President Irfaan Ali today admitted that electricity generation and distribution remain major challenges in the country, adding that the situation requires massive investment to ensure Guyanese benefit from a reliable supply of electricity in the long term.

Citing a report submitted by InterEnergy, which is the Dominican Republic-based company working with the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) to modernize the country’s energy grid and build smart infrastructure — President Ali said the Demerara-Berbice Integrated System (DBIS) is under pressure as demand for electricity climbs at a time when there is no “spinning reserve,” or excess power, to allow generating sets to be taken off the grid for repairs or maintenance, as is currently the case in Essequibo.

The report, he said, states that the DBIS serves approximately 230,000 customers, with peak electricity demand increasing from 205 megawatts in 2024 to 242.6 megawatts in August 2026 — representing an 18% increase.

He said that, at present, the system cannot adequately respond to the demand.

“There’s a high demand for power and more power is required from the grid. The system just cannot respond to this demand and we have to make the huge investment,” the President told reporters at a press conference at the Office of the President.

Alluding to his recent visit to Qatar, President Ali said Doha stands ready to help Guyana invest in an electrical system that is predictable, reliable and capable of meeting the country’s future needs.

“We cannot continue with an unreliable system and a system that is not designed to do what the country wants it to do. What a development requires it to do. We have to bite the bullet, make the investment. And this is what the report is saying. It’s not a short term fix. And we have to of course, hold people accountable in this process,” the President said.

According to the President, InterEnergy projects that electricity demand in the country will increase by approximately 138% by 2029, given Guyana’s development trajectory. He said this means Guyana would need to more than double its power-generating capacity within the next few years.

“No country in this region is faced with this type of heavy lifting, and we are not going to shy away from the problem. We have built an economy that’s growing at this pace and we have to do the heavy lifting. And this is the InterEnergy report I am reading – a 138% increase by 2029,”he said.

He said an additional 62,000 customers are also expected to be added to the grid.

The President said his Government will be investing billions of dollars to complement existing projects designed to transform the country’s power system.

InterEnergy has proposed the establishment of an independent grid reliability task force, the use of smart metering and digitization, additional generating capacity, and increased investment in transmission and distribution.

Asked by News Source what short-term solutions would be put in place to address the current shortfall, President Ali said he is engaged with GPL and InterEnergy as they explore all avenues, but emphasized that it would not be an “inexpensive fix.”

Though he did not indicate whether the Government would turn to another powership to address the electricity woes, the President, when questioned directly on the issue, reiterated that there is no spinning reserve in Essequibo. He said the situation is so dire that any system disturbance could result in the entire system going offline.

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