The Guyana Power and Light is embarking on the final stages of the US$38.9M Infrastructure Development Project which provides for the development and expansion of its Transmission and Distribution System.
The funds, a concessionary loan negotiated between the Guyana Government and China Export-Import Bank, is supplemented by US$3.9million from GPL’s revenue for preparatory works, including route clearing, site preparation and backfilling
to above 2005 flood levels.
GPL said the project scope included the construction of seven new 69/13.8kV sub-stations, approximately 96km of 69 kV overhead transmission lines, the upgrade and expansion of three existing sub stations (Kingston, Sophia and Onverwagt) and the construction of a Fibre Optic Network Linking all sub-stations from Skeldon in the East, Edinburgh in the West and Garden of Eden in the South to a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisi-tion (SCADA) system at a New Control Centre at Sophia.
To date, the Columbia (Mahaicony) sub-station is about 82% complete with works set to finish by month-end, GPL said in a press release.
The new Georgetown sub-station (North Ruimveldt) is about 88% complete, also with a month-end deadline. The upgraded Onverwagt sub-station (West Coast Berbice) is about 60 per cent complete and the Golden Grove (Diamond) sub-station 50 complete, all with a project deadline of June 30, 2014.
The transmission lines and sub-stations will serve to integrate major load centres along the coast, and will provide the capability to move bulk power from large, efficient, heavy fuel oil fired generating plants in Demerara and Berbice to those load centres.
Additionally, 26 new 13.8 kV primary distribution feeder outlets at the various substations will allow existing long overloaded feeders, especially on the East and West Coast Demerara, to be segmented into shorter, more lightly loaded sections. These changes will result in improved quality of supply, system stability, improved voltage regulation, and reduction of technical losses. They will also prepare the system to accept and distribute power from the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project.
Completed works
In December 2012 the first priority works on the West Demerara were completed and commissioned and are providing quality service in that area.
The works include the expansion of the Kingston 69 kV substation; the installation of a 69 kV submarine cable across the Demerara River from Kingston to Vreed-en-Hoop; the construction of two new sub-stations at Vreed-en-Hoop and Edinburgh and the construction of a 14km, 69 kV transmission line linking the two new sub-stations.
In addition, the Sophia sub-station was upgraded in August 2013 while in September a new 69kV sub-station and control centre and interconnection of the new Sophia and existing Sophia upgrade was completed.
However, this centre will not be fully functional until the entire project is finished. The Good Hope sub-station and the 10km, 69kV transmission line from the new Sophia sub-station to the Good Hope sub-station were also completed.
In October construction of the 27km 69kV transmission line was finished and in February a 37km 69kV transmission line was completed.
