Prime Minister Mark Phillips has shut down the five dual-fuel power generating sets at GPL’s Garden of Eden power plant, to prevent a looming disaster, the Department of Public Information (DPI) said this evening.
Though this will cause load shedding, as 46 megawatts have been eliminated from the national grid, DPI said that it was necessary as fuel was leaking into the exhaust system and could have caused an explosion.
Meanwhile, PM Phillips, held a special emergency meeting with the management of the Wartsila Corporation this evening, where they agreed to immediately dispatch a team of engineers to Guyana to correct the technical challenges that have temporarily halted operations at the Garden of Eden Power Station.
According to the Prime Minister, the facility is still under warranty, and as a result, the contracted Finnish company would be liable for any and all expenses.
“As a Government, we will ensure that this project is fixed and that Wartsila covers the cost since there is a warranty in place”, the PM said, according to a statement from his office.
The Prime Minister added that at the emergency meeting he and his team expressed their disappointment to Wartsila that the new plant had developed problems at such an early stage, the statement said.
The PM said that poor project management during the initial stage of the project by the APNU+AFC administration has resulted in numerous hindrances.
“This 46.5-megawatt project was problematic from the start. The APNU+AFC Government embarked on this project in a rushed manner. From August 2, 2020, we have been dealing with a lot of corrective work as we seek to implement this project”, the PM said, according to the statement.
Late this afternoon, the PM visited the power station and announced that operations at the facility will be temporarily halted as a result of technical challenges being experienced with the generators.
On the advice of the technical officials, the statement noted that a decision was taken to shut down the generators to avert any occupational safety and health challenges or damage that may occur to the facility as a result.
“This is a decision that was made based on safety. This is a 55-million US dollar investment, and precautions are necessary. We don’t want anybody to be hurt just because we decide to ignore what is happening and run the plant”, the statement quoted him as saying.
Prime Minister Phillips said that with the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected system now having less supply to cater to the demand for electricity, there may be load-shedding, but called on Guyanese to be patient.
“I want the people of Guyana to understand from a safety and precautionary standpoint that it is necessary that we shut down this plant to do further checks. We will make sure that the problems are fixed. Unlike the previous administration, we intend to ensure that our people are given the best. One of the objectives of our Government is to end blackouts, and I intend to see that come to past.”
GPL has issued the following advisory:
The Guyana Power and Light Inc wishes to inform the public that the Company’s 46.5 MW Power Plant at Garden of Eden had to be taken offline to undergo immediate mechanical inspection.
The unavailability of 46.5 MWs will impact the available generation capacity within the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS) and result in load shedding in some areas.
Affected areas for Friday, January 14, 2022
EAST BANK DEMERARA
Garden of Eden to Timehri – 18:00 to 22:00 hrs
WEST COAST DEMERARA
Leonora to DeKendren – 18:00 to 22:00 hrs
EAST BANK ESSEQUIBO
Boerasirie to Naamryck -18:00 to 22:00 hrs
Our Engineers will continue to review the Company’s available generation capacity against the projected demand over the coming days to determine whether further load shedding will be required.
Our company will continue to keep the public informed.