A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) parliamentarian Ganesh Mahipaul is demanding a full public accounting of Guyana’s rapidly expanding solar-energy programme, questioning whether hundreds of millions—and in some cases billions—of dollars invested in solar farms are delivering the electricity savings, reliability and energy security promised by the Government.
In a letter titled “Electrcity Woes: Millions Spent on Solar Farms, what Is Really Happening With Guyana’s Solar Investments?”, Mahipaul said renewable energy is important to Guyana’s future, but taxpayers deserve evidence that the substantial public investment is producing measurable results.
“The question I am therefore asking is simple. What is going on with Guyana’s solar farms?”
The question comes against the backdrop of Guyana’s continuing electricity challenges, despite major government investment in renewable-energy infrastructure.
Solar farms have been constructed or developed in Mabaruma, Lethem, Bartica/Daag Point, Mahdia, Wakenaam, Leguan, Onderneeming, Hampshire, Prospect, Trafalgar and Charity, with additional facilities being developed at Block 37, Retrieve and Dacoura in Linden.
Mahipaul points to the scale of the spending.
The 400-kilowatt Mabaruma Solar Farm was reported at approximately G$272 million, while the 1-megawatt Lethem facility has been reported at between G$472 million and G$490 million.
The 1.5-megawatt Bartica/Daag Point facility was valued at approximately G$625 million at commissioning, with subsequent government information placing its value above G$703 million. The 650-kilowatt Mahdia facility, including battery storage and transmission infrastructure, cost G$362.41 million.
The larger GUYSOL programme involves eight solar farms with 33 MWp of solar capacity and 34 MWh of battery storage, at a reported overall value of approximately US$83.3 million to US$83.8 million.
Individual GUYSOL projects include the 5 MW Onderneeming Solar Farm at approximately US$10.4 million, the 3 MW Charity facility at US$8.14 million, the 3 MW Prospect facility at about US$5.5 million, and the 4 MW Trafalgar facility at approximately US$8 million.
Projected savings, but where is the data?
The Government has said the solar programme will reduce diesel consumption, lower generation costs, strengthen the electricity system and improve reliability.
Mahipaul wants those claims measured against actual performance.
He is calling on the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation, the Guyana Energy Agency and Guyana Power and Light (GPL) to publish detailed information for every solar farm, including total expenditure, original and final contract prices, contractors, monthly electricity generation, diesel displaced, actual financial savings, operational status and battery performance.
He also wants disclosure of how much electricity is actually entering GPL’s distribution network, whether power is being curtailed or wasted, how much is being stored and what happens to excess electricity when local demand is insufficient.
Government information indicates that five completed GUYSOL facilities—Onderneeming, Hampshire, Prospect, Trafalgar and Charity—had reached 18 MWp of installed capacity by March 2026.
Onderneeming is projected to generate approximately 7,700 MWh annually and save about G$447 million a year in fossil-fuel costs. Charity is projected to generate about 4,600 MWh annually, with approximately G$267 million in avoided fossil-fuel generation costs.
Trafalgar was reported at commissioning to be contributing approximately 3 MW to the GPL grid, with projected annual avoided fossil-fuel costs of about G$300 million.
Government has also reported that Lethem had generated more than 4,300 MWh, displaced more than 7,000 drums of diesel and avoided more than 3,500 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
At Bartica, President Irfaan Ali has said the 1.5 MW facility is supplying the township and reducing diesel consumption, with claimed annual avoided fuel, maintenance and lubricant costs of approximately G$185.8 million.
Mahipaul says such figures make the case for greater disclosure even stronger.
“These are encouraging figures but they also make it even more important for the Government to publish the actual generation data, rather than only projected savings and benefits.”
He also notes that a solar farm being described as “connected to the grid” does not necessarily mean excess electricity is entering Guyana’s national interconnected grid. GUYSOL facilities connect to 13.8-kilovolt distribution networks in their respective areas, while some hinterland installations operate on isolated systems.
“The public needs to know precisely where the electricity is going.”
‘Counting solar panels’ is not enough
Mahipaul’s central argument is that installed capacity alone cannot demonstrate whether Guyana is receiving value from its investments.
“Guyana cannot simply count solar panels and call that energy transformation.”
He is demanding actual generation figures, downtime, maintenance records, battery performance, diesel savings and grid-export data for every facility.
“If these solar farms are performing as the Government says they are, then there should be no difficulty publishing the generation figures, downtime, maintenance records, battery performance, diesel savings and grid-export data for every facility.”
The issue, Mahipaul argues, is not whether Guyana should invest in renewable energy, but whether the country is receiving the value promised from those investments.
With millions and billions of dollars committed to solar infrastructure while Guyanese continue to face electricity reliability and cost concerns, the Government must put the performance figures on the table.
The real measure of Guyana’s solar revolution is not how many panels have been installed, but how much electricity they are actually producing, how much diesel they are replacing, how much money they are saving and whether consumers are seeing the benefits.
Mahipaul’s demand is straightforward: if the investments are delivering as promised, publish the evidence. If they are not, Guyanese deserve to know why—and who is accountable.
