Govt tackles shortfalls in regional generating capacity

…increases power output in Regions 2, 3, 4 & 10

The Government has implemented systems to increase power generation in several regions that previously experienced electricity shortfalls, helping to meet the growing energy demands of their populations. This is according to Public Utilities and Aviation Minister, Deodat Indar via a video posted to his Facebook page on Monday, where he provided an update on each region’s situation. In Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), authorities reported on Friday last that there was a generation shortfall of 1 megawatt (MW) of power.

The region was producing 14 MW while the peak demand stood at 15.1 MW. Through several arrangements, power generation will now be boosted by some 6 MW. Indar said that Hinterland Electrification Company Incorporated (HECI) Head Horace Williams met with BOSAI’s general management on Monday morning, during which an agreement was reached to add 3 MW of power to the facility’s grid. However, only one 1.5 MW engine has so far been secured and it is expected to be available by Wednesday. Discussions are continuing to confirm when the second 1.5 MW engine will be available, which would bring the total additional capacity to 3 MW.

“We have also spoke to GMI (Guyana Manganese Inc) which is the manganese company in Port Kaituma, and they have five megawatts of engine that they are not using. Each one of them carry one megawatt, there’s five engines. So, we are in the process right now as we speak to transport those engines, three of them, to Linden. Those have to be set on a base so that it doesn’t vibrate and cause damage. We have to construct that base and place those engines in Linden. So, there will be another three megawatts coming from Port Kaituma,” he added.

Boa Vista

The Minister also noted that there were some interests from Boa Vista to provide additional power. “Some of the players in the power sector there have said to us that they have about another three megawatts of engine, but these engines require a transformer. So they are currently sourcing that transformer and they will let us know when they get that and those engines will be available for us here in Guyana,” he explained. In addition, Indar confirmed that the Government has met with sawmillers in Linden for them to operate during off-peak hours. He explained that peak demand occurs twice daily, from 13:00h to 15:00h (1pm to 3pm) and again from 19:00h to 21:00h (7pm to 9pm). During the period from August through November, when temperatures are expected to remain high and power supply is constrained, sawmillers have been advised to operate between 22:00h to 11:00h (10 pm and 11 am) the following day. This provides them with a 13-hour operating window, from which they can determine how many hours they require.

Increase power generation

Similar interventions have been made to increase power generation in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam). According to Indar, although there is enough generation at the moment, when the “engines trip”, the region experiences power outages. As such, the Government will add 2 MW of power from GMI. “So, we could take down some of the Caterpillar sets that have been running beyond their overhaul limit. So, we can bring them down to change out their main component parts and do overhaul,” he noted.

The Government has also put out a tender, which has closed and is now in its final stage of evaluation for 8 MW for Region Two. In Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), the peak demand has moved from 26 MW to 41 MW but the cable which transmits the power is taxed. According to Minister Indar, the cable is “supposed to be carrying a safe limit of about seven to eight megawatts of power, but it has transmitted 15 megawatts a few days ago, putting this critical piece of infrastructure at risk.”

“…because if that cable fries, we’ll have problems in Region Three because the power is transmitted from Region Four through that cable to Region Three,” he noted. The solution, the Minister said, is to install another cable from the Princes Street substation in Georgetown, running along the floor of the Demerara River, to the Vreed en Hoop substation. He said the contractors mobilised over the weekend and “we’ll start laying the cable on the Demerara River by tomorrow (today)”.

Extra five megawatts

In Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), there will soon be an extra 5 MW of generating power as a result of works executed on Sunday. “Sunday, we had an outage from six in the morning till about three, four in the afternoon. We had a major enhancement and upgrade to the substation at New Georgetown which is near where the Eagle (Roundabout) is and that is the substation that receives 70 megawatts from the power ship. We had to do a lot of electrical changeovers, switch gear, panels, a whole host of works they had to do there with the transmission line and that work was completed on Sunday. So, there’s an extra five megawatts that will come by the end of August from the steam operation on the power ship. They will be ready to deliver that extra five megawatts into the grid. Currently they’re already putting 70 megawatts. There are only five more megawatts from that power ship that can come into the grid,” the Minister noted.

Additionally in Region Four, he noted that a contract has been awarded to address the taxed transmission line from Garden of Eden to the Linden Soesdyke Highway.

“We have awarded a contract to contractor Ramator and Sons and he has already started transporting the materials and by Wednesday we should see pole planting happening,” he said, noting that the works will be done in phases. On general power generation, Indar said from Friday to now, it has been significantly boosted. “Last Friday I said we were at 256.3 megawatts. That was our operating capacity and I promised that by Monday we’ll have another major generation set online for 9.3 megawatts at Garden of Eden. I just want to report back that that set was made online as of 2:30 this afternoon and is generating 9.3 megawatts which has now brought our total available generation to 266.3 megawatts,” he noted. “That puts us with a reserve on the grid about 26 megawatts because the peak right now is around 240,” he added. Meanwhile, in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), interventions have been made to address the issue of voltage fluctuations there.

Indar said 2.2 MW of engine capacity were installed at a central location in the region to help boost voltage and provide a more stable supply for water treatment plants and other facilities. According to the Minister, reports received indicate that voltage levels are now relatively stable.