The Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) is currently finalising arrangements to repair its Demerara River submarine power cable, which was recently severed by a ship’s anchor.
Bharat Harjohn, Director of Power Generation and Distribu-tion at GPL, last night told Stabroek News that the Chinese cable manufacturer was prompt in its response to the utility company, which had reached out to several firms.
He explained that should the arrangement be finalised, the team of engineers will arrive in Guyana by next Tuesday and begin the repairs.
The severed submarine cable links the Kingston and Vreed-en-Hoop substations.
Harjohn noted that should everything go according to plan, the repairs will be completed by Christmas.
Nonetheless, he added that the utility company’s contingency plans have resulted in a small number of power outrages across the country, making it less reliant on the 69Kv megawatt power cable.
He noted that GPL has learnt its lessons in the past and improved on its generation capacity to reduce instances of prolonged power outages and the inconvenience they cause to customers.
GPL has utilized a new 13.8kV Submarine Cable from Vreed-en-Hoop to Princes Street to transfer power from the Vreed-en-Hoop Power Plant to the eastern side of the Demerara-Berbice Inter-connected System via an alternative route. He pointed out that this system is connected via a feeder transmission line.
Additionally, he said, too, that they will utilise this period for capacity building and allow their engineers to observe the repair process. He added that they will also seek to bury the cables deeper to prevent a recurrence of such an accident.
Meanwhile, Director General of the Maritime Administration, Stephen Thomas told Stabroek News that a probe is still underway by his agency into what occurred with the cable.
A notice posted on Facebook by the MARAD has notified the operators of maritime vessels of the cables that cross the Demerara River: The GPL Kingston to Vreed-en-Hoop submarine cable and the Princes Street Outfall to Vreed-en-Hoop Stelling submarine cable. It further informed that operators were prohibited from anchoring in close proximity to these cables and should be at a minimum of 200 meters away when anchored.
In a statement on the accident, GPL explained that there was a fault on the 69kV Submarine Cable linking the Vreed-en-Hoop and Kingston power plants which was completely severed by a ship’s anchor.
From preliminary investigations, Harjohn said when the vessel dropped its anchor on the river bed, it hooked onto the cable and this was dragged for some time.
GPL’s submarine cable was restored on October 26, 2019 after it was damaged by ships in June and August that year.
Repairs were done by China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation, the company that laid the cable in 2012. Repairs to the cable were delayed due to the discovery of the additional damage in August, which required more diagnosis and testing. Repair kits were subsequently manufactured and shipped to Guyana. Following the arrival of the kits, the contractor commenced work to retrieve and repair the compromised sections of the cable, approximately 0.7 and 0.8 km offshore the Kingston Power Plant.
GPL had said that as a preventative measure, the cable would be reburied in the Demerara River to a depth of approximately 15 feet.
