the feeder at Onverwagt tripped

micevan1l6

…water company seeking alternative source of power -GWIKaran SinghThe Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Karan Singh, yesterday lambasted the Guyana Power and Light company for inadequate power and numerous spells of power outages, which are wreaking havoc on the water company and preventing the company from staying true to its mandate of supplying water to its consumers throughout the country.Singh also blamed the company for millions of dollars in damaged infrastructure countrywide.The CEO noted that one source of the company’s debacle with GPL are the damaged circuits and pumps at the various stations as a result of the power surges, outages and unbalanced flow of electricity.When there is an extended outage, that has become so common “these days,” persons would seek out water and choose to break water mains to acquire the precious commodity, Singh said.He noted that when this happens and the electricity returns, the pressure in the water mains is significantly reduced, causing another source of problems for the company.During a press briefing, the CEO made a public appeal for companies with generating sets to come forward, because the company was now seeking to lease or purchase generating sets as a source of alternative power to ensure adequate stable water supply to its consumers.He noted that with the peak Christmas season approaching and GPL’s evident shortfall in generation, several areas will be out of electricity, causing GWI operations to be seriously affected.“It should be made clear that the Guyana Water Inc. does not wish to cast blame on the power company, but feels compelled to clear up public perceptions about what is actually occurring….The consistent and prolonged power outages are not only affecting our ability to supply water to residents, but the impact of the unstable electricity on our equipment is of paramount concern to GWI…“When our equipment is exposed to unstable power they are damaged, and have to be replaced, putting severe strain on our financial resources.”He noted that Berbice is currently the hardest hit, and to combat this imminent situation, GWI has immediately instituted self generation at strategic pumping locations in the locale where residents have received the brunt of the impact of GPL’s inadequate supplies.Residents in Central Georgetown benefit from GWI self generation when there are power failures.According to Singh, Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco) and the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary Authority (MMA) have boosted the company’s efforts by making available a generator for installation at the Ithaca Pump Station, while GWI has installed back-up generators at Rosignol and at Number 57 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.“These three locations are already fully powered and are ready to deal with the power outages by GPL.”He noted also that GWI plans to source two additional generators, which will be installed at Weldaad and Calcutta, allowing residents in those areas to receive water during power outages.He noted that it was important for customers to be aware of the fact that the generators were only designed to operate for four hours, hence if power outages persist beyond that period, residents will be out of water.Singh also noted that the company would be moving to the Public Utilities Commission for some sort of intervention, given that it was the largest customer of GPL.The power company subsequently issued a statement to the media, wherein it sought to explain what transpired to cause the problems that affected, inter alia, GWI.According to the statement, over the weekend, several areas were severely affected by power outages because of a number of network problems, especially on the West Coast of Berbice.The Demerara Interconnected System (DIS), according to the GPL statement, suffered total number shutdown early yesterday morning when the Garden of Eden—Sophia (L1) transmission line tripped.It noted also that a number of damaged switches on the Liliendaal—Success section had to be replaced yesterday.In Berbice, it was noted that a utility pole was knocked down by a tractor at Foulis, West Coast Berbice, on Saturday. This pole had to be replaced.Also, in Berbice, the feeder at Onverwagt tripped, resulting in various sub-areas being denied power.This comes just days after GPL announced that, in Berbice, the company now has available a total of 15.5 MW. This has improved from seven MW in Berbice last month.