HGP Nightly News – Electricity generation in Guyana’s Indigenous and hinterland communities has jumped from 1.62 megawatts to almost 17.5 megawatts, according to the President Irfaan Ali, as government investment in hydropower, solar farms and household solar systems has surged.
Ali made the declaration while opening the 2026 Amerindian Heritage Month celebrations at the Amerindian Village in Sophia.
And his argument was straightforward: electricity is no longer just about keeping the lights on. It is becoming a key part of keeping people, businesses and essential services in the hinterland.
The President credited Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips with leading the energy push, saying the government has invested more than $11 billion in energy projects across Indigenous villages.
“Very quietly, you have led a revolution in energy in our indigenous villages,” Ali said.
That investment, he said, includes hydropower, solar farms and household solar systems.
But there is another part of the President’s argument that stands out.
What about the usual question of whether the investment will pay for itself?
Ali said his government did not approach these projects by first asking about the rate of return.
“We did not ask what the rate of return is. We did not ask what is the return on investment.”
Instead, he said, the focus was on what the spending would actually deliver: stronger villages and greater dignity.
And that, perhaps, is where the bigger story lies.
According to Ali, more dependable electricity is helping young Amerindians train as teachers, nurses and other professionals without necessarily having to leave their communities for the coast.
The idea is simple enough: give communities reliable power, and you make it easier for people to study, work and build businesses where they live.
The government is also pointing to the knock-on effects.
More reliable electricity can keep ICT hubs and satellite terminals running. It can support health facilities and allow community businesses, including sawmills, shops and ecotourism lodges, to operate more consistently.
Still, the electricity figures are only one piece of the government’s wider claim about its spending in Indigenous communities.
Ali said that over the past five years, more than $41.7 billion has been invested in Indigenous villages and communities.
That includes $21.7 billion through the Amerindian Development Fund, almost $3 billion in restored presidential grants, and $14.2 billion in Low Carbon Development Strategy funds that he said were returned to the hinterland after a five-year absence under the previous administration.
Against that backdrop, the $11 billion energy investment is being presented as both practical spending and a long-term bet on hinterland development.
And Guyana’s energy ambitions do not stop there.
Under the Low Carbon Development Strategy, the country is pursuing a broader energy mix involving solar, hydropower, wind, biomass and natural gas, with the stated goal of reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels while expanding access to reliable and affordable electricity.
Then there is the heavyweight project: the 300MW Wales gas-to-energy initiative, described as Guyana’s largest infrastructure project to date.
The government says the project is expected to cut electricity costs by 50 per cent and support domestic LPG production for cleaner household cooking.
It is also expected to improve industrial competitiveness and further diversify Guyana’s energy mix.
For the hinterland, however, the immediate question may be less about national megawatts and more about what those megawatts actually change on the ground.
