– customers thanked for patience as company works to improve service delivery
OFFICIALS from the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) yesterday detailed, in a press release, reasons why last weekend was punctuated by power failures. On Sunday, March 4, 2012, GPL said it  experienced two total generation system shutdowns in Demerara: At 0:10 hr, a Wartsila unit at Garden of Eden (GoE), East Bank Demerara experienced an electrical fault; and at 14:30 hrs, a jumper burnt on one of the main feeders at Sophia, which in turn affected one of the two frequency converters.
Moreover, a defective part on one of the Wartsila units at the new Kingston Plant caused the machine to be unavailable from 17:00 hrs to 19:30 hrs.
“This, coupled with the unavailability of the unit at GoE and the frequency converter, resulted in load shedding during the evening peak period in some areas of Georgetown. Both machines were returned to service last evening, and all affected customers were subsequently re-powered,” the release explained.
The release added that “a burnt jumper on the feeder linking our Garden of Eden and Versailles plants resulted in interruption of power supply for approximately three hours from 08:30 hrs, affecting West Demerara consumers”.
According to the GPL release, “the recent high winds, coupled with heavy and persistent rain which led to an increase in network faults, may have compromised some of our structures, and consumers are asked to contact GPL’s emergency call centre on 226-4015 or 226-4016”.
However, GPL would like to thank all customers for their patience, as the power company continues to work assiduously to improve its services.