IN Bartica, Guyana Power and Light (GPL) had said that its Containerised Unit (No. 11) would have been energised by last Saturday, allowing the power supply to return to normalcy; but residents yesterday said they are still experiencing interruptions.“It hasn’t returned to normalcy. We had blackout yesterday (Saturday), and this morning (Sunday) it was off for one, maybe one-and-a-half hours,” one resident said.

And this was confirmed by Regional Chairman Gordon Bradford, who said that residents would have received an uninterrupted supply of electricity from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning.

While GPL is showing signs of improvement in the supply of electricity to Bartica, which has nearing township status, Gordon said the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) as well as residents will not be totally satisfied until all units within the power station are working effectively.

“Things are not on regular footing as yet and so we will not be satisfied until we have things on regular footing,” he emphasised.
Bradford said the supply of electricity in Bartica will not return to normalcy until all units within the Bartica power generating facility are in operation.

When contacted by Guyana Chronicle yesterday, the power station’s plant manager declined to comment on the situation.
However, last week GPL had said that the Containerised Unit (No. 11), when placed into operation, would have added capacity to the Unit No. 10. Currently the No. 9 Unit has been deemed unserviceable while the No. 6 Unit remains offline.

“For updates, residents are advised to check GPL’s website at www.gplinc.net, GPL Facebook Page which can be found by searching for ‘GPL Inc’ from their individual Facebook accounts and the TARZIE Television Station.
“Our company seeks the patience of the residents while we execute the necessary corrective work to restore reliable electricity. We extend our sincerest apologies to our valued customers of Bartica,” GPL said in a statement.

Residents of Bartica have been complaining bitterly about the unreliable supply of electricity within their community. They had also lashed out at GPL, contending that the company was silent on the situation, leaving residents to draw their own conclusions during the initial stages.

By Svetlana Marshall