US$9M E’bo power plant experiencing mechanical problems

Jul 04, 2020 News

One year later…

The newly commissioned $1.8 billion Power plant on the Essequibo Coast is already in jeopardy, now that two of the three new generator sets are reportedly experiencing mechanical problems.

The newly commissioned Turkish made engines at the Anna Regina power plant

In 2019, the Guyana Power and Light, commissioned the 5.4 megawatt power plant on the Essequibo Coast, with the goal of bringing an end to the blackout woes which previously plagued the region. This was however short-lived as frequent load-shedding has been hitting the Essequibo Coast over the past week.
The three newly installed engines at the Anna Regina Power Plant are MAN diesel turbo engines, which were supplied and installed by Turkish company iLTEKNO. Each engine produces 1.8 megawatt of power, amounting to a total of 5.4 megawatts.
During the commissioning of the power plant in April, 2019, the Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson had pointed out that the three generator sets are a permanent solution to solving the blackout woes. He also stressed the need for proper maintenance so that the engines can see their 20-years life span.
Patterson went on to say during the ribbon cutting last year, “I was reliably informed that the electricity supply has vastly increased. The peak demand for generated power is 5.1 megawatts and we’re producing 5.4 megawatts, so there is a reserve. Also we have on standby three Caterpillar sets, which will give an additional 5 megawatts. So in all Essequibo has about 100% redundancy, which is even better than Demerara.”
Based on information sourced from within the power plant, two of the three newly purchased units are presently experiencing mechanical problems. With just one proper functioning engine, and two backup Caterpillar sets, the Anna Regina plant has been producing an average of 4.6 megawatts, which is below the peak demand for power on the Essequibo Coast.

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