Electricity theft driving up light bill

May 24, 2024 News

– as GPL executive pegs losses at 25%

Kaieteur News – Head of the Executive Management Committee of the Guyana Power & Light (GPL), Kesh Nandlall, on Wednesday revealed that electricity theft is responsible for the high consumer bills.

Head of the Executive Management Committee of the Guyana Power & Light (GPL), Kesh Nandlall

He made the disclosure during his appearance before the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services. Nandlall disclosed that technical and commercial loses from GPL’s system is currently about 25%. While being questioned by Committee member, Juan Edghill on what percentage of the losses is in relation to electricity theft, the GPL executive disclosed that the company has determined the figure to be about 13%. Edghill asked, “have we been able, based upon your technical expertise to isolate the areas where we are having significant electricity theft?” In his response, Nandlall revealed that the company is unable to do so.

To this end, he explained that in order to do so it would require a significant amount of investment in terms of metering the feeders, to know the precise location of the bulk of the electricity theft losses. “We are working. We have several programmes that we are working on…some of it can be challenging and risky towards our employees but there are several programmes that we are continuously working on to reduce electricity theft or commercial losses, ” Nandlall added.

Additionally, Edghill asked how severe of an impact that figure of electricity losses is having on the general delivery of electricity to the entire network. Nandlall responded, “The impact, normally my experience with other utilities that there is a natural lost factor that a utility will face and that’s dependent on the infrastructure…somewhere around three to five percent.”

He continued that naturally with GPL losses being around 25%; it is increasing the cost significantly. Nandlall explained that what GPL is selling is 25% less than what is being generated. “So it’s costing the company and it requires you to generate more,” the executive added. This publication recently reported that consumers on the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS) can expect relief from frequent blackouts, as Nandlall, announced that the company is currently meeting demand.

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Consumer, Head of the Executive Management Committee of the Guyana Power & Light (GPL), Kesh Nandlall, Parliamentary Sectoral Committee, responsible

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