Giftland to supply GPL grid by month end

The Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) has several projects in train to maximise the potential of power generation in both the short and long term.

Mr. Samaroo Ramtahal, the new Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Strategic Operations at GPL, told DPI that they were looking at three avenues.

One of the projects entails securing an additional five megawatts of power from the Giftland Mall, through a Power Purchase Agreement.

Personnel are currently on the ground working on the connections, and GPL expects to see the project completed by month end. This will bring much needed relief and mitigate blackouts for thousands of residents on the East Coast Demerara corridor.

The Giftland system has a 6.7 megawatts output capacity. However, it only uses 1.6 megawatts during prime operations.

Mr. Ramtahal added preliminary works are also being set in motion for another 30 megawatts of power for the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System to ensure a merry Christmas.

The third project is a “dual engine for Garden of Eden to 46.5 megawatts,” the CEO said.  This is a major project for GPL, which is expected to be implemented by April-June, 2021.

“By that time, we should be able to be in a better position to manage our reliability of electricity in this country,” Mr. Ramtahal said.

The DCEO told DPI since his appointment he has uncovered a number of inconsistencies in the company’s management during the previous administration.

“I’m there for just two weeks, but I’ve discovered [that] over the last four to five years, investments to generation were under five percent, [which is] merely seven megawatts,” Mr. Ramtahal revealed.

“We are trapped with a very low generation reserve and when we have problems, we do not have what you call ‘spinning reserves’ or spare reserves to ensure that the grid is operating in the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System,” he added.

The minimum standard generation reserve in the Caribbean is said to be  30 percent. The purpose of the reserve is to allow reliable connections and ensure supply capacity is always above the demand. When the reserve is too low and power consumption in an area is above normal, this results in a blackout or power outage.