GUYANA Power & Light Inc. (GPL) reported, yesterday, that a multi-million-dollars project aimed at improving the quality of service and supply of electricity to several communities across Guyana is moving ahead aggressively.

As such, Georgetown residents of Cummings Park, a beneficiary community, will now benefit from improved supply, less power outages and low voltage as infrastructural works have been completed in the area under the network rehabilitation implemented by the utility, GPL said.
A release said the project, which is funded under a loan agreement between the Government of Guyana and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), seeks to build capacity and energy conservation, rehabilitate the low voltage distribution network and commercial loss reduction actions.
The new distribution system is designed to reduce losses by the company through illegal connections and substandard network, and enable customers to become more energy conscious by the use of the pre-paid metering system, GPL stated.
It added that the new system will be implemented in 18 other communities, namely:

* La Grange, Canal Number Two, East La Penitence, North East La Penitence, Mon Repos, Enmore, Victoria and Helena in Region 4 (Demerara/Mahaica);
* Windsor Forest in Region 3 (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara);
* Now or Never, Cotton Tree and Rosignol Housing Scheme in Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice), and
* Edinburgh, Lochaber, Canje, Rose Hall, Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant and Springlands in Region 6 (East Berbice/Corentyne).
The press release said that, as part of the project, consumers would be better educated on several issues to allow for improved management of electricity consumption under a social management programme.
It added that the aim of the outreaches is to engage residents and businesses in discussion about the objective, its benefits, challenges and schedule for outages as well as listen to recommendations and complaints from them.
Schools within the communities to benefit from the rehabilitation will be involved in energy conservation discussions, spelling bee and debating competitions for the duration.
These are all aimed at educating the residents, including children, about the importance of electricity and the need to practise conservation, GPL said.
It said residents are encouraged to participate in the community meetings so they can become aware of what steps they should take to better manage their electricity usage.
Dates, times and venues for the meetings will be published in the daily newspapers as well as broadcast on radio and television and the company would also be distributing flyers within the villages as the dates and times for meetings approach.