Ministers to meet with GPL on Tuesday to address blackouts

Blackouts have been a constant issue faced by Guyanese over the years and yet another administration has promised to address the issue.

At the weekend, the cable which links the Vreed-en-Hoop and Kingston Power plants tripped on a fault causing a total shutdown of the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS). The power outage lasted for almost three hrs.

According to newly appointed Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar, this has been the third such shutdown for the year.

“We now have to ascertain exactly what is the reason for this shut down that is happening and try to put systems to mitigate against it,” he told the News Room in an interview on Monday.

“It is a serious issue for everybody, to have the entire country in blackout for an hour or hour and a half is not something we want under our administration,” the Minister said.

“We’re addressing it with the level of seriousness it needs,” he added.

Indar who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc. said a meeting with set for Tuesday with GPL, the Power Producer and Distributer’s Inc. (PPDI) and Prime Minister Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips.

Phillips is responsible for the Energy sector.

Indar said following Tuesday’s meeting, the Government will be in a better position to decide on the way forward.

However, in the meantime, citizens can expect better communication from the power company on how soon electricity will be restored since he believes this makes the wait seem shorter.

“If people know what is going on, the wait time becomes shorter…I believe that through the Ministry of Public Works and GPL, persons will be more au fait with what’s going on and they understand,” Indar noted.

The Private sector has raised concerns in the past that unreliable electricity hinders investment especially in the manufacturing sector.