Firebomb thrown into live substation switchyard at Good Hope, Guyana
Nov 2026Published 12 Nov 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Guyana Power and Light
What happened
On Tuesday night, which the report dates to 10 November 2026, CCTV at the Good Hope distribution substation in East Coast Demerara recorded two individuals at the site at about 10.46 pm. One threw a Molotov cocktail, an improvised firebomb, into the energised 69kV substation switchyard. Guyana Power and Light (GPL) said there were no line or feeder trips and supply was not interrupted. GPL said its engineers inspected the site overnight and confirmed no major equipment was damaged.
Police reported finding four glass bottles containing a liquid suspected to be kerosene, with cloth attached, near the transmission line, along with a lighter, a saw frame and broken glass. GPL described the act as deliberate sabotage, reported it to the Guyana Police Force, handed its CCTV footage to investigators and increased security and patrols at substations and power plants across the grid. GPL said a successful attack could have caused a total shutdown of the Demerara Berbice Interconnected System affecting more than 220,000 customers.
Contributing factors
The source identifies a deliberate firebomb attack by people at the site. How the individuals gained access to the substation is not reported.
Lessons learned
- Perimeter security and intrusion detection at substations and switchyards need review, because CCTV recorded the attack but did not prevent it.
- Flammable liquids and ignition sources near live high-voltage equipment create a fire risk to transformer oil, cables and switchgear, so patrols and detection should cover switchyard boundaries.
- Operators should agree in advance how incidents are reported to police and how CCTV footage is preserved and shared with investigators, and should assess the grid-wide outage consequences of a successful attack when setting security priorities.
More lessons on theft, arson and site security, detection and monitoring, from every incident on the register.
Source
Other entries that name Good Hope
Published 2026-11-12. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
