IT costs the Guyana Power & Light Inc $10M per month to truck fuel across the Demerara Harbour Bridge to the Vreed-en-Hoop power station on the West Coast of Demerara.And this is even after the power company spent US$36M to construct the power plant, and an adjoining wharf at Vreed-en-Hoop several months ago. “The wharf was incomplete under the former CEO, so we have to barge-and-truck the fuel every day. This costs GPL $10M per month in transportation,” Minister of Public Infrastructure, with overview of the sector, David Patterson, has said.

The 26-megawatt power plant which was commissioned in early February reportedly demands a large intake of oil daily. With the wharf incomplete, GPL has been forced to hire trucks to transport fuel from Kingston in Georgetown, across the aging Demerara Harbour Bridge, to the new power plant.

Almost 20 truck-loads, the equivalent of approximately quarter tank of oil, are reportedly taken to Vreed-en-Hoop daily to keep the power plant running. The fuel is transported in this manner because of weight restrictions on the bridge. The US$36M Wartsila plant was commissioned by former President Donald Ramotar without the critical component of the fuel lines being operational.

The entire project was delayed by almost two years, sending costs up to US$36M. GPL had signed a US$26M contract with Wartsila, a Finnish company that supplied several engines. In addition to the US$36M tag price for the new plant, another $242M have been awarded in a contract to BK International for the building of the wharf and fuel lines.

GPL has been under scrutiny as consumers complain of blackouts and escalating costs for electricity, especially since the business community has been calling for cheaper and more reliable power.

The plant has been indispensable in boosting and stabilising GPL’s supply of power to the nation, with the power being distributed as far as Berbice through an inter-linked system. (Rabindra Rooplall)