As record heat linked to the El Niño weather pattern pushes electricity demand to unprecedented levels across Guyana, regional power supply shortfalls have forced the government to implement targeted operational restrictions for sawmilling operations in the bauxite-rich town of Linden. Public Utilities and Aviation Minister Deodat Indar announced the new requirements at a recent press briefing, outlining that the 32 sawmills operating in the area must shift their energy-intensive production to off-peak hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. to reduce strain on BOSAI Minerals’ local power generation network.
Indar explained that the region faces two daily periods of peak electricity demand: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., when residential and commercial consumption hits its highest point. During these windows, demand outpaces available generation capacity, creating the potential for widespread outages. By shifting sawmill operations to overnight hours, when most residential users have turned off power and commercial businesses have closed, the government aims to bring supply and demand back into balance. Data from Wednesday’s peak demand period underscores the urgency of the measure: total demand reached 15.1 megawatts (MW), while BOSAI Minerals’ generators can only supply 14.1 MW, creating a 1 MW generation gap that the region cannot currently absorb.
The concentration of sawmills in Linden is no accident, Indar noted, pointing to dramatically lower power tariffs that have created a strong financial incentive for operators to relocate from other parts of the country. Unlike the capital Georgetown, where industrial grid users pay far higher rates, Linden does not charge a separate industrial tariff. Instead, sawmills can access power at residential or commercial rates, ranging from 5 to 12 Guyanese dollars per kilowatt hour – roughly one-fifth of the cost that industrial consumers pay on Georgetown’s main grid. This price difference has drawn dozens of high-energy sawmills to the area, many of which operate high-power Wood Mizer brand mills with large high-speed motors that place outsized strain on the local grid.
To address the short-term capacity gap, the Guyanese government has already ordered BOSAI Minerals to bring an additional 3 MW of generation capacity online to expand the region’s available supply. The measures in Linden come alongside broader conservation efforts across the country’s main Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS), where El Niño-driven hot and dry weather has also spiked electricity demand far above 2025 levels. This year, peak demand on the DBIS has hit 242.46 MW, up from 221 MW at the same point last year. Currently, the interconnected system holds a reliable generation capacity of 256 MW, and the government is on track to expand that capacity to 280 MW by the end of August.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips confirmed that once the 280 MW expansion target is met, there will be no need for broad electricity rationing across the main interconnected system, easing concerns that ongoing heat would lead to widespread rolling blackouts for residential and commercial users across most of Guyana. Government officials emphasized that the temporary off-peak requirement for Linden’s sawmills is a targeted, short-term solution while additional generation capacity is brought online, and that they are continuing to work with local mill operators to avoid disruptions to both power supply and local industry.