Problematic generators fixed but power output still below demand

Jun 13, 2009 News

– GPL spokesperson

The Wartsila engines at the Guyana Power and Light’s Garden of Eden complex are back in operation.
This means that there should be fewer power outages, an official noted while also revealing that the power output is still below demand.
On Tuesday last, Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Chairman Winston Brassington, had announced that more power outages were imminent as the company grapples to gain control of its generators, which have been collapsing recently.
The constant blackouts that were being experienced, were as a result of a number of the units giving problems.
The chairman had said that the difficulties were the worst the company has experienced for the year.
The combination of problems included one of the Wartsila machines being overhauled, which resulted in the lost five and a half megawatts.
Brassington had also said that for months the units, one at Versailles and two Crossley plants at Garden of Eden, have not been working, resulting in a loss of 15 megawatts.
Brassington had said, then, that “the problems will not be fixed overnight. Some parts have to be shipped overseas and so you are looking at a few months more.”
The source did not say if the power company’s battles with the constant problems of units are over, but based on Brassington’s information, many of the 18 mobile caterpillar units are also problematic.
Brassington earlier in the week had also dubbed the situation “a pretty tight” one and had noted that while it was expected to get better by this weekend “we will not be out of the woods totally until the new 21 megawatts come on stream at the end of the third quarter of the year.”
Recently, Chief Executive Officer of GPL, Bharat Dindyal, said that the frequent power outages experienced by consumers, are likely to be significantly reduced shortly, with the acquisition of three new generators.
The generators were acquired at the cost of US$30M through funding by PetroCaribe.
He had said too that his company’s current capacity is meeting the general demand of about 69 megahertz with no reserve, but with the arrival of the generators, Dindyal had said the capacity will be significantly increased.
However, despite this reassurance, consumers have been hard-hit with constant power outages over the past two weeks.
According to the CEO, the generators are more efficient and will be more effective than those currently in use.
He projected that the engines will be commissioned in early September, when there should be power being put in the grid.
Dindyal predicts that the generators will also reduce GPL’s production cost, through a reduced fuel import bill, since each engine generates more than seven megahertz of electricity.
There are ten Wartsila engines in the current system operating at Kingston. The last engine was imported in 1997.

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