GPL seeks over $30M from China Railway Group for damages caused to transmission line 

– given 14 days to settle full amount or face legal proceedings

Following the recent damages to a transmission line by heavy-duty machinery conducting road works in Sophia, Greater Georgetown, which caused a near-10-hour power outage across Demerara last Sunday, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) is seeking more than $30 million in repair costs from the construction company – China Railway First Group (Guyana) Incorporated.
GPL had reported that Sunday’s service interruption was caused by heavy-duty machinery operated by China Railway First Group, which was conducting road works along Dennis Street, Sophia, in Georgetown.

GPL’s investigations confirmed that the equipment came into direct contact with the L10 Transmission Line linking the New Georgetown and Sophia Substations, resulting in a significant disruption of electricity supply to tens of thousands of customers across multiple communities. The damage caused considerable inconvenience to GPL’s valued customers, disrupting households, businesses, and essential services,” the state-owned power company noted in a statement on Wednesday.
Against this backdrop, GPL has issued a strongly worded letter to the Project Manager of China Railway First Group (Guyana) Incorporated, Ma Qiang, and is seeking to recover $30,645,189 for losses incurred.
The power company added, “The contractor has been given fourteen days to settle the full amount, failing which GPL will pursue legal action.” In light of the damages to the transmission line and consequent service disruptions, GPL had called in the Guyana Police Force and arrested the engineer on duty at the construction site on Sunday.
According to GPL, this latest incident represents a serious breach of safety and operational requirements while reiterating that any works conducted in proximity to electrical infrastructure must be executed in strict compliance with established safety standards, including required clearance distances and proper coordination with GPL.
Moreover, GPL further underscored that contact with electrical infrastructure presents a grave and immediate danger to life, with the potential for severe injury or fatality, in addition to widespread outages and damage to critical systems.
“GPL is therefore reminding all contractors and equipment operators that strict adherence to all safety protocols when working near electrical lines is mandatory. Any breach will attract decisive action, including financial recovery and legal proceedings,” the power company stated.
Meanwhile, the arrest of the site engineer comes as GPL intensifies efforts to hold persons accountable for damaging its infrastructure. In recent years, there have been mounting concerns about the repeated damage to utility infrastructure, especially by road construction works as well as by vehicular accidents.
Just last month, during a hearing before the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Chairman Dr Nanda Gopaul had called for those responsible to be held financially accountable for the damages they caused.
In response, GPL’s team leader, Kesh Nandlall, had explained that the power company has been working with the Police force to ensure those offenders face legal action.
“There were a lot of charges being meted out to these contractors… We have a team of guys that are working very closely with the Police. So, when we have these incidents, we act immediately,” Nandlall had told the Commission.
Sunday’s power outage saw several areas across Demerara (Georgetown, East Bank, East Coast, West Bank, and West Coast) experiencing a service interruption.
While some areas in Georgetown and West Demerara were repowered just after midday, other locations, such as communities along the East Bank corridor, were affected until almost 17:00h when the power was finally restored. Many frustrated citizens took to social media throughout the day to vent their anger about the situation.