Charity residents continue to face prolonged power outages
– criticise GPL for ‘blackout’ woes
BY INDRAWATTIE NATRAM
Residents as well as businesspersons continue to face prolonged power outages and according to Chairman of the Essequibo Chambers of Commerce, Deleep Singh, it is unacceptable and it is having a negative effect on the economy of Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
Chairman of the Essequibo Chambers of Commerce, Deleep Singh
Guyana Times was told that the northern side of the Essequibo Coast experienced power outages from 02:00h Tuesday morning and spent almost the entire Emancipation Day without electricity.
Reports are that many persons halted Emancipation Day celebrations due to the lack of electrical power. Information reaching this publication revealed that the Wärtsillä plant that supplies electricity to the North of the Essequibo Coast developed mechanical problems, and according to a source from GPL, the problem should be fixed by this evening.
Offering an immediate solution to the unacceptable blackout woes, businessman Daleep Singh suggested that the power company lease another containerised Genset from MACORP.
He also suggested for the 60-cycle be changed to 50 in the meanwhile to help the Wärtsillä plant supply power until the new ones arrive on the Coast.
Singh said it is the consumers who suffer and are still given monthly charges.
“I am afraid one of those aged long Wärtsillä will go beyond repair and this will be serious. So as to avoid such a situation, I strongly believe GPL should make provisions now,” Singh offered.
He also noted that residents and businesses have suffered way too long at the hands of GPL. The Chairman of the Essequibo Chambers of Commerce urged that the process for installation of the new generators be expedited so that reliable power can be supplied to the people of Region Two.
He also called on Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson to reconsider his decision to have the new generator sets sent to Region Two in December.
Singh said most of the areas experiencing power outages are caused by mechanical failure at the plant and not from the facilitation of frequency conversion as was mentioned by the Minister in Parliament.
