Fed up of blackouts, Jagdeo hints at management shake-up at GPL

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo says he, like many other Guyanese, is tired of the excuses given by the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) concerning power outages.

As the government pursues an ambitious modernisation plan for the power supply, Jagdeo hinted at a possible shake-up of the power company’s management.

“With the massive plan for transformation, I don’t think the current management can lead that process, that they can address all the issues and our plans,” Jagdeo, who is also the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), said at his Thursday press conference.

The Vice President was responding to queries about the recent spate of outages. On Thursday, Jagdeo said he was told that lightning had disrupted the power distribution structure and caused that day’s outage. At an earlier press conference, he said he was told rats had disrupted operations.

However, he reminded reporters that the government is building mega power distribution towers and a brand-new distribution system. The forthcoming Wales gas-to-energy programme is expected to significantly increase the amount of power available locally, adequately meeting current demand.

In addition, it was reported earlier that the government could hire the Dominican Republic’s InterEnergy Group to supervise the grid upgrade and expansion work being undertaken by GPL