High electricity demand one of the factors behind recent outages, says power company in Guyana

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) says increased electricity demand, particularly during peak hours, is placing increased pressure on the national distribution network and contributing to recent power outages.

“The reality is that the distribution system is now facing challenges. That is, feeders are now being overloaded, transformers are being taxed and overloaded, and some people get voltage fluctuations,” head of the GPL Executive Management Committee, Kesh Nandlall, told a news conference.

Nandlall acknowledged that the increased demand has resulted in the peak rising from 221 megawatts last year to approximately 257 megawatts and that the highest demand is generally recorded between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., when most households return home and simultaneously use their air-conditioning units, fans, lights and other appliances.