COVID-19 pandemic a setback for delivery of new generating sets for GPL

The supplier of the US$41 million power generating sets for the Guyana Power and Light company (GPL) has faced challenges in manufacturing the sets due to the COVId-19 pandemic, Albert Gordon, the company’s Chief Executive Officer said Tuesday.

He said the sets were being manufactured in Italy, but because that country was hit hard by the pandemic, the manufacturing was moved to Finland.

The sets being acquired will be dual purpose and would be able to utilise natural gas from the local Oil and Gas sector.

The investment forms part of GPL’s expansion programme, which is geared at ensuring that the utility company has adequate generating capacity.

The new generator sets will add 46 Megawatts (MW) in total to the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS), which serves customers from West Coast Demerara to Moleson Creek on the Corentyne Coast; the system also serves customers south to Kururu on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway and to Timehri, East Bank Demerara.

The new generating sets, which will be supplied and maintained by Finnish company, Wartsila.

The coastal generation is largely handled by Power Producers and Distributors Incorporated (PPDI), which is state-owned, and was contracted to operate and maintain the power plants on behalf of GPL.

The company is responsible for a total electrical output of 106.7 megawatts within the Demerara to Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS), sourcing from four power plants, namely Garden of Eden (22 MW), Kingston #1 (22MW), Kingston #2 (36.3 MW) and Vreed-en-Hoop (26.4 MW).