On May 2, a small fire at the Onverwagt Substation that was quickly extinguished caused damage to the distribution switchgear and control components. As a result of this, the electricity supply along the West Coast Berbice was disrupted, a release from GPL said today.
In the interim, the release said that GPL made provisions for customers from Seafield to West Onverwagt to be powered from an alternative source, but consumers from East Onverwagt to Ithaca were unfortunately subject to intermittent supply until May 5, 2016.
The Substation remains isolated from the grid while repairs are effected, GPL said. Meanwhile, customers from Seafield to the western section of Onverwagt continue to be supplied from the Columbia Substation while a temporary arrangement using Caterpillar units is in place to supply the eastern section of Onverwagt to Ithaca. Customers in the latter zone may be subject to brief interruptions should any of the Caterpillar units become unavailable, the release added.
