Essequibo Coast braces for more power outages

…as 2 major power units fail

Residents on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) are experiencing load shedding due to inoperable equipment housed at its power station; as such, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) said it is to rush a generator into the area by Monday.
The power company on Saturday said the region has been experiencing frequent service interruptions since August 13 because two of its units, the Number 3 and Number 8 with an aggregate capacity of 2.8 MWs became inoperable, due to major mechanical and electrical issues respectively.
It is because of this that the company is unable to meet the approximate 4.2 Megawatts (MWs) peak demand.
“On Monday, August 13, and Thursday, August 16, two of GPL’s units – the Number 3 and Number 8 – with an aggregate capacity of 2.8 MWs became inoperable due to major mechanical and electrical issues respectively. Since the Number 5 Unit with a capacity of 1.4 MWs was unavailable due to a major overhaul, only two units totalling three MWs are currently in operation,” GPL explained.
According to the company, the available units are unable to meet the demands of the entire coast and resulted in the load shedding. GPL has since noted that normalcy in electric flow is expected to return by Monday as two Caterpillar units of 2.8 MWs total capacity is being taken to the area from its Canefield, Berbice Generating Station.
The generators are expected to arrive today and Tuesday. When installation is completed, the units will provide adequate generation capacity to meet peak demand, the power company assured.
Just recently, a single mother struggling to make ends meet for her family was forced to dump over $200,000 worth of meat and fish owing to GPL’s faulty service.
Eresha Prashad, of La Belle Alliance, Essequibo Coast, a meat and fish vendor at the Anna Regina Market, said she stocked her freezer as she prepared for the busy weekend. According to the woman, when she returned to the market on Saturday morning, she observed that the freezer was not freezing. She said she immediately went to the fisheries and purchased ice, but by then her stock had already spoilt.
The single mother is laying the blame for her losses at the feet of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL). According to the woman, her business is her only hope of survival and she is now indebted to suppliers. She said that there was a power outage and the subsequent fluctuation of electricity damaged her freezer.
Recently, three homes went up in flames in the region. The Guyana Fire Service has since launched an investigation into the fires which were suspected to be electrical in origin.
Residents have since called on the power company to educate customers on the cycle change and how it can affect appliances which are not compatible.