The Guyana Power and Light company (GPL) Thursday said it is ready to buy electricity from private generators, starting with the Giftland Mall.
This comes following an announcement by the company that it is currently experiencing a shortfall of 23 megawatts of power and this means that customers in Demerara and Berbice must brace for blackouts.
In a statement, GPL said that in keeping with government’s vision to enhance the generating and reserve capacity of GPL Inc., and to meet the needs of its customers, the new Board of Directors considered the proposal from MCG Investments Inc (Giftland Mall) to enter into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with GPL Inc.
In a statement, the company said the Board authorised management to move forward with efforts to finalize a PPA Agreement with MCG Investments Inc. that met the needs and interests of the Company.
“The Board also instructed GPL Inc. to ensure all of the legal and regulatory modalities were satisfied,” the company stated.
While the legal and regulatory modalities are being completed, GPL said the Board also authorised GPL Inc. to commence inviting Expressions of Interest (EoIs) from other potential power providers with immediately available generation capacity who may be interested in supplying electricity to GPL Inc.
It was just two days ago that the company announced that due to unforeseen occurrences and generation/operational issues, it is challenged with providing the required generation during peak demand.
Due to a defective transformer at its Onverwagt, Berbice Substation, the company is unable to export 6.9 MW of power to the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System. Additionally, a 5.5 MW generator at the Canefield Power Plant is unavailable because of scheduled maintenance.
At the Kingston Power Plant, a 6.9 MW unit is unavailable due to a defective alternator, which had to be sourced overseas. The alternator has arrived, and repairs are expected to be completed by the end of the week. Thereafter the unit will return to operation by next Monday.
At the Garden-of-Eden power station, GPL said 4MW is unavailable as the company awaits the arrival of replacement parts for the defective components for the plant there.
The company is aggressively injecting efforts to ensure all units are returned to operation in the shortest possible time.
“However, with a deficit of approximately 23 MW, customers in Demerara and Berbice will experience periods of service disruptions,” the company stated.
“Notices and public advisories will be published to inform and prepare customers.”
