…but new station to end power cuts
The current spate of blackouts will get worse before it gets better as the power company continues to be in a tight position between now and early next month when it expects its new Kingston station to come on line.
Guyana Power and Light Chairman Winston Brassington gave this assessment to the media yesterday following another tour of the Kingston power plant. The company continues to lean on its old 44 MW Kingston station while another of its machines is scheduled to return to operation next week after being out since January for servicing and repairs.
Reporters were taken around the station and given a detailed explanation of the intricacies of the plant which is to undergo testing in the first week in November and then connected to the power grid. Close to 20 persons have already been trained to run the station which is fully automated.
It is expected to contribute more than 20% of the power for Demerara and once up and running it will bring an end to the blackouts, Brassington said.
“But in the interim we continue to be in a tight position because we have to do load shedding. So the situation is about to get a little worse before it actually gets better,” he told reporters.
Outlining reasons for the power outages, he explained that the company is depending on a 44-megawatt station that is limited since it is very old.
He further explained that in order to accommodate the new plant, the network has to be re-engineered. Currently, power generation comes from the Garden of Eden plant and from Kingston in equal amounts, but the new system would facilitate a greater supply from Kingston.
With the increase in demand too he said the new plant was extremely necessary. He pointed out that more pressure is being placed on the system and with the development of more housing schemes and the more than 40,000 homes to be powered the company is forced to make the investments.
However, he said the company stands on its own with whatever tariffs it receives since the concessions it received from government when the price of oil plummeted have been removed.
He noted that assistance is still given for capital projects which include repairs and upgrades to the transmission network from Georgetown to Parika which would help to boost the system’s reliability.
Meanwhile in terms of looking at sources of new power, Brassington explained that the transmission lines from Skeldon to Number 53 village do not have the ability to take all the power between the two areas. So currently a project is ongoing to have the appropriate lines established between Skeldon and Number 53 village and this is scheduled for completion this month.
An upgrade is also ongoing at the Canefield power station in Berbice which will facilitate the use of heavy fuel oil instead of diesel in engines which should trickle down to less fuel expenses for the company.
In the meantime, the company does not expect rates to increase once all remains constant in the price of fuel.
Conversely, on whether consumers could see a reduction in rates, Brassington could make no commitment but noted that once the company is able to save on fuel expenses it may be able to pass this on.
We have been having blackouts since the mid to late 70s, and the best we can get from this inept and corrupt government is that blackouts will get worse before consumers can see changes for the better? And Dr. Randy Persaud says that contrary to newspapers stories, Guyana is on the move? Over 30 years of blackouts and Guyana is on the move? Which other Caribbean, South American or Central American nation gets blackouts for 30 years? We expected better of the PPP, but it seems like the PPP will get worse before things will get better under a new government!
…. dandy Andy like de delectable danish cookies ,,, ur comment is like an essay by a second standard pupil ! in this context ,, intelligent adults ,, intellectuals an mo ,, would dismiss it as puerile rhetoric ,, ME ?????? i would tell yuh to shut up aredi ,,, havin said dat ,, here’s the answer to remedy the problem ! something u an de ressah de cult is bereft of ,, wah ah talkin bowt ??? ah talkin bowt stop complainin ,, condemnin ,, critisin ,, cawin ,, cartwheelin ,,
an apply intelligence to make it better !… fuh ALL de people
it could be “rolls & royce” made now by BMW from south east UK
an even installed by dem in demerary — m’Lord why yuh peltin Satish ,, yuh nah bin can use yuh slingshat ?? — it gon still need de local “ENGINEER/S” ,, unless de guvament gon retain de engineers fum BMW ,,,, dem en gat money fuh dah ! not having qualified engineers ,, an substitutin enginefar fuh de real mccoy ,, den is back to de trail of cow pies ! ,,, slush ,, slush ,, blackout ,, slu……. ah talkin bowt ENGINEERS by EDUCATION !….. qualified diesel engineers…. is wah dem engine wukin pan ?????? hydrogen ?????? dan dat is an unendin supply ah mena fuh eva ,, cas dah deh allova ,, yuh en gat fuh buy dah ! de prablem is do the guvament or any ah de apahzishan gat de intelligence on how to harness de hydrogen ????????????????????????????????????????????????????
if yuh gon condemn be sure to have the answer to correct ,, wah yuh condemnin
For some reason I think G.P.L. is buying the cheapest transformers on the market with outputs that are totally dependent on their inputs. Higher inputs higher outputs. What Guyana needs are saturating transformers that maintain the same output over a range of voltages. These most likely cost more and therefore are not in G.P.L’s. network.
Another factor could be G.P.L’s. method of distribution from the transformer. If G.P.L. runs a connection capable of handling 100 amperes to a house and 2 illegal connections are tapped off that connection before the legal consumer’s meter, parts of the original 100 ampere cable will now be loaded for 3 houses. That would be 300 amperes resulting in excessive heat, breakdown of insulation and eventual shorting of cables, sparking and fire. Illegal connections in addition to being a denier of revenue can also unbalance a network.
SO IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE “SHOCKING” NEWS THAT GPL HAS NO ADEQUATE POWER.
Forget intelligence and common sense where is your
conscience? Oh I forgot you now live in Canada where you never have to put up with what we have to endure.
Because now you live a well lit country, without water problem, and you are on the road is as smooth (probably) as your face.
You now got computer and have become a blogger you’re ready to insult us with your sheaving cream for comments. Even though mind has been set that Guyana is the last place on earth you will live. But you know good living ain’t long life.
Chinaman, sorry for you buddy.
Buy a charger for them batteies, because we will miss the up todate happenings in guyana. If not we have to wait until the following day for the papers.
colin2nice, where is you Guyana flag. Are you on vacation in the big apple.
After the horrible fire in Georgetown and with fingers pointing to the GPL as source, it is clearly a damage limitation exercise that Reporters were taken for a tour of the Kingston power plant due to come on stream in a couple of weeks time. AT LEAST SOMETHING IS BEING DONE AND IT DOES NOT ALL APPEAR TO BE EMPTY PROMISES.
When Mr Brassington said that the new additions will bring an end to the blackouts in Demerary, perhaps the reporters should have asked for that in writing with his name signed at the bottom of the guarantee.
“Demerary” – spelt like a true Englishman!
More garbage/trash talk from you, what is your point ?.
Dont blame the govt Satish the government cannot be responsible for all these things ailing the country?
After all what is the opposition doing? as fast as GPL getting things fixed the Opposition causing trouble protesting and stuff about some guy name Raja Khan.
Satish we must be patient we need to hold more yagna’s and pray hard budday, pray pray pray so we mek sure that we covered.
… m’Lord i leff me foot prints in the local news section ,, an SN/moderator/AXER mek fishfood wid all of everything dat i leff ,, but i en mad ,, i laff hearty caz it was more of being the devil more than being serious ,, cos there was nuff acid to go around ,, i guess i was just mad at the world ,,, or more correctly ,, those who in dis world dat always can only see fit to make life unbearable fuh adahz !
it is beyond me to fathom the diff ,, some have in seeing that which is so simple to solve ! yet dem gat fuh spend 100s of millions to make an ass out of demself ! doin dat generally would mek anybadi laff ,, i would too ,, caz i like a joke like anybadi else ,, but wen it come to usin adah people money fuh mek yuhself an ass den i have a prablem wid it ,, which is why wah meh seh ,, is de reason why de AXER din have time to read ,, he juss start swingin,, an bfoe yuh knoe ,, it was all ready fuh de fishes !!….. anyway tomaro is anadah day till den doan leh de black out bite !….
This is good news good news, The media loves to sensationalize the sensational. oh my it must be global warming and the PNC that causing this blackout problem.
Folks have you seen our don Valley parkway style lights? Folks have you seen our lovely new bridge? there is no bridge like this in the world you know? i mean no country would build a pile of crap like the one we just built.
But hey all we can do is criticize right? dont listen to the malcontents folks they have no right to demand better after 17 years of waste and mismanagement.
We need another 28 years of bastardization before things will get better.
I have seen a column in KN that these 2 generators came from Suriname and are 2nd hand. I would like the answers to these questions.
(1) did they arrive back track
(2) are they like christmas trees and gets thrown out after xmas is over then back to the status quo.
Yes Brandon,an de blackouts is de pnc falt,becas dey start it fuss,we only gat it now becas we inheritt it from dem(de pnc)it de wuss in dey time!Heeheehee!
And is global warming causing the country to be hat.
Airconditioners being sent in by the loser families in the US and canada causing us to not be able to have enough lectricity.
We have to give Raja khan mo land to build 2 or 4 more of dem housing scheme.
17 years after the PPP took over with the promise of making Guyana a paradise within a short time we are still plagued with the same problems and more empty promises. How easy it was to criticize from the outside. Now that they have the opportunity to do better we are still back to square one.
Our young people want to have a life and they want it now. Time and tide wait on no man. It has now been almost a whole generation of waiting on the PPP – enough is enough!
“Change(negative) and decay, all around I see”. Prophetic words by the hymnist of old. O’ beautiful Guyana. My lovely native land……
Devine Father, please help Guyana rid itself of the bums in power.
d.d.
They replaced bigger bums and degenerates who pillaged and mis-managed since 1964.
You should be praying that that lot does’t get their sticky fingers back on the helm of ‘O Beautiful Guyana!!!
MAY THE LORD HELP YOU….. AS IF NO ONE KNOWS WHAT IS HAPPENING OVER THERE IN YOUR LAND OF PARADISE….THE BIG APPLE
Amrit if you think them had sticky fingers then you should tek a closer look now, today dem nah a hide and duck lakka before dem a tek as if ah dem wan.
I noticed the word Load shedding,it’s all talk about fixing this and fixing that,then take the media for a tour to see the new plant,someone there in the media team should be an Engineer and question Mr.Brassington about the plant,so his words can not be taken for granted.
“someone there in the media team should be an Engineer”. My thoughts exactly. But I guess the reporters were suitably over-awed by all dem big-big injin and nuff-nuff monitors and switches, not realizing that it only takes the hot, humid dusty (yes, dust brought all the way over the Atlantic from the Sahara) tropical air of Guyana to corrode the best hi-tech steel from the cool temperate less humid climes. They should have asked questions about the maintenance of the machinery, like: Are diesel engines or steam turbines used? How regularly are they serviced?
Let me tell you what happens just before and after a blackout. Just before a blackout, the voltage fluctuates and can damage unprotected appliances. If the fluctuations are severe, even protected appliances are not safe. Then when the blackout actully hits, there’s a very short-duration voltage spike caused by self-induction as GPL’s circuit tries vainly to maintain voltage, and that spike can DAMAGE appliances. The reverse happens when power is restored, only this time the spike lasts longer and becomes a surge, which can also damage appliances, until the voltage stabilizes back to normal. So for those who say, “one-one blackout nah nuting”, well it’s nuting, until it’s your building that’s on fire. Be forewarned. Be forearmed.
I hear you brother. Incidentally, I had to purchase two 3000 watts stabilizers for my appliances while living in Guyana. In fact, they are still resting in my home on the West Demerara. I think that GPL does not accept liability for any damage that is attributed to their fault but I may be wrong. The electricity problem needs to be fixed but its faults seem to overwhelm the skill capacity of the local engineers. I honestly wish that I knew the answer…
Why keep appliances plugged in during blackout?
Hack we have to be patient the government is working on the problem. I know i know they have been working on it for 17 years but hack you just got to be patient budday.
Hack do not listen to the malcontents who are wicked they are so wicked they just will not be patient I mean look how fast 17 years fly by before we know it another 17 gonna go by and by then you gonna have 2 blackout per day instead. I mean this is progress right? you cannot deny that.
Gtbeat; I know you, you were born during the infamous era of ‘blackouts’, under the undemocratic PNC regime.
For the above reason., you are now a ‘blackout specialist’!
“Why keep appliances plugged in during blackout?” Apart from the tiny complication of not being home when the blackout hits, or not wanting to get up at 1/2/3 in the morning when it hits, this does nothing to address the pre-outage spikes!
So your question should really be “Why plug in appliances at all?”
Einstein…
Thanks for saying it for me, Griot. Blackout at 10:29 PM last night. Then I shut down and went to bed. And the power came on back about 45 minutes later…
Griot and Hack there may be an innovation ting at hand here, if we can just develop or train a monkey to run around de house and haul out all de plugs when de blackout hit and then plug dem back in when de currant come on.
We may be on to something here fellas? we could train dem ting and sell dem to de govt and mek some money….. tink tink fellas tink…
BS, you sending we to Monkey Mountain now to ketch some monkeys now. CA alredy suggested using ‘lectrik heels.
Samaroo; and then we can call the money, ‘monkey money’.
OH DEAR GOD, JUST WHEN I THINK THINGS WOULD START TO IMPROVE IN THIS BACKWARD COUNTRY. THE CONSTANT BLACKOUT HAS ALREADY DAMAGED NUMEROUS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND OBVIOUSLY THEY HAVE HAD TO BE REPLACED WITH NEW ONES (GOOD FOR THE APPLIANCE STORE, NOT GOOD FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO STRUGGLE TO MAKE THE MONTHLY PAYMENTS); THIS CRAP STARTED SINCE I WAS A CHILD LIVING IN KITTY AND IT WAS MOST FRUSTRATING WHEN I COULD NOT DO MY HOMEWORK OR STUDY AT NIGHT BECAUSE I WAS IN THE DARK. BURNHAM HAD THE NERVE TO TELL US TO STUDY BY LAMP AND CANDLE LIGHT. OF COURSE THERE WERE NO COMPUTERS THEN, BUT I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT MANY PARENTS IN GUYANA TODAY HAVE MADE SACRIFICES TO GET THEIR CHILDREN A COMPUTER BECAUSE WE ALLL KNOW HOW USEFUL IT IS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO HOMEWORK AND THE MORE WE USE IT, THE MORE WE LEARN. THE CONSTANT BLACKOUT CONTINUES TO DAMAGE PROCESSORS ALL OVER THIS BACKWARD COUNTRY WHERE EVEN IF EVERYONE HAD A GENERATOR, THE DAMAGE IS ALREADY BEEN DONE BEFORE SWITCHING TO THE GENERATOR WHENEVER THERE IS BLACKOUT. A COMPUTER HAS TO BE SHUT DOWN, NOT JUST SUDDENLY INTERRUPTED, SO TO THE GENIUS AT GPL MAY I ASK JUST HOW MUCH WORSE DOES THIS HAVE TO GET? AND WHY ARE YOU SURPRISED WHEN PEOPLE STEAL OR BORROW ELECTRICITY WHEREVER THEY CAN GET IT. SURELY THIS WONDERFUL GOVERNMENT DOES NOT EXPECT TOURISTS TO COME THERE AND DEAL WITH THIS, OR DO THEY? I SPENT 3 WEEKS IN GUYANA RECENTLY AND EVERY SINGLE DAY THERE WAS BLACKOUT. OF THE 20 NIGHTS I SPENT THERE, THE HOTEL HAD TO SWITCH TO THEIR STANDBY GENERATOR AT LEAST 16 NIGHTS. I MEAN DAY AND NIGHT, IT WAS A DISASTER BECAUSE WHEN THE ELECTRICITY GOES OFF, SO DOES THE HOT WATER. NO WONDER THIS COUNTRY IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL. THIS BLACKOUT CRAP DOES NOT EVEN HAPPEN IN SOUTH AFRICA OR EVEN IN CUBA. CUBA FOR GOD SAKE!!
I GUESS THIS IS WHAT JAGEDO MEANS WHEN HE SAYS THE COUNTRY IS DEVELOPING AND THINGS ARE IMPROVING. MAY GOD HELP THE PARENTS WHO WORK ALL DAY AND COME HOME AT NIGHT TO HELP THEIR CHILDREN WITH HOMEWORK, OR TRY TO READ A BOOK TO THE LITTLE ONES BEFORE PUTTING THEM TO BED (OR IS THAT TOO MUCH OF A LUXURY)? SEEMS LIKE A BASIC NECESSITY LIKE ELECTRICITY IS TOO MUCH TO ASK. WHAT A DAMNED SHAME FOR A COUNTRY CONSTANTLY GETTING MONEY FROM THE US AND JUST ABOUT EVERY PLACE ELSE. WHAT THE HELL IS THE MONEY BEING SPENT ON? I WISH SOMEONE CAN SHOW ME, BECAUSE EVERYTIME I GO THERE I LOOK FOR SOME MINUTE IMPROVEMNT, BUT CAN SEE, PERHAPS IT IS NOT VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE. FOR TWO DAYS AT MY SISTER’S HOUSE I COULD NOT EVEN CHARGE MY PHONE, AND THESE ARE THE KIND OF THINGS THAT CAUSE US NOT TO WANT TO COME HOME. I DO HOPE THE GOVERNMENT UNDERSTANDS THAT.
OK. I understand. But did you have to say it ALL IN CAPS? Doesn’t make for ease of reading, especially when is nuff-nuff ting you got to say. And good ting tuh.
I do understand your frustrations, don’t allow our backward
Government and GPL to rune your holiday weekend, I experience
the same dodo last month my friend dubaiciti.
dubaiciti, you ony forgot to add Amen at the end.
Dubai city good points but you have to mek this thing readable budday….
dubaiciti; the propagandists and apologists of the PPP administration, will show you ‘the cricket stadium’ on the East Bank roadway, as ‘big-big’ evidence of progress!
Light lets not forget the Don Valley PKWY style lights on the road to Parika and the Bridge that no other country has and wants.
The demand for electricity has increased expediently, with all the new housing schemes,even Black Bush got power and Sharma made promises to electricute everybody if he is elected.
Quite simple it’s an aging system…not lack of fuel during that other Govt.
Did you mean exponentially instead of expediently? If Sharma said as you described ,he is on to depopulating the country. Maybe the man said “electrify” the communities. There is a difference.
“and Sharma made promises to electricute everybody”…are you sure he said that?….he should be in prison by now for these threatening remarks,for there will be not one single person in guyana left alive…..
Bora you have obviously not had the pleasure of watching Sharma on TV,so that you won’t get, here is another one,while interviewing an Amerindian women, Sharma queried how long have you been an Amerindian?
And you are right the word should have been exponentially(brains going faster than my typing)
…. gtbeat ! aow ,, yuh shor mitta shama seh dat to a female of de native family ???????????????????? de lady shudah aks ‘e if ‘e related de masacuraman or de relic habeeb khan !……. “how lang she is an amerindian” ! mon dieu !…