50% electricity rate cut being implemented in some villages – Pres Ali

…more to benefit in coming months

President Dr Irfaan Ali has reiterated the Government’s commitment to slashing electricity rates by 50 per cent once the Gas-to-Energy (GtE) project becomes fully operational next year, noting that some villages powered by solar energy are already benefiting from phased reductions.
“In a very phased manner, I don’t know if you’ve realised, but we’ve started, especially in areas where we have the solar installation and where we have the battery backup system. In those areas, we’ve been able to already announce phased reduction in the cost of electricity,” the President told a press conference at the Office of the President on Tuesday.
A few days ago, Public Utilities and Aviation Minister Deodat Indar disclosed that the cost of electricity in Bartica (Region Seven, Cuyuni-Mazaruni) has been decreased by 25 per cent, while in Region One (Barima-Waini), it has been slashed by 30 per cent.
According to President Ali, other communities will soon similarly benefit.
“I’ve committed to, in other areas, for example, in Region Two, where we have the solar system, and in Leguan and Wakenaam, where we have those solar systems, to look also at the phased reduction there,” the Head of State noted.
He added that Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), where there is a hydropower plant, will also be considered for the phased reduction.
“In the coming months, there will be additional communities that will feel the first tranche of that reduction,” the President said.
Currently, most customers are receiving power from the national grid at $43.43 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for residential use and $56.38 per kWh for commercial use.
The GtE project will see natural gas being piped from the Stabroek Block offshore to the Wales, West Bank Demerara, site where a Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility and a 300-megawatt combined-cycle power plant are currently being built.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips told a press conference last Friday that the project will deliver 57 megawatts (MW) of natural gas-powered electricity by year-end and that it will be fully operational by early 2027.
“By the end of this year, we’ll see 57 megawatts. At least one of the turbines will be spinning and generating 57MW, and in the first quarter of 2027, we’ll have up to 228MW,” the PM explained.
The power generation component will utilise four SGT-800 gas turbines paired with heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) and steam turbines operating in a combined-cycle configuration to produce generation capacity of approximately 300MW. While the gas turbines are slated to all come online by mid next year, the full 300MW capacity will not be reached until the end of 2027, once the final combined-cycle configuration is completed.
The system has been engineered with built-in redundancy, allowing individual turbines to operate independently and be phased onto the national grid, which will ensure continuous and reliable power supply as well as a 50 per cent reduction in electricity costs.
The GtE Project is a key part of the Guyana Government’s energy transition agenda, which has already seen renewable sources such as solar and hydropower being used for power generation across the country.