Set damage cuts Berbice power supply
THE major power generating set at Canefield, East Berbice early yesterday morning suffered serious damage which reduced power supply in the region by some five megawatts. A Guyana Power and Light (GPL) company release said electricity to East Berbice was being supplied by the three mobile containerised Caterpillar sets at Canefield and Number 53 Village sub-station, each with a capacity of 1.5 megawatts. GPL said the damage to the set at Canefield was critical and an urgent order has been placed with a United States company for replacement spares. GPL Regional Manager at Berbice, Mr Ken Klass estimates that the repairs should take no more than two weeks during which a heavy load shedding programme will be implemented. This programme will affect both East and West Berbice, particularly the section between Ithaca and Onverwagt which is being fed directly from Canefield. The western section of West Berbice between Onverwagt and Mahaicony is being fed by the Demerara system. GPL said it is "very aware of the inconvenience our customers are experiencing which is why every effort is being made to remedy this situation in the shortest time possible." The load shedding schedule went into effect last evening and will continue for the following week. GPL said the set at Onverwagt, West Berbice was also taken off stream Saturday in a bid to avoid more severe damage to its components. It reported that repairs have commenced and it is estimated that this unit will return to service within the week.
|