The management of the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) is expected to appear before the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services on May 8, having been summoned, according to the committee’s Chairperson Shurwayne Holder.
Holder on Thursday at his party’s press conference said that this was in wake of the frequent black outs plaguing the country which are not being mitigated by GPL.
He informed the press that on Wednesday he and members of the committee met with the management of GPL, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill, Minister in the Ministry of the Public Works Deodat Indar and Prime Minister Mark Phillips and expressed their dissatisfaction with the escalating situation.
“With respect to the blackout crisis, the committee acknowledged that it is a definite matter of urgent public importance and as such there was a unanimous agreement to have those in government with the responsibility of policy and administration of GPL appear before the committee so that the issue can be properly interrogated with the view of arriving at solutions to bring this crisis to an end,” APNU +AFC Member of Parliament remarked.
Holder opined that many Guyanese were hoping that the addition of more generators would have brought the blackout plague to an end by now.
“Even though 14 of the 17 used generators bought last year are reportedly on the grid, it is clear they are inefficient and under-performing. Load shedding has continued, even though the government and power company are reluctant to admit this fact. This is of course one of the risks with purchasing used generators that others have discarded,” he said.
“Guyanese must continue to hold Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP government accountable for this fiasco. We have called for the government to purchase new generators, with an additional 50 MW capacity beyond estimated demand. If demand continues to rise, as we expect it will, more generators will have to be purchased to maintain this buffer. Barely having enough generation capacity to meet current demand exposes the government’s lack of planning and common sense.”
Holder is of the staunch view that a buffer will allow the country’s electricity generation system to absorb the failure of any of the aged engines the power utility company describes as “unreliable,” eliminating one of the critical risks to our energy security.
“To ensure energy security and the elimination of blackouts over the long term, let us stress that any new generation acquired must be dual fuel in nature, so that it can benefit from the natural gas that is being brought onshore. We in the opposition see the acquisition of more capacity not of nuisance value and a stop-gap measure…, but as a necessary investment into our country’s energy infrastructure going into the future. Even when the 300 MW gas-fired power plant comes online, the country will still have to rely on its stock of smaller generators to ensure that electricity can be supplied to the nation free of disruptions and interruptions whether due to maintenance, increased demand, or mechanical or other sudden failures. This is called proper planning — in contrast to the PPP’s thoughtless, ad hoc and knee-jerk approaches. Luckily, their time in office is nearing an end,” he said.
“On the issue of the unconscionable increase in fare for public transportation, the committee agreed and advised the Minister of Public Works to immediately meet with various associations including the speed boat[s]… to bring this untenable situation to an end so as to ease the burden on the public.”
Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill was also requested to provide answers on several other matters, including information on major projects which have been stalled, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport expansion, expenditure on river transportation, and information on the recently announced contract monitoring units, Holder informed.
According to the chairman, the responses given by the minister were not detailed, leading him to believe there was something suspicious.
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Holder said that like the Public Accounts Committee, the Economic Services Committee is currently chaired by the opposition and is the only active sectoral committee in Parliament, holding 14 meetings over the last year. Nevertheless, he added, the work and function of the committee is continuously stymied by the government and Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir.
The committee had set out a clear work programme which entailed field visits to certain economic projects including the recently re-commissioned Rose Hall and Skeldon sugar estates, and those involving the distribution of blackbelly sheep and brackish freshwater shrimp, the chairman informed.
“This work program was first rejected by government members of the committee and has since been denied approval for funding by the Speaker of the National Assembly over the last six months or more,” Holder claimed.
The committee, on the request of opposition members, also agreed that the oil and gas sector as a new industry which has a significant impact on the country’s economy must be added to the area of scrutiny, he related.
“This request has also been essentially blocked by the government and serves to highlight the People’s Progressive Party’s utter disregard for transparency and accountability in the oil and gas sector and, more generally, its attempts to sideline and undermine the Parliament of Guyana,” he said.
