(Kaieteur News) – The Development and Expansion Plan 2026-2030 for the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) has revealed that the smart grid the company is pursuing will not immediately reduce power losses, as many may believe.

The document explains that the transition towards a smart grid comprises a qualitative shift in how losses are detected, managed, and interpreted across the electricity system.

“Unlike conventional network reinforcements, which primarily influence losses through physical efficiency gains, smart grid investments alter loss behaviour by increasing system observability, tightening operational control, and strengthening the linkage between energy flows and commercial outcomes. As such, their impact on losses is neither immediate nor linear, but accumulates as capabilities are deployed, integrated, and operationalized,” the plan stated.