GPL now blames weather, localised faults for recent power outages

Assistant Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL), Natalie Yearwood-Pindar, has said “localised faults” are why many areas across the country have been experiencing power outages over the past 48 hours.

Localised faults are basically issues which affect a small group of persons within a community, the Assistant PRO explained. “The faults that occurred would have been for a number of reasons, including loose connections, problems with transformers, and fallen poles, all due to inclement weather within the past week,” Yearwood-Pindar is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.
She added that once a report is received, a team is dispatched immediately to address the problem. Questioned as to whether these areas would have undergone maintenance, Pindar said maintenance is ongoing, and the weather was the main cause of the blackouts.
The following areas are scheduled for maintenance between April 17 and 22, 2018: Unity Village, East Coast Demerara; Norton Street, Lodge and its environs; Shiv Chanderpaul Drive in Georgetown; the wards of Kitty, Campbellville, Newton, Subryanville, Prashad Nagar and Bel Air Park; and also Vlissengen Road.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the power utility company, Albert Gordon, announced earlier this month that US$110 million was needed to address the issue of ‘blackouts’. He explained that the existing infrastructure in the country is the main reason for the constant power outages.
Though an official request has not been made to Cabinet, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, has said the Government would provide some necessary funds to ensure an improved supply of electricity to citizens. However, the request for US$110 million has already brought up discussions about Government’s decision to scrap the Amaila Falls project.
Amaila Falls could have been almost operational by now, and consumers could have been close to seeing an end to expensive and unreliable electricity. Guyana would, moreover, have been entering into the ranks of the top 10 users of clean energy worldwide.
The project, which would have represented the largest foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country’s history, had the potential to reintegrate Guyana with the global capital markets for the first time in over 40 years.