Dear Editor,
Thank you for reporting, “Sixteen transformers arrive for gas to energy project”. I would like to see more accuracy in a newspaper I subscribe to, so here are a few corrections and some further questions your reporters should ask.
You say, “Currently, the power utility, Guyana Power and Light, provides electricity at a rate of 15 US cents per kilowatt/hour.” First, the unit is the kilowatt-hour, abbreviated kWh in International Standard (SI) units, which is Guyana’s official (metric) standard, which is supposed to be taught in schools and examined at CXC. “kilowatt/hour” translates to a nonsensical kilowatt per hour, and defeats your and the national educational outreach.
Your inaccuracy extends to the 15 US cents. The last time I bought electricity, I paid GY$10,000 for 230.4 kWh. This works out to 21.8 US cents per kWh at the Bank of Guyana currency exchange rate of 208.5 GY$/US$. Even the most subsidised residential rate is 18.75 US cents per kWh, according to the GPL tariff webpage. Commercial rates are higher.
You can then ask Mr Brassington, or his boss at the next press conference, what the cost of the 16 transformers (c.i.f.) is and the cost so far of the disembarkation and storage at the temporary locations. In fact, ask him for the current status of money spent so far on the Gas-to-Energy (GtE) project, versus the expected costs at this stage. Don’t be satisfied with any lip from him about it being complicated. It is only complicated if they are winging it without a proper plan and design, making free with our money. Had they gone to solar power in the way I publicly recommended, they would not have needed all these transformers, which I hope they are storing in nitrogen, like Mr. Krispin says he is going to do inside his pipelines.
Sincerely,
Alfred Bhulai
