–gov’t comissions 5.4 MW power plant in Essequibo
–additional 1.5MW to be added in near future

PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo commissioned a $1.8B power station at Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast, Region Two on Saturday.

The commissioning of the 5.4 megawatt state-of-the-art plant was witnessed by Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson, and newly-appointed Minister of Business, Haimraj Bernard Rajkumar.

The prime minister said government has constructed several state-of-the-art power stations countrywide to improve power supply and with the new station, residents can expect a reliable power supply.

Minister Patterson said the plant is equipped with three generating sets that will meet the power demand of the entire Essequibo Coast.

The plant began operations since last December but was commissioned months after because according to Minister Patterson, he wanted to ensure the facility is fully functional.

“We didn’t want rush to open the plant and then everything wasn’t completed; we had to ensure we are handing over a functional generating set,” the minister said.

He also noted that there are works to be done on the transmissions but assured Essequibians that there will be no more power outages. He recalled last June, the coalition’s Region Three representative, Haimraj Rajkumar, now minister of business, called him to complain about blackout woes in the region.

At the time, the Public Infrastructure Ministry had found a temporary solution for the problem but now, Patterson said the problem has been rectified.

Minister Rajkumar said the plant is another testimony to the government’s commitment to improving services on the Essequibo Coast, pointing out that it will significantly benefit the business community.