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Development of Guyana’s Energy Sector

Apr 07, 2015 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
In response to my KN letter of March 27 on the above referenced subject, Teri Phang, an apparent side-kick of Prime Minister (PM) Hinds, attempted to portray him in a letter of April 1 which appeared in the media as the PPP Government’s Minister who has overseen the investment of billions of dollars in rehabilitation and modernization of Guyana’s energy sector including the electrical utility – Guyana Power and Light (GPL) with drastic transformation.
Since 1992 the PPP Govt. and by implication PM Hinds, have never produced a comprehensive strategic plan to develop the energy sector and in the process satisfy Guyana’s growing electricity needs, as GPL has been increasing/upgrading its generating and transmission capacity only when a crisis situation develops and not to meet any planned or predicted demand to satisfy the domestic and industrial requirements of the country. Construction of the Vreed-en-Hoop power plant to provide an additional 20MW bears this out, as the electricity demands for the Tuschen and La Parfaite Harmonie housing developments had outstripped supply, resulting in regular breakdowns and blackouts of GPL on the West Coast.
Leguan and Wakenaam Islands have largely been inhabited by Guyanese/East Indian farmers who have been strong supporters of the PPP over the years. During the 1980’s the then PNC Govt. through GPL provided the Islanders with part-time electricity for the first time. However, the people soon became dissatisfied with the service, but nothing was done to upgrade the system until 2014 when because of the forthcoming elections on May 11, the PPP Govt. decided to provide the Islands with full-time electricity as an inducement for expected support at the polls from the faithful.
During his tenure, PM Hinds has indeed overseen the PPP Government’s investment of billions of dollars on GPL, but instead of making it a reliable and efficient supplier of electricity, the utility has suffered from poor management, became heavily indebted, and has been operating from one crisis to the other as it provides its consumers with daily doses of black-outs and breakdowns not only in Georgetown but the Essequibo Coast, Corentyne and elsewhere in the country.
PM Hinds and his PPP colleagues made GPL a political football, as they approved subsidized electricity for pensioners, Lindeners and others, while spreading the high costs levied for operating and debt servicing of the utility to the remaining poor and rich customers alike.
He failed to plug the losses of electricity due to thefts and system leakages. Instead of resolving these and the many other problems GPL faced, he shifted his attention to reduce the cost for electricity by exploring other possible less expensive sources – wind, solar and hydropower – but he got nowhere, as the decision as to which source should be pursued for development rested with the President and his Ex, who have been calling the shots. Therefore any serious negotiations with power brokers were outside his ambit.
In the end he became frustrated as he realized that he was making no headway to develop the energy sector in any meaningful way, contrary to the drastic transformations Teri Phang claimed he made. His make-believe caught up with him as he recoiled into his laid back temperament of ‘going along to get along’ and which eventually did him in.
Charles Sohan

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