By Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News
LINDEN, REGION TEN — The escalating power outages plaguing the mining town of Linden are the direct result of years of government neglect, unmanaged commercial expansion, and a failure to upgrade generating capacity to match demand—not domestic air-conditioning use or El Niño conditions—according to APNU Member of Parliament and former Linden Mayor Sharma Solomon.
Speaking on the persistent blackouts affecting households and small businesses across Region Ten, Solomon challenged the official narrative, asserting that the crisis stems from structural policy failures rather than consumer consumption patterns.
Unregulated Industrial Expansion and Subsidized Rates
Solomon highlighted that an unofficial commercial and industrial boom in Linden has placed massive loads on the local grid without appropriate regulatory or tariff adjustments:
- Commercial Exploitation of Subsidized Power: Over 35 sawmills and large industrial entities are operating in Linden while paying the subsidized domestic rate of approximately G$12 per kilowatt-hour (kWh)—the same rate charged to households and micro-enterprises.
- Georgetown vs. Linden Disparity: In contrast to Georgetown, where industrial consumers pay over G$56 to G$65 per kWh under Guyana Power and Light (GPL), heavy industries in Linden face no commercial rate tier, nor are they required to self-generate or load-shed during peak hours.
- Historical Sacrifices: Solomon reiterated that Linden’s subsidized electricity rates were hard-won through historical struggles and the sacrifices of local residents, meaning the benefit was intended to protect households, not subsidize heavy commercial entities without grid investments.
“Those big companies are paying the same 12 dollars as a small business because in Linden there is no commercial rate paid,” MP Sharma Solomon stated. “An industrial zone comes with its own classification, including commercial rates applicable to companies. The failure is the absence of forward planning as the government adds more demand to a constrained grid.”
Demand Doubles Without Matching Generation Upgrades
Solomon provided a clear historical timeline of Linden’s surging electricity demand, noting that generation infrastructure has remained virtually stagnant despite consumption more than doubling over the last two decades:
| Period / Year | Peak Demand (Linden) | Grid Status & Infrastructure Context |
| 2005 | ~6.0 MW | Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) baseline established |
| 2024 | ~12.0 MW | Demand doubles; commercial sawmills and industrial users increase |
| 2026 | 14.0 – 14.5+ MW | Peak demand breaches available capacity; frequent system blackouts |
Solomon pointed out that while demand grew from 6 MW to over 14.5 MW—an increase exceeding 100 percent—the state failed to execute matching capital expansion in local generation assets.
LECI Cites Critical Shortfall Beyond 15 MW Peak
In an official statement addressing the load shedding, the Linden Electricity Company Inc. (LECI) confirmed that intermittent outages are driven by a critical generation deficit.
- Capacity Deficit: LECI stated that its maximum available generation capacity is currently capped at 14.5 MW.
- Demand Breach: Over recent weeks, community peak demand surged past the 15 MW threshold, outpacing total supply.
- Official Weather Attribution: The utility attributed this surge to prolonged El Niño heat driving widespread use of air-conditioning units and refrigeration across the township.
Solomon rejected this explanation as an attempt to shift responsibility onto ordinary citizens, maintaining that proper governance requires expanding baseline generation ahead of national heatwaves and industrial zoning.
