Prime Minister “satisfied” as 14 of 17 generators installed at GPL’s Colombia station
Amid ongoing power outages, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret'd) Mark Phillips visited the Guyana Power and Light’s (GPL’s) sub-station at Columbia, East Coast Demerara (ECD), to oversee the installation of 17 generators and six step-up transformers.
With a price tag of US$27 million and sourced from Apan Energy Services, this installation is set to enhance the national grid with an additional 30 megawatts.
Senior management teams from GPL and Apan Energy reported that 14 generators have already been integrated into the national grid. Engineers are working to bring the remaining high-powered systems online in the coming days.
Expressing his satisfaction with the progress, Prime Minister Phillips affirmed the government’s commitment to improving GPL’s generation capacity and overall service to the people of Guyana.
During the inspection, the GPL CEO Kesh Nandlall, Divisional Director of Power Generation and Distribution Bharat Harjohn, Divisional Director of Safety, Health, Environmental Management and Operational Support Gary Hall, and other GPL officials were present, along with members of the Apan Energy Services team.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali recently met with the GPL Board of Directors and management to discuss the constant power outages.
During the meeting, the President expressed his dissatisfaction with GPL’s performance while acknowledging the myriad of problems inherited as a result of a lack of maintenance and investments from 2015 to 2020.
Further, the Head of State asked the utility company to consider alternative options to provide bridging energy to meet the demand while waiting for the completion of the gas-fired power plant. The utility company expects further demand growth of around 30MW this year.
