Amid criticism of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) over the now daily power outages, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar is adamant that management has nothing to do with these shortcomings.
Speaking at a press conference at the GPL boardroom in Kingston on Thursday, Indar said, “Many times, persons say that the management at GPL are incompetent because of challenges such as blackouts or other known shortcomings. I believe these individuals are qualified and they know their job. These issues we are experiencing are way beyond the control of management.”
Asked about the status of the company’s Chief Executive Officer Bharrat Dindyal, the minister announced that Dindyal was no longer with the GPL due to ill health. In the interim, team executive leader Kesh Nandlall will take up the portfolio.
He informed that Nandlall is currently out of the country for a family matter and is expected to return soon.
Indar said GPL was working to increase its power generation, but has been faced with additional challenges of damaged power lines and sources caused by frequent incidents along the roadways.
While GPL is anticipating an average peak of around 236 megawatts by 2024, Indar stated, the power company has already received unsolicited offers from individuals with capacity and proposals. According to him those offers will be carefully evaluated to meet the growing demand in 2024.
He added that citizens should not be concerned about bill charges since there will be no increase, as the government continues to implement sustainable solutions in enhancing the country’s energy sources.
The minister also underscored that the Wales gas-to-energy project \was expected to reduce electricity costs by more than half. He added that the project will see Guyana transitioning to a cheaper and more sustainable natural gas reserve.
But while Guyanese wait for this to materialise, Indar said, GPL will be able to satisfy the current demand for electricity when it commissions the 17 power generators that are expected to arrive in Guyana from Honduras. These generators, valued at US$27 million, will generate 28.9 megawatts of electricity. They are expected to arrive in Guyana by November 22 and be installed mid-December, he added.
Concerns were also raised by citizens in relation to the lack of daily load shedding and power disruption schedules by the electricity company.
Indar in answer to this question posed by Stabroek News remarked, “we will certainly look at that so that persons will know when they will be disrupted, you know this is something really dreadful and frustrating”.
The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) also on Thursday expressed “profound disappointment” with the continued power outages in the country.
In a statement, the chamber said that this continued spate of power disruptions was having an acute impact on the productivity of enterprises.
“The GCCI has also noted that this is cascading into general underperformance of enterprises. This continued loss of productive time, disruption to production and an overall hindrance to the smooth functioning of business will impede both growth and investment prospects,” the statement said.
The GCCI reiterated its unwavering support for investments that will create a sustainable energy mix for Guyana including the Amaila Falls Hydropower project, the gas to energy project and solar farms. These projects, the chamber said, represent the future of Guyana’s energy supply. However, it called on the Guyana Power and Light and, by extension, the Government of Guyana to employ measures that will bridge the current generation shortfall.
“The chamber is also of the view that better forecasting, planning and investments into the energy sector will profoundly mitigate this bugbear on the life of the Guyanese people. Power outages have been a decades-long feature of life in Guyana and, it is the hope… that this does not translate into life in our newfound status as a rapidly emerging economy,” the statement said.
