5 Wartsila generators fired up, to undergo 1-month test run

…GPL aims to have 46.5MW power plant operationalised next month

With the hopes of getting the new 46.5-megawatt (mw) generating facility at Garden of Eden, East Bank Demerara up and running by the last quarter of this year, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc on Wednesday started up the five new Wartsila engines.
This is the final stage before the operationalisation of the US$50 million 46.5mw power plant at Garden of Eden.

The project was initially scheduled for completion in mid-2020, but was delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and adverse weather conditions.
Nevertheless, the five highly efficient Wartsila 34DF dual-fuel engines, each of which has a 9.3mw capacity, have been fired up during a ‘soft commissioning’ ceremony on Wednesday, and are now set to undergo a one-month test run.
According to GPL’s Chief Executive Officer Bharat Dindyal, load-testing would be among the issues that would be examined during this one-month period.
“The loading of the machines would be done individually, so each machine would be loaded up to 9.3 megawatt; and finally, for a five-day period, we have to run the plant at full capacity continuously. During that operation, we will be looking at the efficiency of the plant; we’ll be looking at the consumption rate and some other important parameters,” he explained.
Dindyal added: “Typically, when the system is under stress like that, then you might see other things happening. You might see leaks; you might see some of the automatic issues come up – minor issues. These things are all resolved… So, there may be issues coming up, but right now there is nothing that would cause a problem to disrupt the commissioning schedule.”

Meanwhile, the power generated by the five engines will have to pass through a sub-station in order to be fed into the national grid. As such, the GPL Head pointed out that components of the sub-station would also have to be tested.
Currently, there are two 60 MVA (Mega Volt-Amp) transformers at the sub-station, and according to the GPL CEO, each transformer has the capacity to handle the full output of the plant.
“So, the critical issue there is to get one of the transformers up and running, both had gone through initial testing, and the testing was successful,” Dindyal noted.
Finland-based Wartsila will be running and operating the dual-fuel power plant.
However, while some of the Wartsila technical team are already on the ground ahead of the scheduled September commissioning of the power plant, Dindyal explained that negotiations are still ongoing regarding the operation and maintenance (O&M) agreement. He disclosed that the outcome from this test period would be used as a benchmark to determine the performance, efficiency and capacity of the plant, by which the operator would be held accountable in the agreement.

“So, we’re still working on finalising the operation and maintenance agreement. There’s going to be around three dozen personnel on site to operate the plant. Some of the personnel are here already, at least two complete shifts are here…. By the time we finish commissioning the plant, we expect to have all the personnel on site, and they will undergo a period of training. The Wartsila project people would provide some training to the operators,” Dindyal said.
However, the GPL CEO indicated that there is currently heavy competition for qualified and experienced technical personnel, especially with the oil and gas industry here.
The five generating units, which are able to operate on both liquid fuels and natural gas, were started up on Wednesday by Prime Minister Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips. He said that while there is still a lot of work to do before the dual-fuel power plant is fully commissioned, he is satisfied with the progress made thus far – which he says aligns with the PPP/C Government’s plans for the country.
“We still have a lot of work to do as it relates to linking the power to the sub-station and also to the ongoing maintenance of our Transmission and Distribution System… This is a short-term project in the scheme of things for our Government. Our strategic outlook is to provide 400 megawatts of power over the next five years, utilising fossil fuel and utilising [natural] gas from the gas-to-shore project, and renewable energies in the form of solar, wind and hydro,” the Prime Minister outlined.
Having been scrapped by the previous APNU/AFC administration, the current Government had promised in its 2020 elections manifesto to revive the 165-megawatt Amaila Falls Hydropower Project as part of efforts to drive down the high-electricity costs and provide more reliable electricity to the country.
According to PM Phillips, this project will be placed on the “front burner” once more.
Further, the Dr Irfaan Ali-led administration is pursuing an energy mix to fit into its sustainable renewable energy transition agenda. Chief among this is piping natural gas from offshore oil operations to a facility in Region Three (West Demerara) to add an additional 200-250 megawatts of power to the national grid. (G8)