Guatemala

Getting Electricity in

Guatemala

Below is a detailed summary of the procedures, time and cost required for a business to obtain an electricity connection for a newly constructed building in Guatemala.

This information was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 185 economies. The most recent round of data collection was completed in June 2012.

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  • Standardized Company

  • Name of Utility: Empresa Electrica de Guatemala, S.A
  • City: Guatemala City

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No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 The customer submits in person a request for electrical services with Empresa Eléctrica de Guatemala (EEGSA) and signs the supply contract the same day

Since it is a company that requests the service, it is required to present a copy of a legal representation document, local identity card (ID) of the legal representative, proof of ownership of the property or lease contract, list of technical data of the load required and the guarantee deposit which is refunded when the customer no longer requires the service of power supply (according to the General Electricity Law). Legal Representation documents and the lease contracts require notarization. Only a day passes from presenting the application to the signing the contract (it can be done the same day if all the required documentation is presented). There is no cost for the customer, he should not expect to prepare pay a fee. When it is a connection at less than 200m from EEGSA existing distribution lines no study and therefore extra cost is needed. There is no cost for the customer, therefore there is no need to submit a budget or pay a fee again.
With the application for electricity the customer must send a guarantee deposit that is refunded when the customer no longer requires the service of power supply (according to the General Electricity Law). For loads above 100 kW, the deposit is not paid in cash but is covered by a bond issued by a guarantee agency in Guatemala.

Agency: Empresa Eléctrica de Guatemala S.A. (EEGSA) 		8 calendar days GTQ 23,500.0
* 2 Empresa Eléctrica de Guatemala (EEGSA) carries out an external inspection

EEGSA performs an external inspection. It is recommended that the electrician in charge of the internal installations is present to clarify technical details. The visit consist on reviewing EEGSA's installation and their interactions with the new user, there is no review of the user's internal wiring installation. EEGSA is responsible for the service until the metering equipment; from there it's the customer's responsibility. The internal wiring installation can be done by any electrician hired by the customer.
Agency: Empresa Eléctrica de Guatemala S.A. (EEGSA) 		1 calendar day no charge
3 The client hires a private company to lay out the underground cables and other work needed for the external connection

For EEGSA to make the connection, it is needed that the civil works are completed. EEGSA is responsible until the measuring equipment and therefore does not supervise the construction of the laying of the cables, so the customer should contract the services of an independent engineer for this part of the works.
The boundary of the external connection work is the pole-mounted transformer which is provided by EEGSA. From there, the customer installs the pipe onto the post, the meter box, the underground wiring to the main board.

Agency: Empresa privada 		30 calendar days USD 14,250.0
* 4 Empresa Eléctrica de Guatemala (EEGSA) finalizes the external connection and installs the meter

When the civil works are completed, the internal wiring are ready and the contract is signed, EEGSA installs the meter, transformers and connects the internal wiring to the transformers. The physical installation is performed by the Distributor (EEGSA) although subcontractors do the job. The electricity distribution company has a sufficient stock of materials. The customer does not buy any materials for the external connection. The meter installation is simultaneous with the connection and the electricity begins to flow from the moment the connection is made. It is necessary to mount the transformer station, which involves installing a post and installing the metering equipment, all of this is paid by EEGSA.
Agency: Empresa Eléctrica de Guatemala S.A. (EEGSA) 		30 calendar days no charge
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.
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