Prime Minister Samuel Hinds yesterday expressed concern that Berbicians have been experiencing “great difficulties” since last Sunday owing to electricity generation problems which have impacted water supply to all consumers, including the hospitals.
Samuel Hinds
“As Minister Responsible for Electricity I would like to extend regrets and assure citizens of Berbice of my concern about the great difficulties they have been experiencing from last Sunday as a result of problems with the electricity generation and supply and consequential problems with water supply; problems at the hospital and indeed problems for every consumer so dependent on the electricity supply,” Hinds stated in his press release issued from the Office of the Prime Minister, Wight’s Lane, Kingston.
However, it was hoped that by yesterday afternoon the No. 4 unit would have been back in service and all the problems on the transmission and distribution lines would have been corrected.
And detailing the problems which once again gave rise to electricity woes in Berbice, the prime minister said there had been two aged 5MW Mirlees-Blackstone generator units at the Canefield generating station but the No. 3 unit had failed beyond economic repair in August 2001, while GPL had been able to keep the other unit, the No. 4, in operation. But whenever this unit develops problems or has to be taken off for scheduled maintenance, he added, there are difficulties.
And last October there was such an episode when leaks developed in a water jacket of the engine.
Then last Sunday problems of low resistance developed in the alternator and to compound this, on Monday afternoon problems developed on the transmission and distribution lines between Canefield and Auchlyne with Albion to Williamsburg being particularly seriously hit.
Moreover, on Thursday afternoon the turbine at the Skeldon Factory tripped and the whole of the Corentyne was without power for about three hours from about 3:30 to 6:30 pm, Hinds said further.
Overall the supply of power during this episode has been better than last October owing to the electricity that is now available from the Skeldon Factory but the prime minister acknowledged that, “the situation is not as robust as it ought to be.”
Meanwhile, Hinds noted that GPL’s Chief Executive Officer Bharrat Dindyal has been directing the troubleshooting of the line problems and the attempts to repair the alternator of the No. 4 unit. “Indeed he is now in East Berbice and his hope is that between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm (yesterday afternoon) the alternator would have passed the resistance tests and the No. 4 unit would have been declared available for service by which time also all the problems on the transmission and distribution lines would have been corrected.”
In the meantime, work is ongoing to rehabilitate and install a purchased, used Mirlees Blackstone unit at the No. 3 position, returning to the 10MW of generation supply at Canefield and utilizing the less costly HFO (Heavy Fuel Oil) instead of diesel by end of September, Hinds stated.
He said further that the No. 4 unit should be rehabilitated and converted similarly to HFO by the end of November, while l a 69 KV transmission link would be installed from the Skeldon Factory to No. 53 Village by the end of September.
This will allow GPL to receive, if needs be, up to about 15 MW from the Skeldon Factory, which is about the current peak demand for Berbice.
“Allow me to assure you that I would keep GPL on track on their capital investment programme to achieve a much more robust situation by the end of the year,” the prime minister assured.
Hinds also noted that the GPL Board and Management are aware of the general rules for reserve capacity requirements for certain levels of reliability.
“We are aware that GPL has been very far below such requirements. We have been working steadily to get there – closing the gap even as demand increases and distribution is extended. Be assured that as minister I would keep on pressing for the best electricity supply in our situation,” he added.
In a letter in Thursday’s edition of the Stabroek News, Berbician Leon Suseran said there had been 114 blackouts in East Berbice so far for 2009.
He added “What are the Chambers of Commerce in Berbice doing? I would like to suggest that they get off their behinds and openly ask for the answers we Berbicians seek! Not one word of complaint and dissatisfaction has been heard from the New Amsterdam, Central Corentyne or Upper Corentyne Chambers of Commerce about the recent spate of blackouts Berbicians have been facing.”
He declared that “If this government has one shred of decency left, they would mandate a commission of inquiry into the Canefield Power Station – not tomorrow, not the next day, not next month but now!”
Extracted: “Prime Minister Samuel Hinds yesterday expressed concern that Berbicians have been experiencing “great difficulties” since last Sunday owing to electricity generation problems which have impacted water supply to all consumers, including the hospitals.”
COMMENT: Sammy, I am concerned and deeply regret that you linked up with the PPP in 1992 as its Prime Minister, because for the past 17 years, all Guyanese have been expressing concerns and regrets. The PPP is 11 years short of matching the PNC’s 28 years in power and it has already been a major failure. When Berbice, a major PPP stronghold, can suffer electirvity outages, while Pradoville can have ‘electricity generators’ it shows where the PPP’s priorities are!
Chambers of commerce and most of these public organizations are scared to publicly criticize the ppp for good reason. Take a look at how the PPP shutdown UNAMCO and several other businesses. You do not want to draw the ire of the dictatorship.
So leon is correct that these people should speak up I think if they do it en masse and they stand together as a group they can play a significant role in forcing the hand of the dictator.
However, in Guyana the syndrome of thinking for each is own has always been a serious problem. If the private sector can work as a team and step up defense of each other they would serve themselves and the country better.
They should take a page out of Yesu Persauds book.
Many people claim that there are no alternatives in the political arena to the PPP that is a cop out and the PPP is themselves trying to use that as their defense and scare tactic.
We need another government to step up and get rid of the dictators constitution that is going to be a huge step forward to change this country.
The AFC submitted a very powerful FOI bill which hopefully SN should publish on their site so people can read it and see that there is leadership in Guyana that is an alternative to the PPP and their slackness. Trotman, Ramjattan and Holder are among a few within the AFC there are several other players who are health administrators in the US, financial experts around the world even many auditors are huge supporters of the AFC.
The private sector privately is what keeps funding the AFC this is why Jagdeo is going ballistic trying to find out “where are they getting this money from?” he is baffled by the fact that people right under his nose who sit and drink beers with him are actually supporters of the AFC both financially and otherwise.
The prime minister is just trying to paper over things and it’s just all talk,GPL is in deep crises keep attacking them Leon,expose the Berbice issue.It is being rumored that the P.M is begging to resign but they are holding back after elections.Try to check this out Stabroeknews.
dont express regrets just get de job done……people paying taxes and for all these stuff…
sure ….yh muss print dis..because i know what i said…bate yall people there…..at de big market paper…
nothing wrang about expressing regret. Dis is another way of keeping de people in de dark using electricity as de excuse.
We should have gotten our priorities right and fix the power problems throughout the country which would stimulate economic growth and then we could have probably financed the berbice bridge without tapping the NIS?
According to Leon’s BCC (Berbice Blackout Counter not Berbice Chamber of Commerce) the count is now 126.
Electricity is not a luxury; it’s a 24/7 basic necessity.
…..m’Lord de romans would say to the us B’ciansthe following….
“post tenebras ,, lux ” !…… juss wait an see !….
m’lord i’m tired ,, had a long enjoyable day on the golf course ,, so forgive my typos ,, let me correct my errors
it should read to “us B’cians the following”…
Doesn’t matter. This ole teacher can decipher any scrawl or scribble or gobblydegook thrown at him.
he regrets !!!. total crap.
berbician suffering from long blackout a while now.
this is not yesterday story.
anyways, when election reach, berbcians will get stable power for that period.
berbice is waste county.
After 17 years the suffering people of Guyana are still being presented with excuses. The people need and deserve solutions. In all nations running potable water, continual supply of electricity, reliable telephone service, food, shelter, free education and public transportation are necessities.
Since independence no government has come near to satisfying or providing the conditions to realize the basics mentioned above.
Since independence the PNC did nothing but destroy Guyana left,right and center and continue to do so in the 17 years of the PPPC,,,For every attempt the Government makes to correct this situation people like you cry discrimination,,,…It is taking a lot out of this Government to get things done under these conditions while other countries continue to prosper. The PNCR feels they own Guyana and unless this is changed things will not get better..
Atta boy Soldier, come back with me and let we try fix up one and two things in we own small way. I just got to wrap up couple things over here in the Queen’s England then is back home. After all, you’re a Soldier Boy. Be brave. Be bold. Return.
It is just amazing to observe through this forum and other situations that have presented them in the past how the pro- government supporters(PPP) sound and behave just like the PNC supporters when they had the reins of power.Conversely the anti government supporters behave and sound exactly like the PPP when they were in opposition .Is it any wonder why we are moving at snails pace when it comes to developing the country?
When PNC was in power their supporters used to say they rather suffer under PNC that prosper under PPP hence they countinued to vote PNC and supported rigging of elections. The result, PPP supporters withdrawing from and not supporting and even sabotaging PNC projects aimed at national development because as they put -it was not their government in power.
Today with the PPP in power the mantra of their supporters is that they must never again be ruled by a PNC government, the result PNC supporters behaving just like PPP supporters while they were in the opposition and of course it is not their government in power. Again I ask is it any wonder why we are not progressing ?
With large sections of the population not being committed to national development when either party is in power the country can not move forward as the nation will never be mobilised once these differences remain. The truth be told we will continue to be stagnated once the positions of the two main political parties and their supporters remain the same.
God help us all.
Solideer you still in the land of the free and home of the brave?
I thought you were going back to live under jagdeo in the great luxurious and security conscious country of Guyana.
Seems like you are all talk and no action just like jagdeo. 2 Peas of a pod.
Where is sase blokenauth to come and profer his apologies and engage us in a discussion as to how to solve this problem of the PPP’s failure to provide basic services and security for our people.
Where are you Mr. Apologist?
hahahhaa soldier i love your sneak in there, PNC responsible for the power problems in berbice eh hahahhaahhahaa.
Yep thats right folks this is the fault of the PHENC 17 years later, ppp stooges continue to live in lala land hoping some miracle can absolve their poo poo poo and the poovillers from their miserable failure as a government and as an institution 17 years after defeating the phenc in the polls.
Ow budday when all yuh gun tek some responsibility for your dismal performance eh?
Soldier i bet this berbice power problems could also be traced all the way back to the british times and also could be because of global warming right? Soldier you have no credibility you are a ppp apologist.
regular, nothing strange.God bless RHT.
I wish he’d bless my home computer. It’s not starting up now in spite of protection from GPL’s vagaries by line conditioner, surge protector and UPS.
The computer repair man say that it’s the UPS giving problems now and it’s the blackout and low voltage caused it. But the battery working now. The Lord in a blessing mood. Hope GPL is held together by proper nuts and bolts and not masking tape.
Don’t weary up yaäl head A HAIR rain falin plenty OVA-HEAD-TANK an PAN-WATA in A-BON-DANCE…the house wives gon DANCE to D PAN-TAP wid dem plastic bucket wen D OVA-HEAD-TANK empty.
Mr. Hinds may-b u is GAAD help D Berbicians. B-kaz D las time A went home (2007) there was water supply for a few hours in the morning on one day and the other in the in the mid-day of the next day. The less fortunate who cannot afford tanks really suffer,especially if they have miners.Can you imagine how frustrating it is when the water CUTS-OUT while the was-machiene is on? Or how agrivating its is while doing GENERAL CLEANING?
And you can expect more “great difficulties” in electricity and water supplies across the country in the near future, and for many years to come.
There are simple solutions to the above-mentioned problems. One word, TECHNOLOGY….knowing that it exists, where to find it and how to use it. Is the government trying to re-invent the wheel?
The government is setting up its people for a major disaster. This is in reference to the multimillion-dollar water well mega project which is already under construction. After these wells are drilled, the water pumps will require very large amounts of dependable and affordable electricity. Got the picture?
I’d like to quote some recent remarks by Dr Yesu Persaud: “People need to remember that the government was elected to serve the people and not the people to serve the government. In this country today, politicians don’t take advice, they have their advisers. You can’t go and advise politicians, unless they ask for it.”
The advisors to the polititions are obviously failing to solve the problems. No more time for talk and promises and regrets. The taxpayers demand and deserve immediate actions and solutions.
Listen to President Obama in Ghana before the Law makers of Ghana. No handout anymore to corrup governments full stop. Its up to Guyanese to shape Guyana.