Stable electricity supply soon for Essequibians – GPL assures

Prolonged power outages

Residents on the Essequibo Coast on Friday gathered in front of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Divisional Head Office, Anna Regina, as they continued their protest over prolonged power outage in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
Among the protesters were acting Regional Chairperson Nandranie Coonjah; Regional Democratic Council (RDC) Councillor, Arnold Adams; and representatives of the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce and Industry and residents.
As the protesters gathered in front of GPL’s regional office, Divisional Director of Operations GPL’s Head Office, Georgetown, Bharat Harjohn, went out and spoke with the group. Harjohn assured the gathering that a stable flow of electricity in the region will begin soon.
According to Harjohn, GPL was able to get four standby generators up and running which have the full capacity to take care of the region’s electricity demand.
He said that works are ongoing at the Anna Regina Power Station to repair the other generators which will be on standby. He added that another backup generator is expected in the region today.
Harjohn said McCorp Generators will still be on the location as standby and promised a stable flow of electricity until the new generators are put into operation by mid-December.
Acting Regional Chairperson, Nandranie Coonjah said she is now satisfied that finally GPL is giving answers to the people of Region Two and hopes the assurance given by GPL will be met.
It was advised that persons who suffered equipment damages due to constant power outages, visit the GPL Office in Anna Regina and fill out the forms for compensation.
Councillor Arnold Adams said he is very happy now that the electricity is back to normal and residents can now enjoy the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) cricket which will assist them to getting rid of the long periods of stress caused by GPL.
Meanwhile, a visit to the Anna Regina Market on Friday showed a significant drop

in customers and vendors are complaining about the damages they suffered. They also voiced their apprehension at restocking, especially frozen food items such as meats and fish. They said they have lost all confidence in the power company and are monitoring the situation before spending their hard-earned monies to reinvest.
On Wednesday, irate residents of Region Two walked out of a meeting with officials from GPL, which was held at the Regional Boardroom, Anna Regina.
Reports are residents accused the personnel from the company of stonewalling them but not facilitating proper answers to their questions.
The Essequibo Coast has been plagued with prolonged power outages for almost one month now.
The power company on August 18, 2018, had admitted that the region has been experiencing frequent service interruptions as a result of two of its units – the Number 3 and Number 8 with an aggregate capacity of 2.8 MWs –becoming inoperable, due to major mechanical and electrical issues respectively.
Last week, the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce called on the Government to immediately intervene and bring some relief to the residents of the region.
According to Chamber President, Suean Seewnarayan, the region is suffering tremendously due to the failing power company.
She added that the region’s commerce is collapsing due to the poor service offered by GPL.
On Tuesday, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GPL, Albert Gordon told this publication that every effort is being made by his technical team to address the situation, which he described as unfortunate.
However, the GPL head said a permanent solution to the issue may take until December, as the company is now in the process of acquiring new units to replace those that are currently not in operation due to several reasons.