PM commissions 3MWp Prospect Solar Farm

…says electricity demand continues to grow and it must be met

A new 3-megawatt peak (MWp) solar farm valued at $1.2 billion was on Saturday commissioned at Prospect, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), with Prime Minister (PM) Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips declaring that Guyana’s rapidly rising electricity demand continues to grow and it must be met through a balanced mix of renewable energy and new generation projects. The Prospect Solar Farm, developed under the Guyana Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic (GUYSOL) Programme, will feed an estimated 4,800-megawatt hours (MWh) of clean electricity into the grid each year. The facility will operate at 13.8 kilovolts (kV), saving the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) about $210 million annually in fuel costs and avoiding the use of some 9,000 drums of diesel every year. PM Phillips made it clear that while the Government is aggressively expanding solar and other renewable projects, it is not pursuing renewable energy in isolation.
“Our aim in Guyana is not to pursue renewable energy in isolation. It is part of a coherent national transformation of our entire energy landscape,” the PM stated.
He reminded that the Government’s flagship 300-MW Gas-to-Energy (GtE) Project at Wales is advancing, with the pipeline already laid and construction ongoing on the combined-cycle power plant and natural gas liquids facility. Once operational, he reiterated, electricity costs on the national grid are expected to be reduced by 50 per cent, directly easing the burden on households and businesses. Alongside that long-term project, Phillips said Government has already added 186.2-MW of new generating capacity to meet the immediate surge in demand. This includes new generating sets at the Garden of Eden plant, emergency units at the Columbia Substation and the temporary integration of two power ships into the grid. “These expansions are not placeholders. They are strategic reinforcements ensuring Guyana never falls behind the pace of development. Guyana today is like one huge construction site; everything that is being built needs energy and it is our duty to ensure that energy is available, reliable and affordable,” he emphasised. The PM described Prospect as part of a national “constellation” of solar facilities now stretching across both the coastland and hinterland. He recalled the commissioning earlier this year of the 750-kilowatt (kW) solar installation at Leguan, which now powers the island during the day, as well as the 4.5-MW solar project at Anna Regina in Region Two, which has significantly reduced that region’s reliance on diesel. In Region Six, the Hampshire 3-MW solar farm was commissioned just weeks ago, while similar projects are scheduled for Charity in Region Two and Trafalgar in Region Five. “Together, these sites form an integrated framework of renewable energy infrastructure that strengthens GPL’s capabilities and enhances energy security for communities across Regions Two, Five and Six. Every new site commissioned represents reliability for families, reduced expenditure for homes and businesses and a modernised grid that supports industrial activity,” he said.
Phillips added that between 2026 and 2031, Government plans to build out a further 100-MW of renewable energy systems across the coastline and hinterland, even as large-scale hydropower and battery storage projects are pursued.

Part of a broader rollout
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GPL, Kesh Nandlall, also speaking at the commissioning on Saturday, said the project marks an important milestone in Guyana’s transition to cleaner and more resilient energy, noting that the farm comprises 4,928 solar modules mounted on corrosion-resistant structures and supported by eight high-efficiency inverters. The plant, he added, is engineered to withstand winds of up to 240 km/h and is tied into the Demerara–Berbice Interconnected System via a newly-constructed 30.8-kV spur line feeding the Enfield F3 sub-feeder at 13.8-kV. Nandlall explained that Prospect is part of a broader roll-out of eight utility-scale solar farms totalling 33-MW across Regions Two, Five and Six. These include 8-MW in Region Two, 10-MW across Regions Five and Six, including the 5-MW farm on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) and the 3-MW facility recently commissioned Saturday, along with a 15-MW solar plant set for Region Ten (Linden) next year. He pointed out that this coastal programme builds on earlier hinterland solar farms at Lethem, Bartica, Mabaruma and Mahdia, along with the 750-kW system at Leguan, which together have already displaced over 15,000 drums of diesel up to the end of October. Nandlall noted that 31 women have already been certified in solar photovoltaic (PV) installation through the GUYSOL training programme, while 20 apprentices – including persons living with disabilities, have received hands-on training in energy systems. Many of these trainees, he said, are expected to be offered employment opportunities with GPL to operate and maintain the solar farms.
“This is not only strengthening our technical capacity, but it ensures that the benefits of Guyana’s energy transition are shared widely,” the GPL CEO said, adding that the company is simultaneously upgrading substations and expanding its transmission and distribution network as part of a smart-grid plan for 2030.
The PM echoed that message, saying that Guyana’s energy transition goes beyond power generation to focus on building people. He urged young people; especially women, to consider careers in renewable energy, solar technology, battery integration and digital monitoring systems, noting that these are the skills that will define the next 50 years of energy innovation. Turning specifically to Region Six, Phillips said the 3-MW Prospect Solar Farm will feed clean, stable power into a corridor that is already seeing rapid housing expansion, growing commercial activity and new industrial ventures. “An installation of this scale strengthens not only the grid, but also Region Six’s economic potential. The Prospect Solar Farm is both a symbol and a statement, a symbol of how far we have come and a statement of how far we intend to go as a people and as a nation,” the PM stated. He reiterated that Government will continue to build hydropower in the interior, expand solar farms on the coast, develop storage systems, and complete the GtE Project, all guided by a single mission: “That no community, no household and no business is left behind as electricity demand continues to grow and as a Government, we intend to ensure that demand is met,” the PM committed.