APNU MP Sharma Solomon yesterday said Linden experienced 10 power outages during the government’s two-day Cabinet outreach, arguing that the additional 1.5 megawatts supplied to the town was insufficient to support its growing residential and industrial needs.
Speaking at APNU’s press conference, the former Linden mayor called for a comprehensive assessment of electricity generation and distribution, saying emergency additions to the system would not resolve the town’s long-term power problems.
“Over the past 48 hours that you had the Cabinet outreach, we had 10 rounds of blackouts within the community,” Solomon said.
He contended that the additional generating unit was intended merely to stabilise the existing supply, while inadequate capacity was restricting new housing and investment.
Solomon alleged that electricity providers had indicated they could not guarantee supply for additional homes over the next year and a half and had discouraged further requests from sawmill operators.
“So this 1.5 is just to stabilise power,” he said, arguing that the lack of capacity to accommodate new consumers was holding back Linden’s development.
Kiskadee Watch previously reported that a 1.5-MW portable generator commissioned at Bosai’s Linden powerhouse increased supply to Linden and Wismar from approximately 14 MW to 15.5 MW. A second unit was expected to raise this to approximately 17 MW. The intervention followed demand exceeding available generation and the introduction of load-shedding.
Solomon called for the technical assessment envisaged under the August 21 agreement to guide planning for the town’s electricity needs. He said the proposed committee was intended to examine generation, administration and distribution, rather than focus solely on the amount of electricity being purchased.
That work, he said, should include examining alternative sources such as wood waste from sawmills, solar and wind power, alongside upgrades to ageing infrastructure and measures to reduce line losses.
Solomon argued that the government’s planned solar farms would not, on their own, answer the broader questions about Linden’s long-term energy security.
He also expressed concern about extending electricity to communities along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway without ensuring sufficient capacity for Linden. He said the issue was not opposition to those communities receiving power, but whether expansion would come at the town’s expense.
Turning to proposals for integration into the Guyana Power and Light system, Solomon questioned whether such an arrangement would preserve Linden’s electricity rates while ensuring reliable service.
“Why would we want to be on a GPL arrangement like Georgetown and the rest of the country with uncertainty of power generation, power distribution, and cost of power?” he asked.
He said regional technical committees could help establish how different communities might be incorporated into the national system, taking account of their generating potential and needs. He also criticised what he described as excessive reliance on the delayed Gas-to-Energy project.
APNU Leader Aubrey Norton defended Linden’s lower electricity rates, arguing that any discussion about integration must take account of the town’s history.
Norton contended that Linden had previously generated inexpensive electricity using bunker fuel and accused PPP/C administrations of dismantling that capacity. Residents should not now be penalised for those decisions, he argued.
Solomon similarly said the town once possessed generating capacity of approximately 50 MW to support its industrial base and supply electricity beyond Linden. He blamed the disposal of former generating assets for its subsequent dependence on purchased power.
Government officials have attributed the recent strain on Linden’s supply partly to growing sawmill demand and increased consumption during hot weather. Kiskadee Watch reported that sawmills were restricted to operating between 10 pm and 11 am under load-management arrangements, while solar projects expected to add approximately seven MW were targeted for completion by year-end.
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