PERSONS residing in Arakaka Village, in Region One (Barima-Waini), can now look forward to reliable and improved power supply with the addition of a $15 million generator grid.

On Wednesday last, while spearheading the government’s ongoing flood relief in Arakaka Village, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha commissioned the generator grid, and noted the government’s continued efforts to modernise the country, a release said.

“This investment shows the government’s commitment to modernise our country. Although Region One is a far-flung region from Georgetown, the capital, the government has been making tremendous investments here. $15 million was allocated for that grid, so the people in Arakaka can now have reliable and regular electricity.

This will also help us to boost our agriculture sector, too, because we are looking at the feasibility of building agro-processing facilities in these parts of the country. With the establishment of such a system, agro-processing facilities will be able to operate effectively,” Minister Mustapha said.

Regional Chairman, Brentnol Ashley stated that the grid has an output capacity of 250 kilo-Volt-Amperes (kVA) that will provide stable electricity to the entire village.

“The development that is taking place on the coastland; no different is the development that is taking place here in the hinterland. Through the RDC’s budgetary allocation for 2020, we are seeing the community of Arakaka benefiting from the establishment of an electricity grid and a ‘gen-set’. The grid is already up, awaiting connection to the homes of each resident, which we are foreseeing would be done before Christmas,” Ashley said.

He explained that the regional officials are currently working to determine the number of hours per day that the generator will be operable.
Arakaka is located along the left bank of the Barima River, and is home to over 500 residents.