“GPL not where we want it to be as yet” – Pres Ali outlines plans to improve electricity supply

President Dr Irfaan Ali has acknowledged that while there have been improvements at the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), the electricity sector is still falling short of expectations, as the Government undertakes massive investments in the sector to overhaul the country’s ageing energy infrastructure.
The President made the remarks during a live interview on Tuesday, noting that although technical expertise has been brought in, longstanding structural challenges continue to affect reliability. He explained that after years of inadequate maintenance, the country’s entire transmission network must be rebuilt, an undertaking expected to cost close to US$600 million.
According to President Ali, the challenges facing GPL are compounded by rapid growth in electricity demand driven by economic expansion, population growth and the addition of tens of thousands of new homes to the grid every few years. He said the system is being upgraded at the same time demand is increasing at an exponential pace, creating pressure on transmission, production and distribution.
“So, you have a transmission issue. We have a production issue. And yes, we had a delay on the gas issue. We acknowledge this. Is it where we want it to be? No. But today we have a plan. We have a plan to address production. We have a plan to address transmission. We have a plan to address distribution. The tens of thousands of homes that are coming on every two or three years to the grid on the same system – we now have to move at a rapid pace to have the cable across the Demerara River completed, because it is not only affecting the power sector now, it is affecting our ability to bring ships in, driving up the costs. So, we are hoping that that project can get underway very, very quickly. So, on the power side, there has been improvement,” the President said.
President Ali said weaknesses in management, as well as challenges on the production and distribution sides, are actively being addressed. He also cited additional complications, including increased traffic accidents that have damaged major power poles and lapses in maintenance systems, further straining the network.
Looking ahead, the President said the Government is targeting the last quarter of 2026 for the gas-to-energy project to begin delivering power, while cautioning that its success depends on the completion of transmission and distribution upgrades. He revealed that control centres and transmission towers are being rebuilt across the country as part of a wider reinvestment in the energy sector.
Despite the challenges, President Ali stressed that massive investments in infrastructure, human resource development, capacity building and institutional reform are already underway. These efforts, he said, are aimed at delivering a safer, more efficient and highly reliable electricity network while ensuring power remains available during the transition.
“We are rebuilding control centres and towers all across the country. So, we are fixing and reinvesting in the entire infrastructure in energy, whilst we have to keep the power on. We also have more trucks and cars on the roads. We had a number of accidents that took down major poles. And we also have lapses in our maintenance system. So, I can say with great clarity that there is a massive investment in infrastructure, human development, capacity building, institutional changes that will come on stream… To give us a safe, efficient and highly reliable network,” he added.