…commits to reliable power supply for festive season

THOUGH the aged Transmission and Distribution (T&D) network continues to pose a major challenge, the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) said it remains committed to providing reliable electricity supply during the holiday season.

‘We have made every effort to ensure there is adequate available generation. However, the inadequacies within the aged Transmission and Distribution (T&D) network continue to pose problems. Despite the circumstances, GPL continues to make the most of the existing assets through proactive maintenance and prudent operational practices,” GPL said in a statement on Monday.

The power company wrapped up pre-planned maintenance activities on the T&D network on December 8. It, however, continues to put measures in place to ensure that issues that could cause potential widespread outages during the holidays are addressed. “In some instances, this may mean having localized outages for shorter periods of time. We apologise for these situations, but they are necessary, given the vulnerabilities of the T&D network,” it said.

Providing a breakdown of available generation and projected demand for areas served, GPL alluded to the fact that, in most instances, the distribution network is radial and failure of any one component may result in service interruption to customers. “Every effort will be made to prevent these failures and to act promptly if they occur,” it assured.
In the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS), the available generation capacity is 137 Megawatt (MW). “Efforts are being made to maximize available generation capacity for the festive season by, among other things, bringing back into operation generating units that were unavailable due to scheduled maintenance. Peak demand for this year has thus far hit 124.6 MW, which is about 7% higher than the peak for last year,” the power company said.

Meanwhile, the three units at the Anna Regina Power Plant provide a total of 5.4 MW. Additionally, GPL has maintained three (3) Caterpillar units with total capacity of 3.8 MW to complement the three new sets.

According to the power company, peak demand is currently 5.3 MW and is expected to increase over time. It intends to add a fourth 1.8 MW Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) fired unit at the current site, and a new 5 MW block by 2021.

It detailed too that a 5.2 MW of generation will be available to provide customers in Bartica with an adequate power supply to meet the peak demand of approximately 1.6 MW. Units with an aggregate capacity of 0.8 MW are currently available at Leguan. These units can adequately supply the peak demand of approximately 0.3 MW, GPL reported.

“With a peak demand of approximately 0.3 MW, customers in Wakenaam are expected to have adequate power generation with the availability capacity of 0.97 MW. As we work towards improving system reliability and service delivery, we take this opportunity to wish all our customers a safe and enjoyable holiday season,” it further stated.