Electricity woes and the nation

Sep 27, 2014 Editorial

For some three decades Guyana has been plagued by power shortages. These shortages date back to the days when the country was cash-strapped and could not replace the generators and turbines that had been in place for more than five decades. These generators and turbines were installed when the demand for electricity was minimal.
Georgetown, the capital had to be powered and later the authorities extended the power supply to the lower East Coast Demerara. With the advent of independence the supply of electric power was extended to even more Guyanese until the stage was reached where many households began to take electricity for granted. And that is how it should be in any country since electricity is no longer a luxury.
Gradually the generators collapsed until Guyana was left with a mere output of eight megawatts. This was the beginning of the power shortage. In fact, things got so grim that at one time there was the fear that the country could have been without power.
The situation gradually improved. Guyana imported engines from Wartsila and Caterpillar generators from Florida but there was never adequate power. Despite the shortfall, the government continued its expansion programme designed to take power to every household along coastal Guyana.
But by then major companies had opted for self-generation. They argued that the supply from the national grid was unreliable and more expensive than if the companies had to generate their own power.
And the power supply was inadequate. The major shipbuilding facility was forced to scale down its operations because it could not get power when it needed it. Canning plants bought by the government could not go into operation simply because there was no power to operate them. These are white elephants to the point that an observer would describe the investment in these canneries as a waste of money.
There have been serious efforts to end the power shortages. Guyana placed the management of the company into foreign hands—Electricity Support Board Inc. –changed the management structures and other things. None worked, and in the end the government had no option but to repossess the power company.
Gifts from the Japanese helped somewhat but were not enough to stop the power outages which, according to the management, were due to the inability of the company to take out those machinery that needed maintenance, when the maintenance schedule had arrived.
The nation expressed some hope when the government installed a 20-megawatt plant at Kingston soon after it had scrapped the steam turbine that had long outlived its usefulness. On the occasion of the commissioning, Prime Minister Sam Hinds, who holds responsibility for the electricity sector, announced that blackouts were now things of the past. He has had to eat his words.
Even when the government installed a second twenty-megawatt plant, the situation has not changed and it is unlikely to remain unchanged for a long while yet. It is true the extent of blackouts has been reduced but there are blackouts never the less.
There is a massive construction on the western bank of the river where the government is installing another major electricity plant but this has problems. Aspects of the programme are stalling the schedule. It is as though the feasibility studies missed crucial elements of the programme.
Today, we hear that the absence of power from the Skeldon co-generation plant is responsible for the repeated blackouts in both Berbice and Demerara. This is a bitter pill to swallow for many reasons. The amount of power from the Skeldon plant has never been more than six megawatts. The removal of six megawatts could in no way be responsible for the spate of blackouts, some lasting for as long as six hours.
One must wonder whether something else is not amiss. One must also wonder about the out of crop season when the factory might not have the bagasse to power the turbines.
Whatever the case the time is now and has long been so when blackouts should be history in Guyana. If we are to enter the modern world which we say is a must, then the least we could do is guarantee the people a reliable power supply.

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