…as GPL continues to struggle with increasing demand
Another major blackout hit Demerara-Berbice yesterday with residents in several communities reporting long hours of outages as Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) struggled to restore electricity following what it described as a “system disturbance”.
GPL said the disturbance occurred at about 10 am, triggering interruptions across several areas in Demerara and Berbice, and technical teams were immediately dispatched to identify the cause and begin restoration.
Incremental restoration started at about 11 am, and GPL said electricity had been restored to the majority of affected areas by 2.30 pm. However, the outage continued in Garden of Eden to part of Grove, Garden of Eden through Timehri to Long Creek, and Number 53 Village to Auchlyne in Berbice.
Crews remained on the ground into the afternoon conducting further assessments and working to restore the remaining areas even as the prolonged outage resulted in frustration from customers on GPL’s social media pages, with some reporting that they had been without electricity for more than eight hours.
A customer from Craig said there was still “8+ hours without electricity,” while a Timehri resident complained that the outage had lasted eight hours and counting, adding: “This heat ain’t easy.” Another customer questioned the Government’s spending on the power company, writing: “So much funds are being allocated to GPHELL and we cannot get reliable power!!” The customer urged GPL to stop posting about meetings and instead “fix the problem.”
A resident of Section A, Block Y, Grove, said the area had been without electricity since 9 am and called for the prolonged outages to be reflected in customers’ bills. Others raised concerns about appliances being damaged by repeated power fluctuations and questioned whether customers would be compensated.
GPL has acknowledged that the electricity system is operating with virtually no reserve capacity, as demand continues to climb. Deputy Chief Executive Officer Bharat Harjohn recently said the company’s generation is currently only sufficient to meet demand, leaving little or no spinning reserve to respond when disruptions occur. “We are experiencing a very high demand, and our generation is just there; just enough to meet that demand at this time,” Harjohn said.
GPL’s Head of Executive Management Committee, Kesh Nandlall, disclosed that peak demand rose from 221 megawatts last year to 257 MW on September 1. With approximately 265.6 MW of generation currently available, the September peak left the company with only about 8.6 MW of spare capacity. He said the pressure is being compounded by increased electricity consumption, the growth in GPL’s customer base and the current hot weather, which has driven greater use of air-conditioning.
Many of the company’s feeders are also overloaded and tripping, placing additional strain on the distribution network. Harjohn said GPL may have to redistribute loads and, in some instances, remove electricity from particular areas to prevent wider failures.
The company said additional generation is expected to come on stream, noting that it has increased generating capacity by approximately 230 MW since 2020 and had expected another 5 MW to be added last Wednesday.
It is also banking on the Gas-to-Energy project, with Nandlall saying the first power is expected by the end of 2026, followed by a gradual increase in generation and full power by June 2027.
Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed yesterday criticised the Government’s handling of the electricity sector, questioning how billions of dollars have been spent on energy while customers continue to face unreliable service.
In a statement, he said the outages are affecting businesses, damaging appliances and creating difficulties for households and hospitals, while also questioning the delays surrounding the Gas-to-Energy project. He also pointed to President Irfaan Ali’s previous declaration that “heads will roll” at GPL over the electricity crisis, arguing that the continued disruptions demonstrate that the problem remains unresolved.
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