Electricity theft a costly threat

The issue of electricity theft continues to cast a long shadow over Guyana’s energy landscape, posing significant financial, operational, and safety challenges to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and the broader national grid. The recent operation by GPL to disconnect and remove illegal connections at Pattensen, Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara, shows the persistence of this problem. This initiative, according to GPL, is part of its loss reduction strategy and not an administrative exercise. It must be viewed also as an essential effort to preserve the integrity of the national electricity network and ensure fairness for paying customers.
Electricity theft represents one of the most persistent drains on GPL’s resources. Each illegal connection results in revenue loss, system overload, and heightened risk of electrical fires or fatal accidents. More importantly, it undermines public confidence in the country’s utility systems and hampers investment in infrastructure improvements. GPL’s statement that the company continues to lose millions annually due to this unlawful practice is alarming. Such losses inevitably translate into higher operational costs and, ultimately, increased financial pressure on legitimate consumers and taxpayers.
What is equally troubling is the scale and brazenness with which this practice occurs. From squatting communities to informal roadside businesses, illegal connections have become embedded in the fabric of some areas. The habitual climbing of poles, meter tampering, and direct line tapping not only compromise the grid’s reliability but endanger lives. Many of these individuals operate with a perception of impunity—one fuelled by historically weak enforcement and low conviction rates.
GPL’s collaborative efforts with the Ministry of Housing and Water, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) mark a welcome step toward strengthening enforcement. Yet, the fact that legal convictions remain few despite frequent operations reveals a deeper systemic issue. The problem is not just that of detection, but of deterrence. Until the legal consequences outlined in the Electricity Sector Reform Act are consistently applied, the message that electricity theft is a serious crime will continue to be diluted.
The Act clearly establishes that anyone generating, transmitting, or distributing electricity without authorisation is guilty of an offence punishable by a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for six months. Continued offences attract daily fines, and those tampering with infrastructure outside licensed premises face additional penalties. These provisions are neither new nor ambiguous. The challenge lies in enforcement—ensuring that prosecutions are pursued effectively and that courts treat such offences with the gravity they deserve.
GPL’s decision to invest in strengthening its internal legal framework is therefore a strategic and necessary move. By bolstering its legal capacity, the company aims to increase the rate of successful prosecutions and create a credible deterrent effect. Such action must go hand in hand with continued community engagement and public education campaigns, which the company’s Public Relations Department has been undertaking. Citizens must understand not only the illegality of power theft but also its direct impact on national development and household safety.
However, addressing this issue also requires a nuanced understanding of its social dimensions. Electricity theft in some communities is intertwined with poverty, inadequate housing regularisation, and limited access to affordable utilities. While illegality cannot be excused, enforcement efforts must be complemented by social interventions—particularly through collaboration with housing authorities to formalise communities and provide legitimate access to electricity. Only through such an integrated approach can the cycle of dependency on illegal connections be broken.
Moreover, the pursuit of modernisation within the power sector makes the fight against theft even more urgent. GPL’s ongoing investments in grid upgrades, renewable integration, and loss reduction technologies will yield limited results if illegal abstraction continues unchecked. Every stolen kilowatt undermines progress toward a reliable, efficient, and sustainable electricity supply—an essential pillar of Guyana’s rapidly expanding economy.
Electricity theft is not a victimless crime. It erodes national resources, places undue financial strain on compliant consumers, and endangers lives and property. The ongoing collaboration between GPL, law enforcement agencies, and regulatory bodies must therefore evolve beyond periodic disconnection drives into a sustained and multifaceted national campaign.
Ultimately, safeguarding the country’s electricity network is a shared responsibility. GPL must continue to enforce the law with firmness and transparency, while the judiciary must uphold the legislative intent of the Electricity Sector Reform Act. At the same time, citizens must recognise that compliance is not optional—it is fundamental to building a fair, efficient, and safe energy system. The fight against electricity theft is, at its core, a fight for accountability, equity, and the future stability of Guyana’s power sector.