Reading the Riot Act requires knowing the problem

Apr 04, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – On January 14, 2002, the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) was forced to shut down the Garden of Eden generating plant after it noticed elevated temperatures on the complex’s generating sets. It was suspected initially that the problem had to do with fuel entering the exhaust system.

Fearing an explosion the system was shut down. As a consequence, some 45 MW of power was taken out of operation, more than one-third of peak demand. It was not the first time that there was a shortfall in generating capacity at that facility. In 2009, some 15MW was taken down because of problems. Months later and after flying in the experts from overseas, the problem had not yet been diagnosed. Onto today it is not clear whether the problem was identified.

There have been frequent blackouts recently which have left consumers displeased. As a result, the President of Guyana summoned the GPL to a meeting at which it was said he read ‘the Riot Act’ to those present.  The only reason why President Irfaan Ali should have to warn those present of consequences if results were not forthcoming is if the problem has been diagnosed and the remedial steps identified. Only when the determined actions are not implemented and the problems not resolved should the President be reading the Riot Act.

In any situation where the metaphorical ‘Riot Act’ must be ‘read’ it is necessary to first conduct a thorough and precise diagnosis of the underlying issue at hand.. Accurate diagnosis involves gathering relevant information, analyzing data, and discerning between symptoms and underlying problems. Accurate diagnosis enables the formulation of informed strategies. The process of reading the ‘Riot Act’ then becomes not merely an exercise in authority, but a deliberate and conscientious effort to fix the problem.

Unfortunately, we are no closer to understanding the cause of GPL’s recurrent problems since the PPPC’s return to office. It is very infantile for the present PPPC government to be blaming lack of investments by the former government. Even if we accept the position that the system was not properly maintained between 2015 and 2020, what was the PPPC doing from August 2020 to now?

Instead of engaging in the blame game, the government needs to identify the source of the problem and to take corrective action. Reading the Riot Act may be good for theatrics but unless there is an independent diagnosis of the problem, the wrong decisions are likely to be repeated.

The first thing therefore that the President ought to have done was to appoint an investigating team to examine the problem and to make recommendations about what needed to be done. If the problem is that there is a need for more generation to meet growing demand, then someone needs to be held accountable for why all the generators procured late last year were not put into service.

Speculation and wild suggestions cannot replace informed decisions based on a thorough examination of the state of electricity generation and supply. Doctors so not prescribe medication before they have diagnosed the problem and run tests to determine and confirm their diagnosis.

Breaking up the electricity system and removing interconnection is not the answer. The advantages of an interconnected grid in Guyana far outweigh the disadvantages. Interconnected grids can allow for the sharing of energy. When additional energy is produced in one section of the grid, it can be shared with another section which may be in need of such power. This in fact allows for reducing blackouts since if one system goes down, power can be sourced from another part of the grid.

An interconnected grid allows for more efficient use of diverse energy resources, including renewables. Regions with surplus energy can export it to areas with higher demand, minimizing waste and maximizing utilization.

Breaking up the grid into sections means that if one independent grid goes down because of a major problem, such as a generating set having to be decommissioned, the power outages will remain until the problem is fixed. This can take weeks or months. Interconnected grids facilitate the development and integration of large-scale energy projects, such as the gas-to-shore project. If the developers of that project had to sell power to four or five grids, the cost of doing so would increase and may render the project not feasible. But with an interconnected system, energy developers are provided with a larger and more assured market for their generation.

GPL needs to be fixed. But we must not assume that this is going to be easy. The electricity sector has been underfunded for years. There are high levels of electricity losses, including from theft, old and decrepit transmission systems and the need for a faster transition to renewables. If when it assumed office, the government had made greater investment in clean energy  instead of being tethered to the gas-to shore project and the beleaguered Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project, the issue of generation shortfalls would have been fixed leaving greater resources and time to be paid to managing transmission.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaper and its affiliates.)

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• diagnosed, garden, Peeping Tom, President Irfaan Ali, problem

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