The Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) is seeking more than $30 Million in damages from the China Railway group for damaging one of its transmission lines which saw widespread blackouts last Sunday.

The line was damaged by a heavy-duty machinery that was being operated by the company during road construction works in Dennis Street, Sophia.

In a statement, GPL said its investigations confirmed that the equipment came into direct contact with the L10 Transmission Line which links the new Georgetown and Sophia Substations, resulting in a significant disruption of the electricity supply to tens of thousands of customers across multiple communities.

“The damage caused considerable inconvenience to GPL’s valued customers, disrupting households, businesses, and essential services.  GPL has issued a strongly worded letter to Mr. Ma Qiang, Project Manager of China Railway First Group (Guyana) Incorporated, and is seeking to recover a total of $30,645,189 for losses incurred,” the company explained.

GPL has given the contractor fourteen days to settle the full amount or face legal action.

GPL noted that the incident represents a serious breach of safety and operational protocols. The company reitterated that any works conducted in proximity to electrical infrastructure must be executed in strict compliance with established safety standards, including required clearance distances and proper coordination with GPL.

“GPL further underscores that contact with electrical infrastructure presents a grave and immediate danger to life, with the potential for severe injury or fatality, in addition to widespread outages and damage to critical systems,” GPL noted.

The company is reminding contractors and equipment operators that there should be strict adherence to all safety protocols when working near electrical lines.

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