“We Are Not Happy” — President Ali Confronts GTE Delays But Assures 50% Electricity Rate Cut Remains Locked

By| Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News|

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA – President Dr. Irfaan Ali has openly expressed the government’s deep dissatisfaction regarding the prolonged construction delays facing the flagship US$2 billion Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project.

Speaking during a high-stakes press conference on Friday afternoon, the Head of State did not mince words when asked about the shifting deadlines for the massive infrastructure project at Wales, West Bank Demerara. However, he reaffirmed his administration’s absolute commitment to the initiative, delivering an ironclad guarantee that a 50 percent cut in national electricity tariffs will remain in effect for Guyanese citizens once the plant is fired up.

Confronting the Shifting Deadlines

The multi-million-dollar project, which aims to transport natural gas from the offshore Liza field to an onshore 300-megawatt (MW) power plant and natural gas liquids (NGL) facility, has missed its initial mid-2025 completion targets. The delay has triggered intense public scrutiny regarding the performance of international contractors and the engineering consortium, CH4-Lindsayca.

When grilled by reporters on whether he remains confident the complex will be fully operational by the end of the year, and whether Lindsayca remains the correct partner to see it through, President Ali chose absolute transparency over political spin.

“I can’t say that we are happy that the project has gone beyond its original timeline,” President Ali admitted candidly. “We wanted this project to be completed as quickly as possible. But that is the engineering and logistical reality that is currently before us. They have had various challenges, and we are not happy—we have made that position clear before.”

Despite the friction, the President noted that the foundational, complex macro-infrastructure is already safely locked in. “The enabling infrastructure—which was the massive undersea and terrestrial pipeline coming on-stream—is fully in place. We know the pipeline is there. We are now working aggressively on the ground to push this project over the finish line,” the President affirmed.

The Promise of Half-Price Power

The Head of State pushed back against narratives suggesting that the project’s delays would water down its economic benefits. He reconfirmed that the state’s financial modeling is intact, meaning utility cost reductions passed on to everyday households and the manufacturing grid will not be compromised by the extended construction window.

Unveiling “Gas-to-Energy Two”

In a major forward-looking disclosure, President Ali revealed that the country’s economic expansion is moving at such an explosive pace that the cabinet is already drafting the blueprint for Gas-to-Energy Phase Two.

Data projections indicate that the current wave of industrialization, high-rise hotel completions, and processing and manufacturing plants popping up along the coastline will completely absorb the 300 megawatts generated by Phase One almost immediately upon its integration into the national grid.

“Because we are already projecting that the sheer volume of power needed by our expanding economy will definitely consume all of GTE Phase One in its initial rollout, the planning pipeline for the next phase is already actively being structured,” the President explained.

By aggressively troubleshooting Phase One while simultaneously mapping out Phase Two, the government aims to establish a permanent base-load energy matrix. The overarching goal remains a total transition away from expensive, heavy fuel oil (HFO) imports, successfully insulating local consumers from global market shocks and securing Guyana’s energy independence.