Systems overhaul at GPL can help reduce ‘blackout’ woes – Patterson

May 04, 2022 News

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Kaieteur News – An overhaul of the systems of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) is being recommended as part of the solution to bring an end to Guyana’s electricity woes.
This is according to former Minister of Public Infrastructure and current Shadow Minister of Public Works, David Patterson.
In an invited comment on the recent spate of ‘blackouts’ across various part of the coastland, Patterson shared his experience in relation to what is needed in terms of adequately tackling power outages under GPL.
The former Minister noted that while the power company under the former A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration had its fair share of issues, blackouts were significantly reduced.
He explained that this came as a result of analysis of GPL’s systems which were conducted by the new management team that was in place to deal with the daily operations shortly after the government took office.

Patterson noted that, “In 2016, the board, under the Chairmanship of Robert Badal, launched an international ad for a new CEO for GPL…The new CEO – Albert Gordan from Jamaica was hired. He immediately commenced an analysis of the system, we determined three major issues: a) poor infrastructure, b) poor maintenance and c) lack of generating capacity.”
According to the former Minister, it was then discovered that there were at least 17 ways in which there could be a major power outage—- the most common issue was more safeguard was needed.
“This is exactly what is happening now – whereby something as simple as a falling tree branch or pole can bring down the entire [system]… We immediately started a programme to eliminate as many of these issues as possible – that way, the entire system stop failing on a single event – they add much more redundancy and protection to the main lines,” Patterson said.
He noted further that, “There was a major issue with things like the submarine cable linking Vreed-en-Hoop and Kingston, when that was damaged, the entire system collapsed…”
As such, Patterson said that the management of GPL added another submarine cable linking Vreed-en-Hoop via Princes Street, thus the protection network was upgraded.
Additionally, new generating sets and sub-stations were introduced into the system to reduce the shortage of power.
He said, “It was found by 2015 that despite Wartsila producing excellent engines, their maintenance programme was lacking and substandard, this was changed which resulted in the new sets performing at 98 percent efficiency – this was all reversed in August 2020. All the senior managers of PPDI [Power Producer Distributers Incorporated] were fired or contracts not renewed because the former government claimed that they were earning super salaries but they were all Guyanese; some had been with Wartsila since they first came to Guyana, and despite that fact, the company was saving GPL more than 20 percent of what they were paying in 2015.”
Patterson said the board commenced better maintenance of the power systems. He said too that “The Board started procuring spare parts directly from the best manufacturers because what was discovered was that before 2015, GPL was being supplied with substandard replacement parts by a small group of suppliers who were buying cheap inferior parts which were being damaged easily; it was a big racket. We put a stop to that practice and began purchasing in bulk from the best manufacturers worldwide which is cheaper and long lasting in the long run.”
He explained further that with GPL’s increased capacity of the local Transmission and Distribution (T&D) maintenance teams, coupled with the improved spares, they had a rigid maintenance schedule for all the high voltage transmission lines.
“The end result was the total system failure, as is happening now, was reduced drastically.”
Consequently, Patterson said that PPDI was formed and took over the maintenance contract from Wartsila.
He said, “We hired all of the staff, plus more Guyanese that worked with Wartsila and other power plants internationally returned – the cost saving to GPL was around 20 percent of the maintenance costs as against what was being charged beforehand – this saving was put directly into purchasing more spares for our plants and training more engineers, by 2020 – the staffing of PPDI was more than 120 local engineers and other professionals.”
According to Patterson, with the constant outages, the lack of regular maintenance to the T&D system is showing once more. “This practice has ceased under the new government …they have now awarded tenders for maintenance to some T&T companies,” he added.
Speaking on his Friday night radio programme, ‘The Glenn Lall Show’, Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall slammed the government of its haphazard management of the power generation systems.
Lall noted that Guyanese are living in blackouts on a daily basis. He stressed that one of the most important things on earth today, other than food and clean drinking water, is electricity.
“Without electricity, this world will go way, way back in time, moving at a snail’s pace. Electricity is what got this world spinning, electricity makes, gives and does everything. One billion people on earth do not have access to it and two billion is living with limited access to it. Electricity is almost like breathing, when it stops, then everything stops, is like you living in a coma, a constant state of midnight, without even a candle, yet 75 percent of Guyanese, three out of four, are living with blackouts daily…”
He continued, “Electricity powers the manufacturing sectors across this globe that got this world spinning that brings about competition and real money.” Lall said the electricity situation has gotten so bad in this country that every business and even some households have generators and some have even turned to solar.
Harking back to the Bharrat Jagdeo presidency, Lall said that the country was never out of blackout and GPL was always losing money.
Lall said, “The money being pumped into GPL for stable electricity in this country could have given one billion people around the world, without electric(ity), power in their homes, and by now no one would have had an electricity bill when the month come – that is the kind of money they swindled over the years from the treasury into GPL all in the name of taking care of blackouts.”
He questioned whether with all that money being pumped into GPL if the situation has changed. “The Coalition went in, blackout stopped and GPL was running and making money. As soon as the PPP come back, the nightmare returns and GPL gone back to being a milking cow.”
He added, “Every year, the amount of tax dollars being spent by the government through the budget, a new generation plant could have been built supplying the entire Caribbean with enough non-stop electricity 20 years now, instead, they are pumping money, giving you more and more nightmares.”

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