The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) today said that it recently experienced problems with three of its larger engines.
GPL is under increasing pressure over repeated blackouts amid years of promises that things would get better and in light of the impending plans for a huge gas to energy enterprise.
In a statement, GPL said that recent service interruptions were caused by technical issues with three of its larger engines at the Kingston and Garden of Eden Power Plants.
“On January 4, 2024, a 6.9 MWs engine at the Kingston 2 Power Plant, experienced a technical issue related to the crankshaft. On March 11, 2024, a 5.5 MWs engine at the Kingston 1 Power Plant experienced a technical issue related to the crankshaft and engine components. On March 15, 2024, a 9.3 MWs engine at the Garden of Eden Power Plant suffered a turbo charge failure which was resolved on March 22, 2024.
“These incidents resulted in a current loss of 12.4 MWs of generation from the Demerara Berbice Interconnected system (DBIS). Technical support for the repair of the two engines at the Kingston Power Plants is ongoing and is anticipated to be operational in the month of May 2024”, GPL said.
Generation from the new 28.9 MWs facility at Columbia is incrementally being added to DBIS, GPL said. Currently, nine out of a total of seventeen generators are injecting electricity into the grid. In the week commencing April 7, 2024, five generators will be added. The remaining three generators will be added to the grid in the week commencing April 14, 2024. These second-hand generators from Honduras were supposed to have been in place since December last year.
“GPL recognizes the inconvenience associated with these unforeseen circumstances and unplanned service interruptions. The company is working diligently to expedite the repairs and return the engines into operation”, the company said.
