Minister Patterson can face the Committee of Privilege

Feb 18, 2017 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I thank your newspaper for my letters on the subject of GPL that have been published so far. Below is my conclusion. As with the case of the other two, I begin with a sub-heading.

The Road to Electricity Loss Reduction
GPL reduced losses from 45% in 2002 to below 29% by the end of 2014. Concerning the current PUUP (Power Utility Upgrade Programme) with a target of reducing electricity losses to 7% (5% technical and 2% commercial) in areas of earlier interventions we found that there were some Guyanese who set out to beat any “unbeatable” metering system installed and they were successful. We found that identifying various areas for commendation and others for shaming by the semi-annual publication of the losses by geographical areas across the GPL network was very effective (commercial losses indicated as low as 3% in a few areas and as much as 40% in other areas), but the new administration has discontinued that approach. How serious are they in reducing losses?

Taking Responsibility for GPL
Finally we are concerned about the Hon Minister’s attitude to taking responsibility for GPL. On Sunday 12th February, much of Georgetown and the East Bank of Demerara and likely the entire Demerara Berbice Interconnected System suffered a power outage from about 8:00pm to 10:30pm and other areas from about 10:00pm to the next morning. Today, (Monday 13th February), as I write this at my office in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition (Church Street, between New Garden and Peter Rose Sts.); I again suffered an outage from about 2:00pm to 3:00pm. I thought again of this presentation of the Hon Minister which did nothing to ease my concerns, concerns we felt obliged to share with our fellow customers of GPL, all of us citizens of Guyana wanting to develop our country.
It is true as the Hon Minister said he did not receive in GPL “a silver plated company”: it is true that he did not receive a company already with the extent of redundancy that would be expected in an electric utility in a developed, rich country. But the Hon Minister should have been comforted with the fact that he received a tremendously improved company: with dependable generation increased from 30MW to about 130MW; with power extended to about 170,000 customers from about 75,000 in 1992 whilst increasing the time the typical customer received electricity, from about 50% to more than 95%. We left GPL like much in Guyana, a great work in progress.
In 1992 the PPP/C met a proposal to take the first step in advancing from the elementary long direct feeder line approach to installing three (3) substations in the network. In 1992 we considered the installation of new generators and the extensions of electricity to be the priorities. We were eventually able to arrange the financing for the Transmission and Distributor upgrade programme. Thus the GPL the Minister received, among other things, had recently completed the installations of nine (9) substations with twenty-seven new distribution feeders, a new control centre with modern control capability with the need recognized and arrangements initiated from additional substations.

Vreed-en-Hoop Power Station
The Hon Minister spoke disparagingly about the sitting of the Vreed-en-Hoop station, in a swamp. He should be advised that many books speak about Georgetown and the developed Guyana coastlands being in an intertidal swamp, kept dry by the seawalls and kokers. He should be advised that the old (now abandoned) Versailles station was flooded by a number of high tides each year. He should have a look at what remains of the first power station at Kingston and be advised that to facilitate the delivery of fuel and to provide water for cooling many power stations are placed on the banks of rivers. The Vreed-en-Hoop location is a very natural and logical location. We of the PPP/C are ready to admit that as we Guyanese progress we find ourselves more and more in learning situations at the forefront of local experience and practice. There were a number of things learnt as we proceeded with the Vreed-en-Hoop power station.
With respect to the contract for the fuel pipeline, subsequent to awarding the contract, we increased the pipe size (to reduce fuel discharge time) and laid it on piles rather than on the river dam and this incurred a worthy increase in cost. GPL had discussed the drawings with all the relevant parties but as the job progressed MARAD recognized that the ship unloading fuel would be in a channel and called for changes to take the discharging ship out of the channel, creating the need for dredging and maintaining a discharging basin. Nearly every dock along the Demerara River requires periodic dredging.
In his speech the Hon Minister seemed to be bemoaning the fact that only recently the dock had been put in use (GPL has been trucking fuel across the Demerara Harbour Bridge until lately). The Minister should be aware that he has been in the seat for some eighteen months now. Many of the things he bemoaned are now his responsibility, his challenge. He may be condemning himself.
In conclusion: To the Committee of Privilege
After giving this comprehensive response to the many misguided statements and misinformation provided by the Minister of Public Infrastructure particularly on the Wartsila contract and the AFHP appraisal, when the motion on GPL was debated it is expected that he either publically correct these misleading statements or we will seek to take him to the Committee of Privilege.
Bishop Juan Edghill, PPP/ MP

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