By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News |
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — Soaring national electricity consumption, driven by prolonged high ambient temperatures and rapid economic growth, has pushed the national power grid near its maximum operating limits. The surge has triggered widespread voltage fluctuations, overloaded distribution feeders, and caused major system trips across the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS).
At a press briefing on Monday, September 7, 2026, Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) Executive Director Kesh Nandlall and Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Strategic Operations Bharat Harjohn outlined the technical bottlenecks straining the utility and presented ongoing capital investments in generation, network expansion, and smart-grid automation.
Peak-Hour Surges and Kingston Substation Disturbances
GPL officials reported that the most acute grid stress occurs daily during peak evening demand between 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM:
- Thermal Absorption & Cooling Loads: Concrete residential and commercial buildings retain solar heat throughout the day. In the evening, residents simultaneously power on air conditioning units, fans, and household appliances, sharply overloading local medium-voltage distribution feeders and transformers.
- Kingston Substation Faults: The DBIS recently suffered two major shutdowns originating from the Kingston substation facility. Deputy CEO Bharat Harjohn explained that the interruptions stemmed from transformer faults compounded by load spikes along the high-voltage submarine cable linking the Kingston and Vreed-en-Hoop power generation stations.
- Reserve Constraints: Operating with narrow spinning reserves, the system faced transient instability when line faults developed, temporarily overwhelming built-in redundancy mechanisms.
“Everybody puts on their air conditioner… feeders are being overloaded,” Nandlall explained. “Between 7:00 and 9:00 PM, when residents return home, the heat absorbed by concrete structures during the day spikes the cooling demand all at once, placing distribution assets under severe strain.”
Capital Investments and Smart-Grid Modernization Since 2020
To counter the demand curve, GPL executives detailed extensive capital expansions executed over the past six years:
- Customer Base Growth: The utility’s customer accounts climbed from 201,791 in 2020 to 250,000 in 2026, adding immense cumulative load to existing circuits.
- Generation & Transformer Expansion: Generation capacity expanded by 230 megawatts (MW) since 2020, alongside the deployment of roughly 5,000 new transformers across coastal circuits.
- Transmission & Distribution Upgrades: The physical distribution network expanded by 350 kilometers, supplemented by utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) installations to diversify the energy mix.
- Smart-Grid Implementation: The utility has commenced rolling out digital smart-grid infrastructure, integrating real-time telemetry, automated fault detection, and feeder isolation systems to reduce response times.
Unreported Consumer Additions and Immediate Outlook
Officials highlighted that unnotified load additions severely disrupt transformer load balancing. Consumers routinely install heavy commercial machinery or multiple air conditioning units without notifying the utility, causing sudden localized transformer blowouts:
- Consumer Responsibility: GPL urged customers to formally apply for load upgrades and adopt energy-conservation habits during peak evening hours.
- No Immediate Fix: Despite the outlined mid-to-long-term modernization programs, executives provided no immediate short-term guarantee of uninterrupted daily power supply as grid upgrades continue against tight reserve margins.
