HPS advised…

HEAD of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon said, Thursday, that Guyana Power & Light Inc. (GPL), in anticipation of the Christmas season, is conducting maintenance to ensure that the increased demands are reliably met.

He was replying to questions about continued blackouts at his weekly post-Cabinet media briefing in Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown.

“The increased generation… the additional 20 plus megawatts I am advised that it’s in the grid. I am also advised, though, that Christmas seems to have generated significant increases in demand that, ordinarily, may very well have been addressed by the increased generation,” Luncheon explained.

However, he said, in anticipation of Christmas, he is advised that the routine is for the company to remove generating capacity for maintenance to ensure that the Christmas demands are reliably met.

“So there is increased generation and increased demands and the one factor, of temporary removal from generation of engines for maintenance to ensure that they function in December/January, may have upset the equation,” Luncheon offered.

The Cabinet Secretary said he was also advised about the distribution and transmission system for which additional work is being done.

“There are a number of additional factors that have been involved in, perhaps, not making the heightened expectations of day and night, before and after the commissioning of the new power station, not immediately realised.”

On Wednesday, GPL Acting Public Relations Officer (PRO), Ms. Shevion Sears said the utility is in the final phase of testing the engines of the three 6.9 megawatts Wartsila generators that were commissioned earlier this month.

She said the motors are working but GPL would have to follow the standard procedure which includes conducting various tests on them.

After the commissioning of the new Kingston Power Plant, in Georgetown, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Bharat Dindyal had told the media the engines will continue to be tested, as is mandatory with all new equipment, to ensure stable and continued generation of electricity to the national grid.