Government had promised that blackouts will be a thing of the past, but, from all indications, it is clear that Guyanese will have to wait much longer to see this promise becoming a reality.
Over the past few months, the complaints coming from various sections of the population — including private citizens and business — about constant power outages have increased dramatically. In fact, there have recently been several letters to the editor wherein persons have expressed their frustration over prolonged periods of blackout in their communities.
As recently as Thursday evening, much of Regions Three and Four were without power for some time. The power came off for about an hour, and after it was restored, it went off again. The company issued a statement explaining that there was a mini disturbance on a primary line at the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS) in Kingston, resulting in a total shutdown of the system.
In addition to being a discomfort to many, everyone knows that constant power surges can result in severe damage to household appliances, and even cause fires etc. It is even more frustrating when one considers that GPL does not have any clear policy relative to providing compensation when electrical appliances or machinery etc are damaged due to irregular power supply.
Businesses have also been very vocal about the huge negative impact the prolonged periods of blackout have had on their operations. Now that Guyana’s oil and gas sector is about to take off, it would be in the country’s interest to have a reliable supply of power. Investors, manufacturers, and so on will not be attracted to come here and do business if the present situation relative to electricity supply continues.
It is clear that both businesses and private individuals are dissatisfied with the service being provided by the power company, especially so since the cost they are paying for such service has not decreased; in fact, it has increased over the past few years. This is so despite the Government saving billions of dollars, considering the low oil price.
At present, it is still not clear as to what steps are being taken to bring a lasting solution to the power woes the country has been experiencing. In fact, officials have been giving one excuse after the other, which does not help in any way. Some experts believe that there is a manifest lack of short- and long-term solutions to address the company’s inefficiency. They have expressed the view that no relief is being provided by the Government in the short-term, and no effective plan is in place to address the situation in the medium-to-long-term, which could eventually see the problem deteriorating further.
It is widely believed that Guyana could have been in a better position regarding an affordable, reliable supply of electricity if there was bipartisan support for the Amaila Falls Hydro Power (AFHP) project, which should have been in the system from 2017. The present Government, while in Opposition, basically killed the project on purely partisan political grounds. Very little has changed under the APNU/AFC Administration, although those parties had used every opportunity to criticize the previous Government for the manner in which the electricity sector was being managed.
That said, we are not oblivious to the many problems being experienced by the power company. Those problems, which include line losses and electricity theft, have been known for decades, and have certainly had a tremendous impact on the company’s ability to provide better services to Guyanese consumers. The extent of electricity theft is shocking, and GPL must continue to tackle the issue frontally.
After investing so many billions, and in this day and age, these constant power outages are unacceptable. In addition to being a huge discomfort to citizens, they discourage investors who have an interest in doing business here. The authorities must stop making excuses and find a solution to the problem once and for all.
