Gov’t sparing no effort in expanding GPL-generating capacity

–  20 companies shortlisted to upgrade transmission network ahead of the gas-to-energy project – GS Jagdeo

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has said the government is sparing no effort in improving the generating capacity of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Incorporated, even as work is ongoing on the landmark Gas-to-energy project.

At a party press conference on Thursday, the GS, who is also a vice president, addressed citizens’ frustrations, stating that he is personally concerned.

Even as technical personnel are dedicated to injecting additional power into the system, power outages remain a challenge.

And so, “It’s a concern to me, but you have to sometimes just dig down and work at solving it. And the only way to resolve it is the path going forward. [A] modern electricity grid and cheap fuel costs to supply more power to the system…we can reduce the price by 50 per cent and that’s going to happen,” he said in response to media operatives’ questions.

The government is making substantial investments to ensure that adequate generating capacity is in place to meet the growing demand for power in Guyana.

An investment of about $160 million is being made by the government, to build several substations to aid power distribution.

Notably, tenders are currently underway for significant upgrades to GPL’s transmission and distribution system, with 20 firms being prequalified for these projects.

These investments are important, according to Dr Jagdeo, especially in light of the upcoming operationalisation of the Gas-to-Energy project in Wales, Region Three.

“That means redundancy, circuits so that if you get the power, if you have a single line and it goes off, everyone down the line gets affected. If you have redundancy in circuits, then you can continue to supply people,” he explained.

Jagdeo recalled that if the APNU+AFC supported the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, significant generating output would have been injected into the system.

Additionally, the lack of investments by the previous coalition government has exacerbated the situation, forcing the current administration to scramble to arrest the situation.

As of now, the peak demand is at 172 MW, against a generating capacity of 192MW and, “We’re in a mad rush to keep pace until that big project comes on stream next year that will put 300MW into the system.”

Guyana’s single largest investment, the Gas-to-energy project, is set to deliver 300 megawatts of power, significantly reducing electricity costs and ensuring a more reliable power supply for the people of Guyana.

The project includes the construction of a state-of-the-art control center in Eccles, East Bank Demerara, which will utilize real-time monitoring to effectively identify and address power outages.

Dr Jagdeo underscored that the administration is focused on actively resolving these issues and that a long-term plan is in place.