The Government today rolled out a series of electricity conservation measures as the country faces an “unusual demand” for power, with the peak demand reaching 242.64 megawatts.
At a joint press conference, Minister of Public Utilities, Deodat Indar, in the presence of Prime Minister Mark Phillips and the Head of the Guyana Power and Light Company, Kesh Nandlall, disclosed that a circular will soon be dispatched to all state-run and public entities urging greater conservation of electricity.
All lights and AC units in public buildings are expected to be switched off when not use, while the high-intensity LED floodlights at community grounds across the country will also be switched off during peak periods.
Additionally, the Government wants the general public to conserve on their electricity use, while major commercial and industrial users are being asked to disconnect from the grid during peak periods.
Prime Minister Phillips said the conservation push is as a result on an unusual demand for electricity, which has been linked to the current El Nino weather pattern, which is marked by warmer than average sea surface temperatures, the increased in the customer base, and the growth and development unfolding in the country.
“We are enduring an unusual dry season, the temperature is a bit high, no rainfall or little rainfall during this period and the demand for energy, especially electricity will normally go up. So, we have reached an unusual peak in demand for electricity, and that unusual peak has caused us to devise a plan to ensure the reliable supply of electricity, and also, at the same time creating the necessary reserves, to not only provide for households but also for the business sector, the industrial sector,” the Prime Minister told reporters.
Public Utilities and Aviation Minister, Deodat Indar explained that the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS) reached a peak demand of 242.64 megawatts two days ago, and that represents an increase of 21.6 megawatts when compared to the 2025 peak demand of 221 megawatts.
The demand for electricity is expected to climb to approximately 266 megawatts of electricity by October.
“Based on the look ahead from the planners at the Guyana Power and Light, the expectation is that this will continue to grow somewhere in the vicinity around 266 megawatts during this hot season, between August, September and October. These three months are going to be the hottest months on record and it is driving up the use of energy and the demand on the grid. So during September and October, and we are monitoring this by the hour, we expect it to increase to 266 megawatts,” Minister Indar said.
He said customers on the national grid have increased significantly from 204,000 in 2020 to 250,000 as of July 2026, resulting in a greater demand for power.
Commercial and industrial customers account for about 70-80 percent of the power being utilized on the DBIS.
Minister Indar said to increase its capacity, the Guyana Power and Light Company will be securing additional power.
By the end of August, GPL is expected to have a generating capacity of 280 megawatts, including 5 megawatts of power from the power ships.
“We have now, 256 megawatts. We have an engine at Garden of Eden, a 46.5 megawatts plant, for 9.3 megawatts that’s going to come on by this weekend, so by Monday, you will have 265 megawatts. So, we monitor it by the hour to see how it is. So, by Monday, you will have 265, so we don’t see it going up by Monday to 265 megawatts. So, we know we have enough generation to deal with the grid, it is just different part of the grid that have peculiar problems with voltage that we have to do intervention at particular spots on the grid,” Minister Indar explained.
He emphasized that the country does not have a power generation issue, since it currently has a generating capacity of 256 megawatts.
According to both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Utilities, once the 280 megawatts of power generation is achieved, major industrial companies would no longer be required to come off the grid during peak period.
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