GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Guyana’s Prime Minister Mark Phillips on Thursday commissioned a 0.15-megawatt hydropower plant in Kato, a remote hinterland community in Region Eight, declaring that the government’s energy transformation will reach every part of the country.
Phillips, a retired brigadier, said the new facility represents a significant step toward expanding renewable energy access in Indigenous and interior communities long underserved by national infrastructure. He emphasized that equitable development is at the core of the administration’s agenda.
“This is not isolated,” Phillips told residents gathered for the commissioning ceremony. “It is one part of a broader national vision: the transformation of Guyana’s energy sector. No community is forgotten; no Guyanese will be left standing in darkness while others stride into the future.”
The project, he said, was born out of direct engagement between government officials and the people of Kato, following a commitment made by President Irfaan Ali during an outreach to the region. “From that commitment came renewed work. From that work came partnership, and from partnership came this 150-kilowatt hydropower plant,” Phillips said.
Local involvement was central to the initiative. About 75% of the workforce that built the facility came from Kato and neighboring villages. Seventeen residents will now be permanently employed to operate the plant, while eight operators — including five women — have already undergone specialized training in Lethem and Mahdia.
The hydropower system will supply electricity to 34 community buildings, including schools, health posts, government offices and other public facilities. Phillips noted that the project’s impact goes beyond power generation, describing it as an investment in social and economic progress.
“Use the energy to build businesses, strengthen education, and support your health services, craft heritage and youth programs,” he said. “Use it to raise your standard of living and expand your opportunities.”
Phillips placed the development within Guyana’s wider energy overhaul, citing newly added capacity from the Garden of Eden and Columbia plants and emergency power deployed through two power ships. He also noted that the Gas-to-Energy project at Wales will add 300 megawatts of generation and a natural gas liquids facility.
He highlighted parallel investments in hinterland renewables, including hydropower projects at Moco-Moco and Kumu, solar farms in Lethem, Bartica, Mahdia, Wakenaam and Leguan, and the distribution of more than 36,000 solar home systems across remote regions.
Congratulating Kato’s residents and workforce, the Prime Minister said the plant will serve as a model for sustainable energy in the hinterland. He added that Mahdia Power & Light will provide technical oversight and that the facility will undergo upgrades as demand increases.
“As Guyana accelerates its low-carbon transition, communities like Kato will move forward with the nation — powered, equipped, and empowered,” he said. “Our government will continue delivering energy access community by community, region by region, until Guyana becomes a unified, modern, clean-energy nation.”
