–some relief expected early next month
An alternator failure in January and a main bearing malfunction in March, both on machines at the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Garden of Eden facility, along with a series of mechanical failures, are the cause of the power outages that have been plaguing the city and its environs.
According to a press release issued by GPL yesterday, while some repairs were expected to be completed by the first week of May, the “situation will remain tenuous”.
GPL said that available power generation in the Demerara Interconnected System reduced from 78 megawatts (mw) at the end of December 2008 to 70 mw currently. The company said the 5 mw Niigata machine suffered an alternator failure, while the 3 mw Crossly machine encountered a bearing failure.
The defective components were shipped overseas for repairs, the release said, and the alternator for the 5 mw machine was expected back in the country by August. However, the power company is expecting a 2.5 mw machine at Garden of Eden to be serviceable by next week, while the Crossly machine is expected to be in operation within the first week of May. The company said that while these machines can provide adequate generation of power, the situation will remain tenuous as the reduced power generation capacity of 70 mw increases the probability of power outages.
According to the press release, the unavailability of any of the company’s 29 machines can create a generation shortfall. The power units are high speed mobile machines which are susceptible to failure when operated continuously, while some are old machines which are beyond their useful life, the release said.
The release also stated that blackouts have been frequent in recent times without notification to consumers mainly because of a series of mechanical problems encountered by various machines, including the company’s Wartsila sets. The company said that its eight Wartsila sets contribute 44 mw of the 68 mw required to meet the Demerara (peak power) supply and are therefore critical to a reliable and adequate power supply.
Regarding power outages experienced on the lower East Coast and sections of the city on Tuesday, the company explained that available power generation was only at 58 mw since two Wartsila plants were unavailable.
The power company is urging persons to report network problems whenever these are detected since some consumers live within sight of most of the company’s network and it is highly dependent on reports from customers.
Additionally, GPL is advising consumers to adopt conservation measures such as switching off lights which are not in use as this reduces the peak demand.
Meanwhile, the power company noted that work is moving ahead on the new Kingston Power plant which is expected to power 20 mw to the electricity grid. The company said the plant is expected to achieve commercial operation in the third quarter of 2009. Additionally, the company expects two additional 5 mw Niigata machines at its Garden of Eden facility to be in operation in the near future. The latter, coupled with the completion of the new Kingston Power plant will boost the power needed to meet peak and reserve requirements, the release said.