– main focus is fixing damaged submarine cable

GOVERNMENT rehired Bharat Dindyal as Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) with effect from December 7, 2020 and his main focus is fixing the damaged 69kV submarine cable, as communicated to this newspaper in a brief comment on Monday. Dindyal’s service was terminated under the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) in August 2015.
A search was launched to fill the position, after the CEO at the time, Jamaican Albert Gordon, indicated that he was not seeking a contract renewal. Gordon served as GPL’s CEO since February, 2018. “The appointment of Mr. Dindyal forms part of the plans of Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) to modernise, expand and improve electricity supply in support of the development of Guyana.

Mr. Dindyal has over 26 years’ experience in engineering services and operation of electric utilities, and is no stranger to GPL, having served as CEO from 2006-2015.
“In support of this, we are confident in Mr. Dindyal’s leadership and his return to our Company,” the State owned power company noted in a statement to the media.
Meanwhile, reports indicated that due to the travelling restrictions ‘imposed’ by the COVID-19 pandemic, GPL could not source engineers and repair kits from China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CNMIEC), the company that laid the cable in 2012.

Hence, GPL has now sought the assistance from the United States and Canada. This submarine cable was part of a US$40M project to build new transmission lines, seven new sub-stations and two submarine cables – one each across the Demerara River and Berbice River. The GPL recently held a meeting with the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) on measures to prevent a third occurrence of vessels damaging the 69kV cable.