GPL meeting Monday to decide on new generators, buying power from Giftland

The Board of the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) will Monday decide if to buy two new generators from Macorp and source power from the Giftland Mall as the power company struggles to provide reliable power since the damage to its submarine cable on June 2.

This was announced Friday by Director General of the Ministry of Presidency Joseph Harmon on Friday at a Post Cabinet media briefing.

He said that the Power Purchase Agreement to source five megawatts of electricity from Giftland was finalised but will have to be agreed to by the GPL board, given that there are legal regulations that may need to be considered.

Consideration was also being given to buying five megawatts from Banks DIH Limited, but Harmon said the company may not have excess capacity.

Since the damage to the main submarine cable, a substitute cable was installed across the Demerara River linking the Vreed-en-hoop and Kingston substations.

The temporary 13.8 kilovolts cable, Harmon said, was energised last Wednesday, transferring six megawatts of power from the Vreed-en-hoop substation to the Kingston substation.

Harmon said that the installation of the alternate cable led to a significant reduction in load shedding or blackouts.