–through company’s energy infrastructure at Everton, Nandlall says
By Feona Morrison
PREPARATIONS are underway to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply in Guyana, with the arrival of a power-supply vessel.
The vessel, which is scheduled to dock in about three weeks, is expected to play a critical role in increasing the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) power supply.

Authorities have been diligently coordinating with relevant stakeholders to streamline the logistics associated with the vessel’s arrival.
Head of the Executive Management Committee of GPL, Kesh Nandlall, has indicated that officials overseeing the vessel have been actively collaborating with pertinent stakeholders to streamline the logistical aspects of its arrival.

Additionally, he said engineers are on standby to facilitate the integration of the vessel into the existing energy infrastructure at Everton, Berbice, seamlessly.
“We have a project plan to ensure that the site is in a ready state. And we have built the interconnection from the power ship onto the national grid. We are working on getting all of that done to be ready when the vessel arrives,” he told the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday.

The power supply vessel will be connected to GPL’s Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System at Everton in Berbice, providing support to the generation capacity of the power company.
Under an agreement between the government and UCC Holdings of Qatar, the power ship will supply 36 megawatts of power to Guyana for a duration of 24 months.

Additionally, GPL has been working at its Columbia, East Coast Demerara (ECD) substation to increase its electricity-delivery capacity, with the installation of 15 of 17 generators.
The remaining generators will be installed by the end of this week, bringing the total power- generation capacity at that substation to 23 megawatts.

Nandlall related that once all the generators are operational, the plan is to gradually increase the load on them to maximise output.
The US$27 million worth of generators, acquired from Apan Energy Services, is expected to add an estimated 30 megawatts to the national grid.

The persistent power outages, attributed to various factors, including aging infrastructure and increased demand, have underscored the urgent need for infrastructural upgrades within GPL’s network.
The utility company is also actively exploring renewable energy options as part of its long-term strategy to diversify the energy mix, and reduce reliance on traditional fossil fuels.

GPL recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with InterEnergy, a Dominican Republic power company to enhance the management of its electricity services.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali had expressed deep concern over the state of Guyana’s power infrastructure, which is significantly impacted by aged generators, some over 30 years old, compounded by a five-year period of maintenance neglect between 2015 and 2020 under the APNU+AFC government.

With an exponential increase in demand anticipated due to the rapid economic development taking place in the country, President Ali revealed projections of an additional 35 megawatts of new demand this year alone, reaching approximately 220 megawatts overall by year-end.

However, the current generating capacity stands at around only 165 megawatts, further highlighting the urgency of the situation.
Acknowledging the challenges posed by infrastructural constraints, including difficulties with transportation for construction and accidents affecting the network, President Ali stressed the critical need to address human resource gaps by recruiting more engineers, technicians, and linesmen to strengthen the workforce. The government is also actively pursuing the gas-to-energy project to supply around 300 megawatts of power.