President Dr. Irfaan Ali has issued a firm ultimatum to the management of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), cautioning that “heads will roll” if noticeable improvements in electricity distribution are not evident by the end of the first quarter of 2025.
This was disclosed during the second episode of In the Seat, aired Saturday night. President Ali acknowledged the frustrations of citizens with GPL’s laxed electricity supply which is often plagued by blackouts. He emphasized the government’s commitment to improving the power sector.
“Like every Guyanese, I understand the frustration. We are investing to make it better, and we will hold accountable the persons who are to ensure the system works and works better,” President Ali said.
The president’s comments follow the recent announcement of the arrival of a second power ship in Guyanese waters. Docked in the Demerara River, this ship is expected to add 60 megawatts (MW) to GPL’s Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS) upon connection.
Guyana has two agreements with a Turkish company for two power ships to enhance electricity generation. The first ship, docked in the Berbice River, costs USD 20.6 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). The second ship, at a slightly higher cost of USD 22.5 cents per kWh, will bring the combined generation capacity to 96MW.
Notably, during the interview President Ali explained why power from the second ship is not yet available.
“The second power ship is not connected as yet, and we’re not paying for any power as yet from the second power ship, because the transmission line has to be in place. That transmission line, they’re working on that transmission line now so it can be connected to the second power ship, because we could not have used the existing transmission system,” he said.
The President highlighted the lack of investment in GPL’s transmission and distribution system by the previous administration, which has posed challenges to electricity distribution. “We inherited in 2020, [a] scenario where no investments were made on the transmission and distribution line. So, you can see the work going on now to bring that heavy duty transmission line, interlink it with the control center, so that the power can be taken off safely and reliably from the ship and distributed throughout the system,” he explained.
However, President Ali underscored the need for accountability within GPL’s management, especially in light of the billions being invested. “I’ve made it very clear to the management of GPL that heads will roll there too, that if, if we don’t see with these investments, marked improvement by the end of the first quarter, end of January, we’ll start looking for the type of improvements that I expect out of GPL. Then heads will roll,” he declared.
Moreover, to strengthen GPL’s operations, the government is also seeking external technical expertise, through management support contracts.
