GPL races to complete new 69kV line by November month-end

…85% of monopoles erected along ECD corridor to strengthen power grid

As part of efforts to strengthen Guyana’s power distribution network, works are advancing on the installation of the new 69 kilovolt (kV) Transmission Line along the backlands of the East Coast Demerara (ECD) corridor.
Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) Director Ryan Ross, along with other representatives from the power company and contracting company PowerChina International, recently conducted a site visit along the route from Goedverwagting to Good Hope to assess the progress of the new 69 kV lines currently under construction.
According to GPL, approximately 85 per cent of the monopole structures have been erected, marking significant progress on this important infrastructure project. The project is expected to be completed by the end of November.
“Once completed, the new Transmission Line will strengthen the national grid by improving the transfer of electricity across the network, increasing operational flexibility, supporting growing demand and enhancing the reliability and resilience of electricity service,” GPL said in a recent update.
The new 69 kV Transmission Line will provide the state-owned power company with greater flexibility to manage power flows during maintenance and network disturbances while supporting continued residential, commercial and industrial development along the ECD. It will replace the lines that run along the Railway Embankment.
GPL reiterated its commitment to expanding and modernising Guyana’s electricity infrastructure to support the country’s continued growth and development
The existing line is a critical component of Guyana’s transmission network, carrying 69,000 volts of bulk power along the East Coast Corridor and maintaining the connection between the Demerara and Berbice systems.
The installation of the new 69 kV line is part of a much larger project being undertaken by GPL to expand and upgrade the country’s transmission and distribution network, and also includes the construction of 230 kV transmission lines.
These new transmission lines and supporting infrastructure are being built out to facilitate the distribution of power from the highly anticipated Gas-to-Energy (GtE) Project to the national grid. The power from the GtE Project, which is expected to deliver some 300-megawatts (MW) in the first half of next year, will be dispatched to the new Goedverwagting Substation, where it will be added to the national grid and then be further transmitted via the new lines all the way to Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
A US$422 million (approximately G$90 billion) contract was signed in April 2025 for these works. The project is divided into three lots: Lots One and Three were awarded to PowerChina for a combined total of US$256.7 million, while Lot Two was awarded to Kalpataru for US$156.5 million.
Among these works is the installation of some 155 kilometres (km) of 230 kV double-circuit transmission lines, which will interconnect the Goedverwagting Substation to new substations that will be built along the Corentyne in Region Six.
Meanwhile, another 167 km of 69 kV double-circuit transmission lines will be established to replace existing infrastructure along the railway embankment, linking substations along the ECD all the way to the existing Columbia Substation at Mahaicony. In total, five new substations will be built and several others upgraded as part of the project.
In order to facilitate the installation of these new transmission lines, a new road network is being developed from the Goedverwagting Substation in the backlands along the East Coast corridor heading to Mahaicony in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice). This is new road network in the backlands is specifically for GPL to allow access to the new power poles and lines for maintenance works.