No penalties for GPL’s missed targets in 2024 – PUC

Jun 12, 2026 News

---

(Kaieteur News) – The Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) will not be penalised for missing its 2024 target due to factors that influenced its performance, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has said in its 2025 report.

The PUC said it took that decision “after careful consideration” of the circumstances presented by the power company during its March 13, 2025 public meeting that was hosted by the Commission to review the company’s Operating Standards and Performance Targets (OSPT) for the year 2024.

This public meeting was attended by members of the media as well as key stakeholders.

In the PUC’s 2025 report which was laid in Parliament last week, the Commission noted some of the factors that affected GPL including, “recurring damage to infrastructure caused by vehicular and equipment incidents, global software system updates and electricity theft, which impacted the company’s performance during the year. Notwithstanding these circumstances, the Commission emphasised that improved compliance remained an expectation and GPL was required to continue to strengthen its operational performance.”

The PUC also referenced GPL’s transformative agenda to modernise its infrastructure and improve service reliability for its customers. This includes the construction of new substations, alongside the upgrading of the company’s existing infrastructure, with the addition of clean energy initiatives and implementing advanced technological solutions

“Some of these proposed initiatives for 2025 included the construction of 155 km of 230 kV transmission lines and 209 km 69 kV transmission lines, development of eight substations, construction of a 230 kV transmission line crossing the Demerara River and the construction of 343 km of distribution feeds together with the continued roll-out of its Advanced Metering Infrastructure,” the report stated.

Operating and Performance Targets

Operating Standards and Performance Targets (OSPT) are a key function of oversight for the Commission for GPL. The PUC is legally obligated to complete an assessment annually of the company’s performance, and this includes hosting a public hearing before March 30 of the following year to have a review of the results for the preceding period.

“On March 13, 2025, the Commission hosted a public hearing at Herdmanston Lodge where GPL was given the opportunity to present its 2024 achievements and to explain its reasons for non-achievement of any of the prescribed targets or standards. Following this review, the Commission issued Order 1 of 2025 on April 30, 2025. The Engineering Division has evaluated GPL’s performance for the reporting period 2025 utilising the company’s annual quarterly submissions of the technical OSPT indicators namely: Customer Interruptions, Voltage Regulation, System Losses and Average Availability. The standards/targets used by the Division were outlined in GPL’s Development and Expansion Plan for the period 2025-2029,” the report added.

It is important to note that for 2025, GPL has missed several targets and a warning was issued by the Commission. Kaieteur News reported that on April 30 that the PUC found that GPL met just 2.5 of its 8 performance targets for 2025, raising continued concerns about the reliability and financial health of electricity services in Guyana.

The finding was detailed in Order No. 1 of 2026, issued following the Commission’s annual review of the Operating Standards and Performance Targets (OSPT). The determination came after a public hearing on March 27, 2026, where GPL presented its performance and stakeholders were invited to weigh in.

Despite the low level of compliance, the Commission pointed to limited areas of progress, including improvements in generation availability, better voltage regulation on some feeders, and partial success in issuing bills to non-maximum demand customers. However, it stressed that shortcomings in system reliability and financial performance remain “significant concerns.”

The PUC expressed dissatisfaction with GPL’s overall performance and underscored the company’s responsibility to strengthen infrastructure maintenance and improve operational efficiency to deliver more consistent and higher-quality service to consumers.

GPL, in outlining its plans for 2026, said it intends to focus on integrating advanced technologies, optimising skilled labour, and improving cash flow and time management. The company also cited challenges such as labour shortages and ongoing infrastructure works as factors affecting its ability to meet targets.

Consequently, the Commission applied regulatory leniency, even as it signalled expectations for marked improvement. It said the completion of ongoing projects should position GPL to achieve full compliance with its performance targets in 2026 and beyond.

---

• GPL, Operating Standards, Performance Targets, PUC

---