Guyana Weighs Third Karpowership as Wales Gas-to-Energy Project Faces Delays

Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed says delays in Guyana’s US$2 billion Gas-to-Energy project have forced the government to keep renting power from Turkish firm Karpowership, with a possible third vessel now under discussion. He and former minister Annette Ferguson are calling for full disclosure of the contracts, costs and any possible conflicts of interest as blackouts continue.

President Irfaan Ali said Guyana is examining short-term options, including power ships, to add electricity generation as demand has risen beyond what the grid can supply. He said no final decision has been made, but the government needs temporary capacity while it upgrades GPL’s generation, transmission and distribution systems to keep pace with rapid growth.

Opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed is demanding answers from the government and ExxonMobil over repairs to the Gas-to-Energy pipeline, after saying the project’s cost has climbed from an estimated US$1 billion to more than US$3 billion. He warned that further defects could threaten the project’s reliability and delay lower-cost electricity for Guyana.

This editorial argues that the Wales Gas-to-Energy project in Guyana was approved without adequate feasibility and soil studies, leading to major delays and about US$100 million in extra costs. It questions how US-EXIM and the government missed the unstable soil problem and says citizens are now left paying for the mistakes.

Guyana’s Wales Gas-to-Energy project will not deliver electricity to the grid by Christmas, according to sources, pushing the government to renegotiate with Turkish supplier Karpowership for a larger third powership. The move comes as GPL faces no spinning reserve and aging generators, raising fears of holiday blackouts and more fuel costs.