GPL’s current generating capacity exceeds demand- Indar

With new generators switched on over the weekend, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar has said the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) can now meet all of the country’s electricity demand.

Currently, GPL has the capacity to generate 180 megawatts of power.

This is an increase from the167 megawatts the company had over the past few months. This forced a load-shedding schedule across the country.

The capacity is expected to further increase in the coming days as additional generators will be switched on, bringing total additional of 28.9 megawatts to the national grid.

On Wednesday, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar told the News Room that five of the seventeen engines have been installed so far.

According to Indar, the engines are being installed in groups of five.

“Works are progressing smoothly…the first five have been hooked up…three of them is going to go online sometime this afternoon and they will test it…to make sure that the power is there in case the demand goes up back in the next couple of days,” Indar said.

According to Indar, there has been a decrease in the peak demand over the past few days.

Over the past few weeks, he said the peak demand stood at 165 megawatts. This moved to about 155 megawatts for the Christmas holiday.

“…Because it’s the holiday season, factories and so are down.

“We have about 180 megawatts of reliable power right now so we do have in excess of the demand of power right now. That is a good thing for us,” Indar said.

Indar told the News Room that contractors are working around the clock to complete the installation of the new engines at the Colombia, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara substation.

The deadline for this, he said, is January 15, 2024.

76 containers of generators and transformers along with radiators, fuel and oil separators were shipped to Guyana in the MV Skystar.

The vessel arrived at the Muneshwers Wharf, Kingston, and Georgetown on December 13.

They were immediately offloaded and transported to the Colombia, Mahaicony, sub-station for installation.

The US$27M equipment from Apan Energy was initially slated to arrive in Guyana on November 22.

The equipment were shipped separately to Guyana from different territories. Indar previously told the News Room that there were some “slight” delays with the shipment as it relates to passage via the Panama Canal, resulting in the delay.