Roadworks mishap plunges several parts of Demerara into blackout

Last Updated on Sunday, 26 April 2026, 11:26 by Writer

A Sunday morning blackout hit several areas in the populous Demerara county, including the capital city Georgetown, after heavy-duty machinery at a road construction site made contact with high power electricity transmission cables, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) said.

The GPL says efforts are ongoing to relocate the excavator and to restore service as quickly and safely as possible.

The power company said that at approximately 8:50 a.m., “several areas across Demerara experienced a service interruption.”

The GPL says teams were immediately deployed to assess the L10 transmission line linking the New Georgetown and Sophia substations.

“Investigations confirmed that the disruption was caused by heavy-duty machinery making contact with the line.

Checks at Dennis Street established that China Railway First Group was conducting road expansion works in the area at the time,” the power company said.

Beyond the disruption to service, the GPL emphasises that contact with electrical infrastructure poses a grave risk to life. “Incidents of this nature can result in severe injury or death, in addition to widespread outages and damage to the network,” GPL added.

The GPL is strongly urging all contractors and members of the public to exercise extreme caution when operating near electrical lines and to strictly observe all safety protocols and clearance requirements.

The company warned that anyone found responsible for damage to critical infrastructure will face the full brunt of the law.