(Kaieteur News) Public Utilities and Aviation Minister Deodat Indar on Monday warned that Guyana’s electricity transmission network is under increasing pressure, with a critical cable across the Demerara River already operating at more than twice its safe capacity.

Indar said peak electricity demand in Region Three has surged from about 26 megawatts (MW) to approximately 41 MW, placing enormous strain on the cable linking the region to the power system in Region Four.

“The cable across the river is taxed. It’s supposed to be carrying a safe limit of about 7 to 8 megawatts of power,” Indar explained. He said the cable transmitted as much as 15 MW several days ago, placing it at serious risk of failure. “If that cable fries, we’ll have problems in Region Three because the power is transmitted from Region Four through that cable to Region Three,” he warned.