GPL says that 37,000 consumers in Demerara, particularly in Georgetown, will see a significant decrease in blackouts as well as shorter periods of outages dues to “extensive infrastructural work conducted at the Sophia 69 kv Substation” last Sunday.
Works on Sunday specifically involved the connecting of old and new equipment at the newly built Sophia Sub-Station, as the company continues to roll out initiatives to modernise its transmission and distribution across the country. GPL Operations Manager and Planning Engineer Kempton France explained that the works done would lead to less outages and shorter periods of outages, as well as a reduction in line losses due to the use of shorter feeders.
In anticipation of the works to be done on Sunday, GPL had indicated that the power in several areas in Georgetown would be out from 08:00 hrs to 17:00 hrs. However, in several areas, residents complained that their power was not restored until much later. In South Ruimveldt in particular, residents say power was not restored until after 20:00 hrs.
The Project’s Manager, Gayle Best, yesterday acknowledged the prolonged outage on Sunday but said that “it could not be helped.” Asked why the works took longer than projected, she explained that the weather played a role in setting works back, stating that a “pause” was necessary because of the tools being used and the nature of the work being done. Once the work was finished though, about an hour after the projected time, she said that tests still had to be run before the system was re-energised.
Yesterday as well, residents around Georgetown complained of several outages, which Gayle said may be occurring as a result of frequency conversion.
The sub-station at Sophia, Gayle said, is the nerve centre of the distribution system, since it is solely responsible for the distribution of power from the generation plants at Garden of Eden, Kingston etc. Initial works at the Sophia station, she said, were done in a “live environment” to facilitate the progression of the project while continuing the supply of power.
The outage experienced yesterday though, she said, was unavoidable because of the nature of the works needed. She said though that such outages will definitely be a thing of the past since “a new sectionalised busbar” which was installed will give them the ability to isolate the outages.
On Sunday, approximately 37,000 customers were affected by the outages, but the same number, Gayle said, will benefit from the improved capacity of the distribution system. The old system, she said, was not sectionalised, which led to mass outages when works were being done.
France shared that works done on Sunday also facilitated the linking of the facility at Sophia with two recently constructed facilities. He also said that before the end of the project the remaining sub-stations will be connected to the system, and that outages will be necessary to facilitate these connections. He gave assurances though, the outage would be better contained, and not as long as the one which occurred on Sunday.
GPL says it hopes to complete the project by the end of August.
