–to improve delivery of power to citizens, Minister Indar says
MINISTER of Public Utilities and Aviation, Deodat Indar has noted that significant investments have been made in Guyana’s electricity network, as the government continues efforts to modernise infrastructure and improve reliability amid rapidly growing demand.
The minister made this known during an episode of the Starting Point podcast. He detailed the significant transformation undertaken within the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) system since 2020.
Indar noted that in 2020, the government inherited an electricity network facing generation shortages, ageing equipment and limited capacity.
He related that when the administration took office, GPL’s generation capacity stood at approximately 99 megawatts, while peak demand had already reached around 117 megawatts, resulting in an immediate shortfall.
“What we collected as an agency was around 99 megawatts of power when the demand in 2020 was about 117 megawatts thereabouts, so you had generation shortfall from day one,” the minister said.
According to Indar, the pressure on the system increased significantly over the years as economic activity accelerated and new customers continued joining the network.
He noted that GPL’s customer base grew from approximately 180,000 customers in 2020 to more than 244,500 customers by 2025, driven by increased housing developments, new commercial buildings, hotels, warehouses and other expanding sectors of the economy.
“The customer base is from 180,000 to 244,500 and counting,” he said, adding: “You have rising demand in housing, you have a whole set of infrastructure that is going up, buildings, hotels, apartment complexes, warehousing, you name it.”
To keep pace with demand, Indar said that the government undertook a series of measures to expand generation capacity, including acquiring new generators and recruiting power ships to stabilise supply.
Indar said Guyana has added more than 160 megawatts of reliable power over the last several years.
“We have brought in over about 160 or 170 megawatts of reliable power to keep up with the speed of the demand,” he said.
While generation issues previously contributed heavily to blackouts, the minister said the focus has now shifted towards strengthening transmission and distribution infrastructure, since many current outages stem from weaknesses in those systems rather than a lack of generation.
He said that the country’s growing power grid now requires more sophisticated protection mechanisms to prevent damage to substations and equipment when disturbances occur on transmission lines.
As part of efforts to address those challenges, major investments have been made in transmission systems and substations across the country.
“A lot of money is invested right now. I think over US$722 million is invested in the transmission lines to move that power, and the substations and upgrading of existing substations,” Indar said.
The Public Utilities Minister noted that the scale of the work is extensive, noting that new transmission towers and infrastructure are being developed to support future electricity demand.
He further noted that these projects are intended to prepare the network for the government’s wider energy strategy, including the Gas-to-Energy project at Wales.
Indar related that while generating cheaper power is important, a modern network capable of distributing electricity efficiently is equally critical.
“So, producing it is just one part,” he said.
As such, Indar noted that new transmission lines are being constructed along major corridors, including routes extending to Berbice and other developing areas, while new substations are being built to facilitate power distribution.
Against this backdrop, he noted that the investments currently being undertaken are intended not only to address present challenges but to also build a system capable of supporting Guyana’s long- term economic expansion.
