WCD residents forced to endure day-long blackout

…GPL reports Edinburg transformer down

Residents along the West Coast of Demerara were forced to endure a power outage for almost an entire day on Thursday and for half of a day on Friday.
GPL has since reported that there was need to facilitate emergency repairs to a transformer at the Edinburg sub-station.
On Thursday, residents complained that power went off at around 08:00hrs in the morning, and was restored until after 21:00hrs; and on Friday, the power went around 09:00hrs and was restored at around 15:00hrs.
Balram Kiven of Hague, West Coast Demerara said there have been constant power outages plaguing the community. “We are tired of this blackout (phenomenon), and if it is not blackout it is the low voltage, and all our appliances damaging,” he said.
Several other residents who indicated that they are fed up of the constant power outages reiterated Kiven’s sentiments.
Just last month, GPL assured customers that normalcy in its electricity distribution would be restored. The company said the constant blackouts were because of a generation shortfall at its Garden of Eden power station, and now with the recent fire at its Berbice location, it is down a further 3 megawatts.
The power company had, at a press conference, urged persons whose appliances were damaged by power outages or fluctuation to file reports and they would be compensated.
In February, (GPL) had said it will be expending US$31 million for construction of four new substations at Wales, West Bank Demerara; Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke-Linden Highway; Williamsburg, Corentyne; and Hydronie, East Bank Essequibo.