The new generators and transformers purchased by the government are now expected to arrive in Guyana in early December owing to shipping delays, according to Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar.
The US$27M equipment from Apan Energy was initially slated to arrive in Guyana on November 22 and installation would have been done in time for the Christmas season, significantly reducing the power outages across the country.
Once installed, the new generators would add 28.9 megawatts to the national grid.
When contacted on Tuesday, Indar told the News Room that the generators and transformers were shipped separately to Guyana from different territories.
He noted that here were some “slight” delays with the shipment as it relates to passage via the Panama Canal.
“It’s actually 74 containers. Not just the generators…it’s a whole shipment of stuff coming.
“The engines and all of the accessories are coming on one boat from Honduras directly to Guyana. The transformers came from China…Everything is on its way to Guyana but different components are landing at different timings,” Minister Indar explained.
Despite the delay, Indar said once the shipments arrive, preparations are already in place for installation to commence immediately.
On Tuesday, Indar visited the site in Columbia, East Coast Demerara where the installation of the 17 generator sets will take place. He was accompanied by the contractor and officials from the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Company.
The country’s power company was forced to implement a load-shedding schedule across the country as it did not have the capacity to feed the increase in demand for electricity.
Meanwhile, according to Indar, over the past week, GPL has recorded a decrease in its peak demand to 165 megawatts, without having to remove customers from the national grid.
At present, GPL has the capacity to generate 167 megawatts. The demand at the beginning of November was 172 megawatts.
