THE Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) on Tuesday reported that, at approximately 04:09 hrs that day, the main switchgear in the Anna Regina Power Station had to be taken out of service following a flash over on a busbar insulator and resulting fire.

As a result, the entire Essequibo Coast was without power while the extent of the damage was evaluated, the power company explained in a statement.

GPL said the isolation of the affected section resulted in communities stretching from Anna Regina to Charity being repowered at 08:09 hrs, as only one of the two generating units could have been accommodated.

Late yesterday afternoon, customers were ‘shed’ to allow restoration of power to customers spanning from sections of Anna Regina to Suddie.

Unfortunately, the available generating capacity could not facilitate repowering of communities on the western half (Sections of Anna Regina to Lima Sands, Caricom Rice Mill). It was envisioned that these communities would have been repowered by midnight last night. GPL said it regrets the inconvenience experienced by consumers on the Essequibo Coast.