The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) probe into the fuel spill at the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Kingston Power Complex is ongoing and the company has given its assurance to the environmental agency that all efforts are being made to clean up the spill.
Executive Director of the EPA, Vincent Adams, told Stabroek News that due to COVID-19 restrictions his staff have not been able to revisit the site to assess the progress made by the company.
He noted that GPL has given the commitment that they are working to clean up the spill and have identified the problem that led to the spill.
Additionally, Adams said that his agency is working with the company to implement a long-term solution to the problem.
Earlier this month, a quantity of fuel seeped into the Demerara River and GPL’s Public Relations Officer Shevon Sears had explained that after the discovery, GPL’s personnel expedited industry-standard safety, health, and environmental procedures to contain the spill. She assured the general public that GPL’s efforts to contain the spill have thus far proven successful.
Adams explained that from preliminary investigation, it is suspected that fuel spilled from an aged storage tank.
“What we think happened is that these large oil storage tanks in the compound have aged and the oil began leaking from the bottom coming up. We are trying to figure out what exactly happened. I spoke with the Chairman, Rawle Lucas, and have been speaking with him since. So they are in process of emptying the tank to see what it looks like at the bottom. We also don’t know how much oil is spilled…” Adams related.
Asked about possible sanctions for the utility company, the director said that no decision has been taken on that since it is still to be determined what caused the spill.
He noted that while this is a fuel spill, it is not similar to cases at Demerara Distillers Limited and Troy Resources. Both companies were fined for allowing oil to be spilled into the environment due to poor management and negligence
Adams, nonetheless remarked that this can be a learning lesson for GPL on the type and quality of maintenance that needs to be done on the storage tanks.
Sears in her statement noted that the company embraces industry-standard fuel management practices and a thorough investigation will be conducted to prevent a recurrence.
