TO improve the delivery of sustainable and reliable electricity, the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) will be rolling out a series of projects to modernise the country’s electricity infrastructure.
This was announced by President Dr. Irfaan Ali during a Tuesday afternoon news conference at the Office of the President.
These projects will include building a smart grid, including the construction of transmission and distribution lines.
According to the President approximately 155 kilometres of double-circuit transmission lines and 343 kilometres of primary distribution lines across Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Region  Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), and Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
This investment, he noted, is a budgeted cost of more than US $400 million.
There will also be investments in substations and the upgrading of similar infrastructure across Georgetown, Garden of Eden, Kingston, Onverwagt, Edinburgh, Good Hope and Colombia with smart distribution equipment to support grid automation and reliability at an approximate cost of over $300 million.
There will also be the interconnection with Linden through the expanded Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS), alongside the construction of new distribution substations at Bamia, McKenzie, and Wismar.
“All of this investment and the partnership will modernise Guyana’s electricity infrastructure to international standards, enhance energy security, reliability and resilience, enable cost effective integration of renewables and advanced technologies, support national economic growth, industrialisation and environmental sustainability,” the President said.
In addition to this, the President revealed that GPL is in the process of finalising investments for smart meters, automated equipment to enhance efficiency and reliability.
“All of this is not only to enhance quality but also to reduce line losses, to reduce leakages in the system, and to enhance efficiency and reliability of the system itself.”
“We are talking about investments in the hundreds of millions of US dollars. These projects will bring Guyana closer to a smart grid system, one that is reliable, resilient, and able to power the country’s transformation,” the President added.
The investments will form part of the wider national energy strategy, which includes the landmark Gas-to-Energy project at Wales, aimed at slashing electricity costs by up to 50 per cent.
Given the country’s ambitious plans for manufacturing, industrial technology, and data centre development, it has become evident that energy demand will rise significantly. As a result, authorities are now prioritising the acceleration of work on a second power plant, alongside advancing a new gas project in the Berbice region.
He  stressed  that the modernisation of the country’s electricity infrastructure, is about competitiveness, resilience and ensuring that every Guyanese has access to reliable power.