundabout on September 15, 2023; this caused damages exceeding $2 million.

Despite initial requests for reimbursement, legal action was pursued to recover the costs when the demands were not met. In addition to the lawsuit, he was also charged with dangerous driving, driving an uncertified motor vehicle and driving an uninsured motor vehicle
Following the accident, the government said that public corporations and statutory authorities, will vigorously pursue compensation for damages and destruction of public assets caused by such irresponsible conduct.

A statement from the Attorney-General’s Chambers noted: “A similar approach will be adopted in relation to the destruction and damage to public property by whatever cause. Billions of dollars are spent annually to repair and reconstruct public property damaged and destroyed by unlawful and/or highly irresponsible conduct. Needless to say, this measure will be in addition to the institution of all relevant criminal charges disclosed, resulting from investigations conducted by the Guyana Police Force.”

Private contractors and/or government agencies executing infrastructural works within close proximity to GPL’s network are required to notify the company within 72 hours prior to commencing work, so that the actions deemed necessary to facilitate the safe execution of work can be determined and

undertaken. In addition, the electricity company has been imploring road users to exercise caution on the roadways.
Whenever GPL’s network is disrupted due to traffic accidents, building construction, or farming activities, the company informs consumers through Facebook posts. These notices always include a reminder that those responsible for the disruption will be held liable.