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Another excavator causes countrywide shutdown after damaging GPL transmission line
(Kaieteur News) – The L1 transmission line of the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL), on Monday, was damaged by an excavator operator, resulting in power outage in sections of the country spanning two counties.
The damage sustained by the line.
In a statement to the media, the company said that around 10:17hrs, the L1 transmission which interconnects the Garden of Eden and Grove substations, experienced a system disturbance.
“The disturbance resulted in the Garden of Eden and Grove substations going offline, creating an estimated 37-megawatt deficit on the network. This led to widespread service interruptions across sections of Demerara and Berbice, leaving thousands of customers without electricity supply,” GPL said.
An inspection done by the company’s technical teams revealed that an excavator operating at Grove, East Bank Demerara, had come into contact with the line, therefore causing damage to critical transmission infrastructure and triggering the disturbance.
“The excavator involved is reportedly owned by S. Joseph Transportation & Machinery Rentals and was being operated by Mr. Garfield Hinds at the time of the incident,” GPL added.
The excavator that caused the damage to the infrastructure.
Immediately after the incident, repowering efforts got underway and the teams worked diligently to ensure the electricity supple to customers was safely returned. The restoration was done in increments and the final area that was affected was restored successfully at 11:37hrs, signaling full restoration to all impacted customers.
GPL said it has launched a full formal investigation into the incident. It said the contractor will be held liable and will be pursued for compensation, in order to recover the costs that are associated with damages caused to the transmission infrastructure.
GPL is reminding members of the public and contractors that any excavation, construction or heavy-duty operations near the company’s transmission and distribution infrastructure must be coordinated with GPL to ensure safety and protect the reliability of the electricity network.
“Unauthorised or unsafe activities near GPL’s infrastructure can result in significant service disruptions, damage to critical assets, and pose serious risks to public safety.
Just over two weeks ago, Kaieteur News reported that GPL was seeking to recover more than $30.6 million in damages following a weekend power outage that was triggered by construction activity.
In a statement, GPL fingered the China Railway First Group (Guyana) Incorporated demanding $30,645,189 for losses incurred after heavy-duty machinery struck a key transmission line during road works at Dennis Street, Sophia on April 26.
The incident occurred at approximately 08:50hrs when the equipment came into direct contact with the L10 transmission line linking the New Georgetown and Sophia substations, the impact of which caused a major disruption in electricity supply and affected tens of thousands of customers across several communities in Georgetown and surrounding areas.
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