6-MW boost in power supply for Region 10, Linden Soesdyke Highway

….as Chinese companies donate generators to GPL

Electricity supply to residents in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) and along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway has been boosted with the donation of six generator sets by Chinese operators in Guyana, adding some 6 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity in the coming months. The donation was made to the Government of Guyana, through the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL), by Bosai Minerals Group Guyana Inc and Guyana Manganese Inc Bosai is the main power supplier in Linden, Region 10. On Friday, Head of GPL’s Executive Management Committee, Kesh Nandlall, and George Zhao, representing Bosai Minerals Group Guyana Inc, inked the donation agreement, which comes weeks after the state-owned power company was forced to take a series of measures in order to stabilise electricity supply to residents in Linden, who had been experiencing short-voltage and regular outages.

The signing was witnessed by Prime Minister (PM) Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips; Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, Deodat Indar; China’s Ambassador to Guyana, Her Excellency Yang Yang; GPL Director Gary Hall; Major General (Ret’d) Norman McLean; Eric Yu; and other representatives of the two Chinese companies.
According to GPL in a statement on Friday, the six 1 MW generator sets are currently located at Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini) and will be transported to the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, where a new power plant will be set up. “GPL will manage the full relocation of the plant – dismantling the units, transporting them, and reassembling them as a single power plant at a strategic location along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, where it will boost supply to the highway corridor and Region 10, support voltage regulation and strengthen the stability of the grid,” the power company said on Friday. It was noted that the relocation and installation works are expected to be completed within four months. During the signing, PM Phillips, who has responsibility over the country’s energy sector, said this additional generation will strengthen electricity supply in Linden and support communities and businesses along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway. He pointed to the pace of development in Linden, noting that increased housing and business activity reflect the impact of policies pursued by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government to stimulate investment and economic growth.

Bosai’s contribution
The PM also acknowledged Bosai’s longstanding contribution to Guyana’s economy and development. “Your donation of the six megawatts will help in that growing development and supply of electricity [and meet] that growing demand for electricity in Linden, and we appreciate this gift to the people of Guyana,” PM Phillips stated. This new 6 MW plant forms part of the Guyana Government’s short-term plan to expand generation capacity in Region 10 and along the corridor. It joins a wider programme of investments already underway including GPL’s construction of three solar farms, totalling 15 MW, in Linden and a new substation at Kuru Kururu. Additionally, Bosai is also constructing a 10 MW solar farm in Region 10, which is expected to add further generating capacity by 2028. According to GPL, these initiatives are all part of the Government of Guyana’s concerted effort to respond to the growing demand for electricity in Linden and along the Soesdyke-Linden corridor – increasing generation capacity, diversifying the energy mix toward renewables, and delivering more reliable electricity to customers in Linden, Region 10 and the national grid. To this end, the power company also expressed appreciation to Bosai Minerals Group Guyana Inc and Guyana Manganese Inc for their generous donation and partnership in strengthening Guyana’s electricity infrastructure. While Bosai is the main power supplier in Linden, the bauxite company was only generating some 14.1 MW of electricity. But heightened industrial activities across Linden has pushed peak demand to over 15 MW which adds pressure to the region’s electricity system. As a result, Government had engaged Bosai to provide 3 MW of additional power through two 1.5 MW engines to assist the grid in Linden. Earlier this week, the first 1.5 MW engine was installed and operationalised at Bosai’s Linden power house. The additional capacity came online on Monday morning, increasing Bosai’s power supply to Linden and Wismar from 14 MW to 15.5 MW, above the current peak demand of approximately 15.1 MW. Work is continuing to bring the remaining 1.5 MW into operation, which will take Bosai’s total output to the Linden and Wismar communities to approximately 17 MW. Meanwhile, the Government has also engaged Linden sawmill operators to address growing pressure on Region 10’s electricity system. At a press conference on August 14, the Public Utilities Minister had told disclosed that there has been a significant hike in sawmill operations in the region. It was estimated that approximately 32 sawmills are operating there, utilising equipment such as Wood Mizer and high-speed motors thus placing significant demand on the grid. In efforts to ease pressure on the system while keeping businesses operational, sawmill operators were asked to shift some of their operations to off-peak hours.
“So, Linden has two peak periods. During the day between 1 to 3 PM and then in night as well between 7 to 9, there is another peak…[when] the demand spikes to a higher level. So, [the sawmill operators have] been asked to work between 10pm to 6am…and it wouldn’t tax the grid further than it is already over taxed at this point,” Indar had noted. Most of the sawmill operators have already agreed to this arrangement, while efforts are being made to increase generation capacity for the region and better coordination of commercial electricity use.