Guyana issues call to shore up power dispatch

Bidding has begun to expand Guyana’s power grid amid what the local electricity utility describes as “unprecedented growth.”

Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has issued a request for proposals for the engineering, procurement, construction and financial services for an underground river crossing transmission line.

The work includes the expansion of substations in Vreed-en-Hoop and Kingston.

The Ministry of Finance’s National Procurement and Tender Administration Board will accept offers by October 1, according to the procurement notice, available in the Documents box in the top right corner.

GPL forecasts that its customers will hit 265,014 in 2028, up by 40,012 from 2023.

“The significant increase in the electricity demand is premised on unprecedented growth of the total number of customers and energy intensity per customer. The driving factors of the increasing electricity demand are invariably rooted in the current steep growth of the various economic sectors,” according to the company’s 2024-28 development and expansion plan.

The roadmap, available in the Documents, box highlights the economic impact of the establishment of an oil and natural gas sector, and the associated 300MW gas-to-energy project.

GPL also has a tender underway for a package of utility-scale solar and storage projects.

GPL customer projection (Source: GPL 2024-28 plan)