Electricity woes for Lethem residents

Feb 11, 2014 News

Residents of Lethem, especially those in the business community, are complaining over the spate of blackouts and non supply of electricity plaguing the Region.
Kaieteur News was informed by some of the residents within Lethem that there has been a spate of blackouts culminating with no power since Saturday. Some of the residents say that they were told by the Lethem Power Company that power will be restored in two weeks time because the generator used to supply Lethem with power is not working.
A frustrated resident said that two weeks is too long and said that with respect to the Lethem Power Company that “they put in a brand new generator October of last year, a 750 KVA generator that they bought from Farm Superinendent, East Bank Demerara. It was told to us that it’s guaranteed power for the next couple of years because the machine comes with warranty and all of that and its surprising that its now four months after and we are out of power, the same generator crank out.”
A Lethem business‘man said that when the generator was being sourced the company was advised that they should purchase the generator from Brazil so that if a problem presented itself, parts for the machine could be easily soured from Boa Vista in Brazil which he said is about an hour and a half drive from Lethem to neighbouring Brazil so the hassle of procuring it from Miami and the “red tape” involved could be avoided.
The residents, because of the non availability of power, are now without water. Guyana Water Incorporated requires electricity to work the pumps which distribute the water. Kaieteur News understands that GWI is trying to get a generator to provide electricity to power the pumps but while that is being coordinated schools within the region are being affected without water.
Attempts to get on to the CEO and Chairman of the Lethem Power Company were unsuccessful but this news agency was reliably informed by an insider of the Lethem Power Company that it’s a big generator that broke down and as a result the blackouts ensued.
He explained that a message was circulated about the breakdown and they are asking persons to be patient while the problem is being fixed.
The official explained that a small engine was used to provide sectional power at various intervals to different parts of the community but that two went down on Saturday last. The official said that mechanical problems caused both breakdowns.
According to the official an engineer came in yesterday and stripped down the machine and determined that the head of the generator is damaged and that part will be transported to Boa Vista (Brazil) to be fixed or replaced and returned to Lethem.
Further, the official said that another mechanical engineer is coming to fix the smaller engine and they are hoping that by today or Wednesday some relief would be forthcoming, and if that is not successful then by Friday the big generator should be up and running.
The official said that they are two big 750 KVA generators in Georgetown that was procured to address the greater influx of power being demanded by Lethem consumers and it has to clear customs and will be headed to Lethem via trucks.
This comes in the wake of the region nine residents seeing an increase in their electricity tariff by the Lethem Power Company to $75 per kwh with effect from January 1, 2014 something which is being petitioned in the National Assembly by APNU (A Partnership of National Unity) Member of Parliament, Sydney Allicock, who said that the increase represents a 54.6 per cent increase over the original, sanctioned tariff of $45 per kwh.

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Electricity woes for Lethem residents

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