No 24-hour work ongoing at Wales gas plant despite PM claims

Apr 10, 2026 News

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By Davina Bagot

(Kaieteur News) – Is the Government of Guyana (GoG) unaware that the contractor halts all construction activities of the Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility and power plant at Wales, West Bank Demerara after sundown?

On Tuesday, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) issued a glowing press release dismissing recent reports of delays and insisting that the transformative Wales Gas-to-Energy project is “advancing swiftly.” The government painted a picture of a bustling, round-the-clock operation with major equipment already set in stone.

However, an independent, on-the-ground investigation by Kaieteur News paints a starkly different picture that reveals serious discrepancies between what the government is claiming and what is actually happening at Wales, raising questions about whether the GoG is actually unaware or being misguided regarding the progress of the construction activities at Wales.

The “24-Hour” Work Myth

In its attempt to reassure the public, the OPM explicitly stated, “Work on many aspects of the construction is proceeding on a 24-hour basis.”

Our investigation reveals this to be entirely false. The reality on the ground is that the daily shift at the Wales site ends abruptly at 6:00 PM. By 6:30 PM, the vast majority of the workforce can be seen queuing at the bus stop near the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge, heading home for the night.

To corroborate this, our team deployed drones over the project site during nighttime hours on Tuesday evening, just moments after the statement came from government. Instead of a bustling, illuminated operation executing a “triple shift,” the aerial footage showed a dead stop. The site was dark and completely inactive, flatly contradicting the government’s narrative of a relentless, 24/7 construction effort (See video: https://youtu.be/G_6QJWvmaSk).

The Embellished Transformer Claims

The press release also made bold claims regarding the project’s infrastructure milestones, explicitly stating that “All transformers for the substation have been placed on foundation.”

This, too, is a glaring misrepresentation. Recent video evidence obtained by this outlet clearly shows empty foundational pads. Additionally, sources informed this newspaper that not only are all the transformers not placed on their foundations, but several of them do not even appear to be on the physical job site yet. Pictures posted online by Lindsayca Social Media Team on Thursday, showed only a partial set of the transformers are in place and some foundation work seems to be incomplete.

Further, industry analysts consulted by this publication believe that the Prime Minister’s office is conflating two very different milestones. “It is highly likely that the transformers have simply arrived in the country, and are slowly being sent and placed on site, but the OPM has embellished the level of completion to make the project appear further along than it actually is. Arriving at a port in Georgetown is vastly different from being successfully mounted on a completed substation foundation in Wales,” sources familiar to the project execution and general substation work have said.

The True Timeline

Beyond the exaggerated daily progress and equipment placement, the most pressing concern for the Guyanese public is the timeline for actual power delivery. The government continues to project an optimistic timeline, but the professionals in the industry working behind the scenes tell a different story.

People in the energy and construction industries consulted by this outlet have expressed deep skepticism regarding the government’s current targets. According to these experts, given the current pace of work—which is undeniably stalled at night—there is virtually no chance that the facility will deliver power to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) grid by the end of this year.

Furthermore, serious questions remain unanswered regarding the NGL facility. Sources indicate that critical components of the NGL facility were left sitting in an open air storage yard in the USA for many months. Kaieteur News was told that it took a visit from the Consultant, Winston Brassington to Houston in the week of March 12th to Lindsayca Headquarters to review major equipment to be shipped to Guyana.

Local sources reveal that past payment delays and disputes with at least one shipping company and including one local port, had stalled some deliveries to Guyana. Given this prolonged storage period and the sudden rush to demonstrate progress, it remains questionable whether the manufacturer, ENERFLEX, was able to conduct the requisite final inspections and quality checks before the equipment was shipped.

While the government boasts that NGL bullet tanks are arriving, industry insiders are now openly questioning the condition of this unverified equipment and when the NGL facility will actually be capable of processing and dispatching by the Goverment-backed deadline. Questions remain on the liquidated damages according to the original contract, and if the penalties stay in place to enforce on the contractor a timely delivery.

Missing the Market: The Economic Cost of Delay

The cost of these ongoing delays is not merely logistical; it represents a massive loss of potential revenue for the nation. A recent report in The Economist (April 5, 2026) highlighted the current windfall Guyana is experiencing from surging global oil prices. Sadly, this financial boom entirely misses out on NGL production.

While prices for light liquids and cooking gas continue to increase across the region, Guyana remains sidelined. If the NGL facility were operational and on schedule, the country could currently be exporting these highly valued commodities to a hungry market. Instead, due to the project’s stalled progress and the aforementioned equipment concerns, Guyana is missing a critical window, leaving significant realized value on the table.

With billions of US-dollars committed to the GTE project, Guyana deserves absolute transparency instead of exaggerated press releases designed to save face amid ongoing contractor disputes and evident delays.

This newspaper was told the project will not meet its year-end deadline and is more likely come online by mid-2027. Industry experts are calling on the administration to provide a realistic, unembellished timeline for when the country will finally enjoy a 50% reduction on their electricity bills and reap the full economic benefits of its gas reserves.

Delays will continue costing this country at least $126M monthly for the rental of two power ships to supplement the national grid. Not only that, but the contractor can also seek additional funds to meet expenses related to the project which government will be forced to supply to deliver lower cost electricity to the country as promised.

It is important to note that government has hired an independent consultant, Engineers India Limited (EIL) to supervise the GTE project on behalf of Guyana. The company is being paid US$22M for its services, yet the government is being grossly misguided by the contractor while the Consultant secures its payment unchecked.

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• Drone shot, Mark Phillips, natural gas liquids, power plant, Wales, Winston Brassington

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