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Government silent on contaminated fuel

Mar 01, 2009 News


A report emanating from the investigation into the contaminated fuel that found its way into an Essequibo power plant damaging key components has been completed, but to date there has been no public pronouncement.
The investigation was ordered by President Bharrat Jagdeo on January 26 last.
The President made the disclosure on Thursday during a press briefing at the Office of the President, while responding to the fact that the contaminated fuel was only discovered after it had already damaged the equipment.

A motion put forward in the National Assembly calling for an investigation into the affairs at the power company was defeated by the Government benches in mid-2008.
In the wake of the report on the contaminated fuel the power company, in a release to the media, stated that a total of 4,000 barrels of heavy fuel oil was dispatched in two approximately equal shipments to the location, one on January 9 and the other one on January 14 last.

The company noted that both shipments arrived at the plant contaminated with water and some foreign solid matter. Samples have since been dispatched to Trinidad for testing to ascertain the extent and type of contamination, given that the testing facilities available locally are limited in their capability. The power company stated that it cannot determine sodium content in the water if indeed the contaminant is sea water.
The company acknowledged that from January 10 to January 14 extensive power outages were experienced by all consumers on the Essequibo Coast. These were attributed to the contaminated fuel.

It was also explained that both engines had suffered some damage, and that repairs were costly.
Chairman of the Board of Directors at GPL, Winston Brassington, had told this newspaper that the company would not comment on who would be made to pay for any losses prior to a review of the facts as they relate to the cause and cost of the contaminated fuel.
A senior official at the company, who requested anonymity, also told this newspaper that Brassington was correct in his assessment, given that there are ways and means of salvaging the fuel, in that the water could be removed.

Hence, a determination of the exact loss could be made only after an accurate analysis of how much water is present in the fuel, and what could be done to extract as much as possible.
The official did confirm that fuel was removed from the company’s depot in Georgetown and taken to Essequibo, where it subsequently damaged some components of the operations there.
BK International, the company that transported the fuel for GPL, had swiftly stated that it was too early to lay the blame on anyone for the delivery of some $40M worth of contaminated fuel to the Essequibo Coast.

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