More power problems hit GPL

The failure of both converters at the Guyana Power and Light’s (GPL) Sophia station led to a power transfer problem on Sunday and it couldn’t convert the 50 hertz power to 60 hertz, according to the power company’s officials.
Senior Divisional Director of Operations, GPL, Colin Singh, speaking at a panel discussion held yesterday at the National Communications Network (NCN), explained that GPL has 50 and 60 hertz systems, both of which are linked by the two frequency converters, which were manufactured in 1976, and installed in 1977.
The Government Information Agency yesterday said that the 60 hertz system extends to the Garden of Eden power station through two high voltage transmission lines.
Circuits are being fed from Garden of Eden to Timehri and East Bank and a feeder, which goes across to the West Bank via a submarine cable links the Versailles Power Station to a temporary facility located at Leonora where there are four mobile caterpillar sets, making the 60 hertz system quite extensive. Residents way beyond Parika were affected during the outage on Sunday.
Singh, according to GINA, noted  that the company has embarked on the Chinese-funded expansion project in which the company intends to build seven new high voltage substations, about 120 km of high voltage transmission lines linking the sub stations and the existing stations.
He pointed out that the project will be executed over a 28-month period.
“The Chinese survey teams are already on the ground and almost completed their surveys of lines and substations areas. The next stage is for them to produce detailed technical designs package including drawings and other plans for approval,” Singh asserted, according to GINA.
Singh noted that the first priority would be the West Demerara, where two high voltage substations will be established, one at Leonora and the other at Vreed-en-Hoop, linked by a high voltage transmission line.
The public had been assured this year that with the new Kingston power station coming on stream there would be very few outages.