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Genset explodes at Anna Regina power plant
Kaieteur News – Disaster struck at the Anna Regina Power Plant on Wednesday when one of the five caterpillar sets rented by the Guyana Power and Light [GPL], burst into flames.
Reports are that the fire occurred around midday yesterday, as excess smoke was seen emanating from one of the diesel-powered generator sets. The flame was subsequently extinguished by the Guyana Fire Service. There was no damage to any of the four remaining sets.
In a subsequent release, GPL stated that the remaining units were taken offline as a precautionary measure. Load shedding was immediately initiated, and several communities along the Essequibo Coast suffered Power outages. Kaieteur News was reliably informed that communities south and north of Central Anna Regina, endured frequent blackouts during the course of yesterday.
GPL indicated that a probe was launched to determine the source of the fire. There were no official statements on how the damaged Generator set will affect supply of power on the Essequibo Coast.
During the course of 2017 and 2018, residents on the Essequibo Coast had suffered tremendously from continuous blackouts. When the twenty-year-old Wartsila engines outlived their lifespans, Caterpillar backup sets were acquired for emergency power generation. After continuous pressure, quite a few of the caterpillar sets eventually suffered mechanical problems, and before long, the region was back to its blackout woes, until the commissioning of the Power Plant in April 2019, by the then APNU/AFC coalition government.
The three ‘MAN’ diesel and turbo engines, which were procured and installed by Turkish company iLTEKNO, has a total generating capacity of 5.4 megawatts. Kaieteur News understands that the three engines are unable to independently reach the region’s peak demand, which is believed to be 5.8 megawatts. To remedy this problem, GPL has opted to keep five Caterpillar sets, which will aid in power generation for the Coast.
These caterpillar sets, on the other hand, do come with their own limitations. In an article carried by Kaieteur News September 9th 2018, former CEO of GPL, Albery Gordon said that “The Generator sets are not the best choice and that rental is not the way to operate a power company.” The said article also pointed out that rented ‘backup-sets’ have suffered burnt rotor, due to overuse, and it is integral to keep multiple sets on standby to allow working sets to be cooled and be maintained.
More than three years later, and the Anna Regina Power Plan is still incorporating the use of gensets to meet its peak demands. Kaieteur News was unable to confirm whether the generator set in yesterday’s fire overheated due to over use or overload. An investigation has been launched, however, and a subsequent report on this issue will follow.
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