GPL, City Council strike land deal for Princes St substation

Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) and the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown (M&CC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate the acquisition of municipal land for the construction of a new electricity substation at Princes Street.

The MoU was signed on Tuesday by Town Clerk Candace Nelson and Head of GPL’s Executive Management Committee Kesh Nandlall in the presence of Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore.
Under the agreement, approximately 0.97 acres of vacant municipal land at Princes Street is proposed to be conveyed to GPL for the construction and operation of a 69 kV/13.8 kV Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) Substation.
The conveyance remains subject to the necessary statutory approvals and completion of the required legal processes.
The agreement also provides for the two entities to reconcile outstanding financial obligations. GPL will determine electricity charges owed by the M&CC for its buildings and street lighting, where applicable, while the M&CC will determine outstanding rates and taxes owed by GPL in relation to its properties.
The value of the Princes Street property will be determined by the State Valuation Department of the Finance Ministry and credited against the reconciled balance.
The respective amounts owed by the entities will then be offset, with any remaining balance to be settled through a method mutually agreed upon by GPL and the M&CC.
The proposed Princes Street Substation will be part of GPL’s ongoing national transmission and distribution expansion programme and is expected to strengthen the electricity network in Georgetown.
Nandlall said the development of electricity infrastructure must also focus on the capital city, noting that the Princes Street location would allow the new substation to be interconnected with the existing New Georgetown and Kingston substations.
“I am happy that we can do this. Importantly, as we continue to develop our infrastructure, we also have to develop the infrastructure within the city,” Nandlall said.
The signing is part of ongoing efforts by GPL to expand and modernise the national electricity transmission and distribution network, with the stated aim of improving the reliability and resilience of electricity service to customers.