The Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) on Friday said three of its five generators at its 46.5 MW Garden of Eden power plant have been returned to supplying the national grid, after the facility was shut down last month over fears of a possible explosion.
GPL said the three generators, units No.1, 2 and 3, have an aggregate capacity of 27.9 MW.
The company said in a statement that the No 1 unit was fitted with new turbochargers and a fuel injector pump with upgraded components, while the No. 2 and 3 units underwent a comparative test for 48 hrs at full capacity before they were returned to the grid.
GPL added that the No. 4 unit was undergoing an oil change and was expected to return to operation yesterday.
It further said that the No 5 unit would continue to undergo inspection, replacement of a turbocharger, testing of the fuel injector and lube oil change. “Optimistically, the No 5 unit is expected to return to operation on Tuesday, February 8,” the company said, while adding that Wärtsilä maintains a team of experts on site who will continue to monitor the operation of each unit and advise the company on the findings of the root cause
On January 14, GPL announced that it had shut down the plant as there were fears of a massive explosion after the detection of fuel in the exhaust of a generator.
GPL’s Chief Executive Officer Bharat Dindyal had explained that the company’s technicians and engineers at the facility noticed the elevated temperatures on all of the generators, causing them to suspect something was amiss. He stated that the temperatures were about 2°C above normal. Having consulted with engineers of the Finnish manufacturer, Dindyal said GPL made a decision to send samples of the lube oil for analysis in Houston, Texas. He stated that the results of the analysis showed that viscosity more than doubled and additives to neutralize acid in the lube oil were depleted by 50% to 60%.
