The recent spate of power outages in Essequibo caused by a system failure at Anna Regina will not be addressed until the damaged parts arrive in the country next week from Switzerland.
According to a Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc press release, the system failure at its Anna Regina plant on August 30 resulted in power outages on the Essequibo Coast, but the system is expected to revert to normalcy on Tuesday.
GPL said the Anna Regina plant is functioning at a capacity of about half the demand.
Currently, the Anna Regina plant only has a capacity of 50 hertz, while the remainder of the country operates at 60 hertz. Given this, the release stated, a $50 million upgrade will be conducted at Anna Regina as a short term solution. However, in the long term, the company expects to commence construction of a 60 hertz plant later this year for a 2015 installation. In addition, the release said, GPL will convert the existing 20-year Wartsila plant to 60 hertz to be used as a reliable standby and peaking facility.
