-$5.5B investment will support power transmission from Wales GtE facility to Berbice, Jagdeo says

INFRASTRUCTURAL development is being undertaken aback established villages along the East Coast of Demerara, to advance the support for the installation of power transmission lines.

This is according to General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, who made this disclosure during his press conference on Thursday.

He stated that currently, the 46-kilometre crusher-run road from Georgetown to Mahaica is being constructed and is a development that is not visible to most residents but vital to energy and development goals.

He stated that the project involved some 12 contractors and is being executed at a cost of around $5.5 billion. He added that it aims to open access to the East Coast backlands.

“This road will give us critical access needed to implement a larger project… the transmission of power from the Wales Gas-to-Energy (GtE) facility all the way to Berbice,” he said.

Further to this, contracts have already been awarded for the construction of large steel transmission towers that will carry high-voltage power lines across the country.

This part of the project, he said, is being done to the tune of around US$500 million and will introduce a new 230 KVA transmission line serving as a major upgrade from the current wooden pole system along the railway embankment.

“With this new system, we’ll be able to move large volumes of power all the way to Berbice, enabling the industrialisation of the East Coast, Region Five and Region Six,” Jagdeo said.

He added, “Along the transmission route, substations will allow us to step down the voltage and distribute reliable, cheaper electricity to surrounding communities.”

The PPP GS emphasised that while this project may not be easily visible to all, it is essential for Guyana’s modern infrastructure and economic growth.

“This is the machinery of the future being worked on without much fanfare,” he said.