A 1.6-megawatt Caterpillar generator caught on fire yesterday morning at the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) power plant at Anna Regina, in Region Two, and an investigation is underway into the cause.
The fire started around 10 am but was extinguished after a quick response by firefighters from the Anna Regina Fire Station.
In a public advisory posted on its Face-book page, GPL said as a precautionary measure, the remaining units at the plant were taken offline until the fire was extinguished.
“Our Engineers have since restarted the engines and are currently working to restore power incrementally to customers on the coast,” it added, while noting that the incident would not impact the company’s ability to meet the generation demand on the coast.
GPL’s Assistant Public Relations Officer Natalie Pindar confirmed that an investigation has been launched into the fire.
The fire comes almost two weeks after GPL was forced to shut down its Garden of Eden power plant after the detection of fuel in the exhaust of a generator, which it said could have led to a massive explosion.
Pindar, who said at the time she was contacted that power had been restored to over 50 per cent of affected residents, also reiterated that the company’s ability to supply the region would not be impacted.
She noted that the set that caught on fire was not from the new engines that were recently commissioned.
According to Clive McDonald, head of the Anna Regina Fire Station, fire tenders arrived at the scene around 10:35 hrs. He said that two generators were attended to and one was severely damaged while the other sustained external damage.
The Anna Regina Fire Station was commended for its prompt response, which led to the extinguishing of the fire. “If you see how much smoke was there, black, black smoke. Then we saw a huge fire. Then we get blackout. The fire service responded promptly,” a resident said.
The Guyana Power and Light continues to monitor the situation.
Meanwhile, residents of Region Two, particularly those in the villages south of the coast, such as Supenaam, Golden Fleece, and Suddie, suffered from prolonged power outages. The power was restored hours after.
