By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News |
Amid Guyana’s rapidly transforming economy, Parliamentary Lead of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Dr. Terrence Campbell, has warned that the much-touted 300-megawatt Gas-to-Energy (GtE) project will not resolve the country’s longstanding and systemic power supply challenges.
Dr. Campbell contends that while the project is often presented as a transformative solution, it falls short of addressing the fundamental weaknesses within Guyana’s electricity grid and the scale of power required to support actual industrialisation.
“If we are to truly industrialise this economy, a lot more power is needed. If we want to establish an alumina plant, then recognising that the initial plant of 300 megawatts was never going to lead to diversification is critical,” Dr. Campbell told journalists on December 19.
The government is currently working with contractor Lindsayca to deliver the 300-megawatt GtE project, scheduled to start up in mid-2026. In addition, a US$159 million contract has been awarded to Kalpataru Projects International Limited to construct transmission lines and substations to support the initiative.
Despite these investments, Dr. Campbell argues that ordinary Guyanese continue to experience frequent and disruptive power outages, suggesting that the project does not address the root causes of instability in the electricity network. He accused the government of “putting the cart before the horse” by prioritising generation capacity without first fixing structural deficiencies in the grid.
“The government now recognises, based on the experience with the gas-to-energy plant, the high stabilisation costs, the delays that led to cost overruns and even legal action by Lindsayca. It was the wrong location for that project in the first place,” Dr. Campbell asserted.
Petroleum engineer Dr. Vincent Adams echoed these concerns during an exclusive interview with Nightly News, arguing that the project was flawed from its inception due to weak planning and oversight.
“You have to monitor, you have to measure the work, and we don’t have a clue. There is nobody that I know of who knows how to measure the work being done properly,” Dr. Adams said.
He further criticised the absence of a comprehensive feasibility study and what he described as poor project management, warning that problems are only identified after significant sums have already been spent.
“We only know we have a problem when the money is already spent, and that is exactly what is happening here,” Dr. Adams stated.
Dr. Adams concluded that large-scale national projects require rigorous feasibility assessments, competent oversight, and disciplined project management to ensure they are delivered on time, within budget, and to acceptable quality standards—conditions he believes have not been adequately met in the gas-to-energy initiative.
