With funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Guyana is seeking to have a comprehensive review of all parts of the power company.
The IDB advertised on May 31st for bidders for this project and the closing date for the submission of tenders was June 14, 2013. Observers say the speed with which the advertisement was placed is a likely sign of the concern that remains over the state of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and the likely weaknesses that will have to be addressed before it is in a position to handle power from the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP). The IDB is being canvassed to make a significant financial input into the AFHP.
This project has so far not been announced here but it comes in the wake of pressure on the power company over its inability to cut technical and non-technical power losses. This resulted in the opposition slashing $5.2b from its 2013 budget.
This in turn sparked a threat by GPL to raise tariffs which resulted in President Donald Ramotar ordering GPL to suspend this course of action for further talks on how to restore the funding. The invitation which was put out by the IDB for this new project said “The Cooperative Republic of Guyana has received financing from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and intends to apply part of the proceeds to payments under the project Guyana Power and Light, Inc. (GPL) Corporate Assessment, for consulting services to conduct a comprehensive review of the Guyana Power and Light, Inc. (GPL) to assess its current management and operative structures and corporate performance in key business areas, such as planning, procurement, operation, network maintenance, billing, among others.
The assignment will include a detailed proposal of management structure, functions and performance monitoring mechanisms, as well as a design of necessary coaching and support to help GPL’s managerial functions and staff. The contract will be signed and supervised directly by the IDB.”
It is yet unclear what the value of this project is.
