GPL looking for up to 30MW of power

Aug 23, 2020 News

File photo: The ongoing civil works for a new power plant at Garden of Eden, East Bank Demerara.

Growing demands for energy has Guyana searching now for 30 megawatts of power.
According to the state-owned Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL), through a ‘Request For Expressions of Interest’ published Friday in Kaieteur News, the purpose for the expressions is to identify appropriate suppliers which can potentially fulfill the minimum requirements for supplying firm power generation to the Demerara/Berbice Interconnected System.
The move would raise questions whether GPL and the new government has abandoned an ambitious 46mw project at Garden of Eden, East Bank Demerara. The project has already seen the civil works being started. That project would have helped to reduce the generation woes that has been dogging GPL.
The country has been facing a growth in demand for power that has overtaken the capacity it has to generate.
There has been an attempt to build a 165mw hydro-power project at Amaila Falls but it was shelved by the Coalition Government which lost the March 2nd elections.
According to GPL yesterday, the present call for EOI does not constitute an invitation to tender and only suppliers deemed qualified by GPL shall progress to the next stage of the process.
GPL said that the supply of a minimum of 1MW and a maximum of 30MW of ‘Firm Power Generation Capacity’ should come with the appropriate sub-station where necessary, to interconnect with the grid at either 13.8KV or 69KV.
Generating unit size shall not exceed 10MW.
According to the project scope, GPL shall only be responsible for grid connection at the point
of interconnection with the existing network infrastructure.
“Suppliers shall be responsible for all activities necessary to finance, insure, test, commission, operate and maintain the power generation and associated facilities,
It was made clear that suppliers shall be responsible for all activities necessary to finance, insure, construct, operate and maintain the power generation and associated facilities, including all activities relating to fuel supply, cooling water, sub-stations and other related facilities required for complete operation of the power generation and interconnection facilities and the supply of electricity to the grid,
The EOIs have to be delivered on or before September 4th to the GPL Tender Board, Duke Street, Kingston.