(Kaieteur News) – Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) has begun construction of a new 69kV substation at Colombia, East Bank Demerara, marking the latest milestone in a multi-billion-dollar overhaul of the country’s electricity transmission network.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 20, 2026, led by contractor Kalpataru Projects International Limited (KPIL), the Indian firm that has emerged as a central player in GPL’s grid modernisation push. Construction is currently in its first major civil works phase, with pile-driving operations underway to establish the structural foundation on which the substation will be built.

The Colombia facility forms part of Lot 2 of GPL’s Project 053 and has been designed specifically to improve voltage stability and distribution reliability within the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System. Once completed, it will reinforce transmission capacity and support load growth in rapidly developing areas connected to the DBIS, a system already under significant strain as Guyana’s economy continues its record expansion.