Govt. now blames accidents for majority of countrywide blackouts

Nov 11, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – Director of Power Generation and Distribution at the Guyana Power Light Inc (GPL), Bharat Harjohn, said last Thursday that vehicular and construction accidents are responsible for a vast majority countrywide blackouts which have been plaguing Guyana this year.

According to Harjohn, who was speaking at a press conference hosted by the power company, 99 % of the total power shutdowns experienced by the country has been attributed to such accidents.

“As of recent, we have started to implement penalties,” Harjohn said, as he explained that in addition to working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep up with the country’s surging electricity demands, GPL staff has been battling the road accidents affecting its network.

He said that GPL’s substations have been designed to automatically shut down to protect itself when there is a feedback into system. Accidents can cause such feedbacks especially in cases where a vehicle may crash into a utility pole with high tension wires or high voltage wires.

Harjohn explained too that excavators operating too close to the high voltage wires can also cause a shut down. He said that these machines do not necessarily have to knock down the wires to cause a shut down. If the machine’s metal boom passes too close to the high voltage wires, it can cause severe damage, he said.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Deodat Indar also weighed in on the issue at the press conference. He said saying that the accidents are not only shutting down the substations but damaging GPL’s generators.

“One excavator swing and hit the high voltage wire, 13,000 volts and it feedback into Kingston Power Station and damage three engines,” Indar said, while adding, “The substation shuts down to protect itself but it damaged three of the engines, 2 engines at 5.5 megawatts a piece.” He said that such an incident took place in Essequibo.

“Another time, somebody when burning some bush at the back of Friendship and something fall on the 69,000-volt wire, damaged three engines at Garden of Eden,” Indar continued.

GPL technicians repairing the transmission line at Friendship

The individual was identified as a contractor and the government has taken legal action against him while seeking compensation for the damage to the network and disruption of services.

The contractor broke one of the conductors of an L3 transmission line while conducting unsupervised vegetation clearing in the Friendship Backdam area, East Bank Demerara (EBD) and caused a six-hour-long power outage across the country.

Indar stressed at the press conference that it is very costly to repair GPL’s generators. The Government has expended some $130M to overhaul one of the engines at the Kingston Power station.

GPL has reminded consumers multiple times via public notices that contractors must consult with the company before conducting any construction works near its electrical wires. However, many have failed to comply.

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accidents, country-wide blackouts, Friendship, Govt. blames, GPL

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