Remaining 3 generator sets to go online by weekend – GPL’s CEO

…progress being made on installing all 17 GEN sets – PM Phillips

With 14 of the new, additional generators have already been integrated into the Demerara Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS) and the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) is expected to soon complete integrating the remainder, adding an estimated 30 megawatts to the national grid.

On Monday, Prime Minister, retired Brigadier Mark Phillips conducted a tour of the generators at its Columbia, East Coast of Demerara (ECD) sub-station. During his tour, the Prime Minister who has responsibility for the energy sector, inspected the progress on the 17 generators and six step-up transformers.
The generators, which cost US$27 Million, were procured last year December from Apan Energy Services and will add 30 megawatts to the grid. So far, 14 generators have been brought online. And according to GPL Chief Executive Officer Kesh Nandlall, the remainder should be installed by the end of this week.
Meanwhile, the prime minister indicated on his social media page that he was satisfied with developments at the site. He further committed the government to boosting GPL’s electrical generation capacity and service to the people.
“According to senior management teams of GPL and Apan Energy, to date, GPL has integrated 14 of the 17 generators into the national grid. Engineers have indicated that the remaining high-powered systems are expected to go online within the upcoming days. Government remains committed to boosting GPL’s generation capacity and improving its overall service to the people of Guyana,” the prime minister said in the statement.
Accompanying Phillips on the tour was GPL CEO Nandlall, Divisional Director, Power Generation and Distribution, Bharat Harjohn, Divisional Director, Safety, Health, Environmental Management and Operational Support, Gary Hall and other officials of GPL. Members of Apan Energy Services team were also on site.
Procured from Apan Energy Service, the 17 generation sets have been subject shipment delays and technical issues in setting them up.

On Sunday, GPL’s CEO had told this publication that the company has successfully installed five containerised electricity generators over the weekend to enhance the capacity of the national grid. He said that five of the eight remaining gen sets were connected on Saturday night.
For the past week, Guyana has been enduring a heightened spate of blackouts following what the GPL had described as engine failures at different locations. At least two engines were down. With its current challenges, GPL is now generating some 165 megawatts of power. However, the current peak demand for electricity is at 180 megawatts.
Government has blamed the issues at the state-owned power company to a number of issues ranging from aged infrastructure and systems to lack of maintenance, to human resource gap, and to the growing demand for electricity coupled with public destruction of the entity’s transmission utilities.
In fact, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, at one of his weekly press conferences had acknowledged that the state of affairs at the power company is “bad” but assured that the Government is seeking to purchase an additional 40 to 80 megawatts of power in order to offset increasing demands.
To address the issue in the short term, VP Jagdeo had said, efforts were underway to purchase 40 to 80 megawatts of power for a period of two years, until the Gas-to-Energy project comes on stream. In the meantime, he noted, solar panels are also being used in the hinterland and other areas to increase the generation of electricity in those areas.
The Government’s model Gas-to-Energy project includes a 300-megawatt power plant using natural gas that would be piped from the oil-rich Stabroek Block’s Liza field, offshore Guyana, to an integrated gas processing facility at Wales on the West Bank of Demerara. The project is set to come on stream next year.
Meanwhile, President Dr Irfaan Ali had also told reporters that the issues affecting GPL’s operations are multifaceted and interconnected. He had said while Government is looking to immediately bring in additional power, while there is a massive need for technical capacity at GPL.
That support, according to the Head of State, could be imported since efforts to fill the human resource gap within the electricity sector has not been fruitful. The Head of State had said Dominican Republic-based energy company InterEnergy Group (IEG) is one of the partners that the Guyana Government would be working with.
Moreover, the Guyana Government has approached the United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF) for financing to upgrade the aged transmission system and distribution network. According to Ali, this could be a “sizeable” amount, given the need of the power company. (G3)