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Demerara hit by blackout after excavator strikes key transmission line
(Kaieteur News) – An excavator operated by a contractor struck a major Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) transmission line on Monday, triggering a power outage across parts of Demerara and prompting the utility company to threaten legal action.
GPL said the incident occurred when heavy-duty equipment operated by Raju Singh of Avinash Contracting and Scrapmetal Inc. came into contact with the L4 transmission line, which interconnects the Golden Grove and Sophia substations.
Excavator involved in the incident that damaged GPL’s L4 transmission line, causing a power outage across parts of Demerara.
The impact damaged critical infrastructure and disrupted electricity supply to customers in affected areas.
According to GPL, technical teams responded immediately to assess the damage and restore service as quickly and safely as possible.
The company has launched an investigation and warned that it intends to pursue legal action against both the contractor and the excavator operator to recover the costs associated with the damage.
“GPL has since commenced an investigation into the incident and wishes to make it clear that the company will be pursuing legal action against both the contractor and the operator to recover the costs associated with the damages caused to its infrastructure,” the company said in a statement.
GPL also renewed its call for contractors, heavy-duty equipment operators and members of the public to coordinate any excavation, construction or other activities near its transmission and distribution network.
The utility warned that unauthorized work near its infrastructure can result in widespread service disruptions and pose significant public safety risks.
“Unauthorized or unsafe activities near GPL’s network can result in widespread service disruptions and serious public safety risks,” the company said, while apologising to customers for the inconvenience caused.
The latest incident comes amid a string of outages linked to contractor-related damage to GPL’s network.
On May 20, GPL announced that it was seeking $8,059,361 in compensation for operational losses. GPL warned that legal proceedings will follow if the amount is not paid within 14 days.
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