Works on transmission line for 2nd power ship 80% complete – GPL CEO

…says preparatory works for power ship progressing well

The construction of infrastructure necessary for the second power ship brought in to support the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) during the Christmas season, is proceeding apace, with the construction works for the 3.9-kilometre transmission line 80 per cent complete.
This was explained by GPL’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kesh Nandlall, when contacted by this publication. It had previously been reported that a double-circuit 69 kilovolt (kV) transmission line, spanning approximately 3.9 kilometres, was under construction from Ruimveldt.
This is where the second power ship is docked. The line will be connected to GPL’s New Georgetown Substation, in order to facilitate the transmission of power. According to Nandlall, this process is 80 per cent completed.
The ongoing preparatory works include the construction of the transmission line by a private contractor, with the aim of delivering electricity by Christmas. Nandlall related to this publication that this was progressing well.
On December 8, consumers in sections of Greater Georgetown experienced an 8-hour interruption in electricity supply as GPL conducted preparatory works for the arrival of a second power ship. The second power ship will add to the 36-megawatt (MW) provided by an existing floating power plant in the Berbice River.
This will significantly increase the country’s power generation capacity. GPL’s peak electricity demand has surged to 187MW, up from nearly 100MW in recent years, driven by new housing developments, industrial facilities, and commercial investments.
The current peak demand is 187 MW, while the available capacity is 194 MW. This second power ship will add to the 36 MW of electricity already being produced by the first floating power plant that is in the Berbice River.
Nandlall had previously told this publication that two generators with an aggregate capacity of 13 MW that were unavailable due to major overall will be back online by December 10 and 21. This he said will boost the generation capacity in the Demerara Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS) to 207 MW.
The arrival of this vessel comes after a contract signing last month between the Guyana power and Light Inc with the Joint Venture of Turkish-based Karpowership Global DMCC and Qatar-based UCC Energy International LLC JV, to charter a second power ship with a total installed capacity of 75 MW for two years.
In the first phase, the power ship will dispatch 60 MW to the grid in approximately six weeks followed by an additional 15 MW, once works are completed on an additional transmission line. The contract requires GPL to pay the Joint Venture 8.52 US cents per Kilowatt-hour (kWh) as a monthly charter fee for the new power ship.
It also requires a monthly operation and maintenance fee of 0.98 US cents per kWh, based on electricity generated. Under the contract, GPL is also responsible for providing Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) for the operation of the ship’s generators.
The addition of the second power ship will boost GPL’s generation capacity to 207 MW, ensuring reliable electricity during the holiday season and beyond. The first power ship had been deployed to Guyana in May of this year, and is currently stationed at Everton in the Berbice River.
The floating power plant has been supplying 36 MW of electricity to the DBIS. As part of that agreement, GPL had paid a US$1 million mobilisation fee, a fee of 6.62 US cents per kWh as a monthly charter fee for the vessel, and a monthly operation and maintenance fee of 0.98 US cents per kWh based on electricity generated. (G3)