Excavator hits, damages GPL power line, triggers outage

An excavator making contact with a high-voltage transmission line at Blairmont No. 4 Settlement caused an electricity service interruption in sections of Demerara and Berbice on Thursday evening, according to the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL).
GPL said the incident occurred at approximately 18:00h when the excavator came into contact with its 69 kV L21 Transmission Line, which links the Onverwagt and Canefield substations.

The line tripped following the contact, resulting in an interruption of electricity supply to customers in the affected areas.
GPL said its technical teams were immediately dispatched to inspect the line and assess the network. Upon their arrival, the excavator operator was not at the scene.
However, the company said evidence at the location indicated that the excavator’s boom had come into contact with the high-voltage line. Burn marks were also observed on the boom.
The excavator bears the name tag of Rishal’s Construction and Maintenance Service.
GPL said its teams carried out the necessary restoration work, and electricity supply was restored to all affected areas at approximately 18:30h.
The company said it will engage the Guyana Police Force and pursue the appropriate avenues to establish accountability and address any damage caused to its network infrastructure.
GPL is also urging contractors, construction companies and heavy equipment operators to exercise caution when working near electricity infrastructure.
The company warned that contact with high-voltage lines can result in serious injury or death, damage to electricity infrastructure and interruptions to the power supply.
GPL is encouraging contractors and others involved in construction, excavation and related activities to engage the company before beginning work in areas where electricity infrastructure may be present.