Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed has described the PPP/C Government’s US$422 million (approximately $90 billion) transmission and substation project as the largest single investment in the history of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) but said the five substations under the project remain far behind schedule.
Mohamed made the remarks while visiting the five substations at La Bonne Intention (LBI), Enmore, Trafalgar, Williamsburg and Number 53, observing that the pace of construction raises questions about whether the project will deliver the promised relief from chronic blackouts.
The project was formally launched in April 2025, with then Minister in the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar announcing that the works were intended to strengthen GPL’s transmission network and improve electricity reliability.
The contract, valued at US$422 million, was awarded to Chinese company PowerChina and Indian company Kalpataru Power Transmission Limited and covers transmission infrastructure as well as the construction of the five substations.
According to Mohamed, the contractors were expected to complete the works by June 2026, a deadline he said Indar had publicly emphasized. However, during his visits to the sites, Mohamed said three of the substations remained largely at the foundation stage, while limited piling work had been undertaken at the other two.
At LBI, he noted that the substation was still at an early stage of construction despite the June 2026 deadline. “This substation, I’m sure, won’t finish for next year,” he said, predicting that completion could extend into 2028.
At Enmore, he said he observed only one worker at the site and questioned when the project would be completed. He further pointed to excavation and piling works at Trafalgar, while at Williamsburg he said no piles had yet been driven and at Number 53, only a few were driven.
Mohamed said the delays would have consequences for residents along the East Coast and in Region Six who continue to experience electricity interruptions. He linked the project directly to the Government’s promise of improved electricity reliability, noting that communities including LBI, Enmore, Foulis, Golden Grove, Nabaclis, Victoria, Trafalgar and surrounding areas would continue to experience blackouts while construction remained incomplete. “This is not development. This is waste, delay, and another broken PPP promise,” he said.
He also questioned whether taxpayers were receiving value for the money being spent on the project, claiming that the contractors had already received substantial payments despite the slow pace of the works.
He further spoke about the Wales Industrial Substation, saying a separate contract signed in 2023 had set a December 2024 completion deadline but that the facility remains unfinished.
He questioned why the Government continues to award additional contracts to companies whose existing projects, he alleged, have not been completed on schedule.
Mohamed also linked the delays to the bigger issue of electricity generation, saying residents should not expect immediate relief from the Government’s Gas-to-Energy project.
The US$422 million transmission and substation project is separate from the Gas-to-Energy generation component, although the transmission infrastructure is intended to support the wider electricity system.
Indar, now the Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, had previously warned the contractors that the substation works were to be completed by June 2026 and said he would hold them accountable for meeting the contractual obligations.
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