Region Ten Member of Parliament Sharma Solomon has criticised the handling of Linden’s electricity crisis, noting that residents continue to endure frequent blackouts despite protests and temporary interventions, with no lasting solution in sight.

In a statement on Saturday, Solomon said the disruptions are placing additional pressure on households, businesses, schools and vulnerable residents, particularly amid the ongoing El Niño conditions and high temperatures.

“The consequences extend well beyond the household. Small businesses lose income, market vendors risk their goods, and workers lose valuable hours and opportunities to earn a living,” he noted.

He recounted the experience of a young market vendor who reportedly had to discard an entire refrigerator of liver because of the power outages.

“That is someone’s investment, someone’s income and someone’s livelihood gone to waste,” Solomon said.

He stressed that the electricity crisis must be measured by its consequences for ordinary people, rather than discussions about generating capacity.

Residents of Linden took to the streets on Monday and Tuesday to protest the continued disruptions, but Solomon said communities were still experiencing outages following the demonstrations.

“The people of Linden and Region Ten are concerned about a sustainable solution that guarantees affordable, reliable and stable electricity. The promised 1.5-megawatt generating system, announced two to three months ago, has brought no meaningful relief, with reports indicating that the unit supplied was old, had to be returned to Georgetown and has not yet been brought back to Linden,” Solomon claimed.

Solomon called for a comprehensive, long-term electricity solution, arguing that temporary interventions are inadequate for a growing town with expanding industrial and economic needs.

He further criticised delays in the Gas-to-Energy project, which was promoted as a major intervention to reduce electricity costs, including a promised 50 percent reduction in power bills. With the project significantly behind schedule and costs reportedly exceeding initial projections, Solomon is demanding an explanation from the Government on its current total cost, revised commercial operation date and the reductions in electricity bills consumers can realistically expect.

He also questioned why the country’s generation and distribution infrastructure had not kept pace with rising demand, despite the Government’s access to increasing oil revenues.

Solomon said the Guyana Power and Light Inc.'s announced US$800 million infrastructure investment must translate into measurable improvements, particularly in communities such as Linden.