GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – More than a quarter of the electricity generated by the national power company, is stolen by residents, state media reported.
Prime Minister Sam Hinds told the Government Information Agency that that a programme to deliver electricity to unserved areas was being handicapped by persistent electricity theft.
“Approximately 28 percent of the electricity generated by GPL (Guyana Power and Light) is not paid for,” Hinds disclosed.
Some 30,000 Guyanese have so far benefited from the completion of the first phase of the US$34.4 million five-year Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) funded Un-served Areas Electrification Programme (UAEP).
But phase two is being held up by the slow rate of household subscriptions and theft, Hinds said.
The IDB loan was secured on the agreement that the UAEP would be self-sustaining with household contributions of G$15,000 (US$75) representing the cost for meters and a G$5,000 (US$25) as security deposit.
The initiative is aimed at boosting government’s socio-economic development by providing power to those residents who are currently unserved.