A GINA Feature

Some of the poles being erected on the Lamaha railway embarkment for the 69KV line.

During his presentation of the 2009 national budget in Parliament in February, Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh had indicated the imminent plans to improve the operations of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL).

The plans included reducing production cost, in light of the resultant reduction in dependence on diesel, rehabilitation, upgrade and linkage of substations at prominent locations in the country, the installation of a fiber optic network, and supervisory control and data acquisition systems for telemarketing and protection.

These initiatives will serve to integrate all major load centres along the coast to permit centralised generation using cheaper fuel.

He also disclosed the plan to reduce technical and commercial losses this year, with the installation of prepaid meters.    

Additionally, about $41M has been budgeted for the purchase of a generating set and transformer for the Lethem Power Company to improve electricity supply within the area.

New Kingston power plant
In February construction of the new Wartsila power plant at Kingston commenced and by May the foundation was about 70 percent complete.

Also in May, the three Wartsila 16-Volt, generators, each with a 6.9 megawatt capacity, that were procured by the company, arrived and were immediately shipped to the site and installed.

The site, located just adjacent to the old power station on Water Street, will include a powerhouse which stores three Wartsila generators, switch gears, control rooms and a few offices on the top floor; radiators that serve as coolants to the engines and fuel and a treatment house where all the offloading and treatment of fuel for the Wartsila engines will take place.

The Kingston powerhouse under construction at the new Wartsila power plant site.

The operational cost of the plant to GPL will be significantly reduced, given that it will be powered by Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) which requires only 55 gallons to produce 1000 units of electricity as against diesel which requires 60 gallons.

Once operational, the new plant will add 20.7 megawatts to the existing grid, thereby increasing its generation capacity, and at the same time significantly reducing the cost of operations.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GPL, Bharrat Dindial, had indicated that the new plant is expected to achieve commercial operations by the third quarter of this year. Dindial had noted that this would add much needed base load capacity to Demerara, allowing adequate and reliable generating capacity to meet both peak and reserved requirements.

Moreover, such an improvement will solve the many problems associated with unreliable electrical supply.

Moreover, the Kingston plant is part of a major project to integrate all operating systems in Demerara and Berbice.

A US$39.6M was secured through an agreement between the Guyana Government and the Chinese Exim Bank, that will be invested by GPL in the interconnection drive.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in September 2008, when President Bharrat Jagdeo, accompanied by Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh and Chairman of GPL Winston Brassington, visited China and met with the Governor of the Import-Export Bank (Exim-Bank).

Upon approval of this proposed project, GPL will develop and expand its transmission and distribution system with the construction of 110 km of single circuit 69 kilovolt sub-stations, the expansion and upgrading of two existing 69/13.8 kilovolt substations, and installation of a fiber optic network and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system for tele-marketing and protection. 

The radiators aback of the Wartsila Kingston powerhouse.

The MOU preceded the signing of a framework agreement which will enable the Guyana Government to access a Chinese Governmental Concessional Loan to finance the development.

The agreement follows closely behind the design and supply of the co-generation plant under the Skeldon Sugar Modernisation agreement which was signed on January 25, 2005.

The expansion of the transmission and distribution system will encompass Skeldon, Berbice and Edinburgh in West Demerara.

In Berbice, a link will be established from Skeldon to the Number 53 substation on the Corentyne coast which, when complete, will link Number 53 to the Onverwagt station on the West Coast Berbice and from Onverwagt to Sophia.  By that time, the connection between Sophia and Kingston will be established, using 69 kilovolt transmission lines, covering approximately five kilometers via the Lamaha Railway Embankment.

In July, GPL commenced the upgrade and frequency conversion of its network in parts of Queenstown and D’ Urban Street, between Camp and High Streets, and embarked on a campaign to upgrade conductors and install new transformers.

The distribution network in these areas were constructed over 40 years ago and operated with limited capacity. GPL also proposes to construct a new substation at Diamond, which is a rapidly developing village on the East Bank of Demerara, earmarked for township.

Hydropower
With the unprecedented move by President Bharrat Jagdeo to steer Guyana on to a low carbon trajectory, the establishment of a hydropower station in Guyana is seen as pivotal.

Despite the effect of the global financial crisis on major investments, President Jagdeo is determined to build a hydropower plant in Guyana.

He cited cheaper electricity as vital for industrialisation and an answer to the problem of high fuel costs  

The Amalia Falls, located along the Kuribrong River, some 60 miles up the Potaro River in Region Eight, was identified as a site with the capacity to produce some 140 megawatts of electricity and which can satisfy 70 percent of Guyana’s electricity needs.

Prepaid meters — reducing technical and commercial losses

Workers inside the powerhouse of the new Wartsila plant under construction at Kingston.

In May, the company made headway in its 2000 prepaid meter installation pilot project which targeted sections of Kitty, North Ruimveldt, Bourda Market and Black Bush Polder in Region Six.

Representatives of the company embarked on a number of community engagements to discuss the initiative which will one day replace the traditional meters. The prepaid meter is the latest in prepaid service and it allows customers to carefully manage their electricity.

GPL and the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) are required to have some supporting infrastructure in place, all of which should be ready prior to the installation of the meters.

The technology also has a wide range of features such as a built-in alarm mechanism, an electricity duration indicator and other services that would update the customer on a timely basis.

Hunt for oil
CGX Energy Incorporated, the Canadian-based oil and gas Exploration Company searching for petroleum in the Guyana Basin, will commence drilling for oil as early as 2010.

The company was given the green light to commence operations after Guyana in 2007 won the Maritime Arbitration Award with neighbouring Suriname.

Since then, the CGX Energy Incorporated has done substantial work to commence drilling.

A study in June 2000 concluded that Guyana is the second most attractive under-explored basin in the world with a potential of 15.2 billion barrels of oil. 

Were an oil discovery to be made in the Guyana Basin, production targets would be estimated at 50 million barrels per year, which would be equivalent to 140,000 barrels per day.

Additionally, Government would be receiving a cash flow of 53 percent, and the oil company 43 percent. This share was considered favourable to the government when compared to other countries such as Norway, the United States of America, Canada and Argentina.

It was also predicted that the impact on Guyana’s development would be phenomenal as 650 people per year would gain employment.

The discovery will have a dramatic impact on the region’s business opportunities, revenue, employment and training.