GPL blames July shutdown on ‘faulty submarine cable’

THE electricity shutdown which was experienced in the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System on July 12, 2016, was due to a fault on the actual submarine cable, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has said. On July 13, GPL had attributed the shutdown to faulty insulation at the connection, or ‘Pot Head’ linking the 69KV submarine cable to the overhead transmission lines at Kingston. This was based on preliminary distance readings obtained from the protective devices at its substations at Kingston and Vreed-en-Hoop, GPL said in a release.
However, the company stated on Thursday that a comprehensive examination has revealed that the fault was on the actual submarine cable.
This, GPL said, was confirmed through utilization of a diver who established that the cable’s protective layer had been damaged in an area approximately 51 metres from the Kingston shore.
Further, the company said that maintenance dredging of the area in proximity to the Kingston wharf commenced on Saturday, July 9th, and may have caused damage to its cable at some point during this exercise.
“The subsequent breakdown in the insulation resulted in the fault and shutdown of July 12th , GPL said.
As such, it was noted that arrangements are currently being made to have the damaged section of the cable brought to the surface to establish the extent of the damage and effect remedial work.
“Every effort is being made to have the link re-established and the situation returned to normalcy as quickly as possible,” the company said, adding that it remains committed to serving the people of Guyana.

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