Power back in Region 9 after Moco Moco hydro landslide
Guyana Chronicle
July 15, 2003
A limited electricity supply has been restored to Lethem with the standby generating set there returning into operation since Sunday last following the shutdown of the Moco Moco Hydroelectric Plant due to a landslide.
Electricity supply to Lethem and its environs was disrupted when the Plant was shut down as a result of a landslide which caused serious damage to the pipelines that transmit water from the Moco Moco Creek to power the Plant.
The situation was further complicated when the standby generating set was found to be non-operational.
Prime Minister Sam Hinds told the National Assembly last week that it would take about six months before the Hydroelectric Plant returns to service.
Minister of Local Government & Regional Development, Harripersaud Nokta, in a comment to the Chronicle said the damaged components of the standby generator have been repaired and installed and residents have since been receiving a nine-hour daily supply of electricity in two shifts-one from 07:00-11:00 hours and the other from 18:30-23:30 hours.
However, Nokta said that one of the areas, Tabatinga, with about 40 families have not been receiving electricity because the generator does not have the required capacity to provide power to all the communities.
Consequently, the Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region 9 (Upper Takatu/Upper Essequibo), Deolall Rooplall has arranged to bring another generator from Aishalton which has two, but one is capable of providing adequate power there, so as to boost the generating capacity in Lethem to meet the demand of all the affected communities in the area.
But Nokta said, that transporting the generator from Aishalton would take a few days as the terrain over which it has to be moved is very difficult because of current heavy rainfall.
When it arrives in Lethem the engineers would have to determine whether it could be hooked up to the same grid as the one already in operation or whether it has to be installed on a separate grid, he added.
Nevertheless, the minister assured that every effort is being made to put the equipment into operation in the shortest possible time, and he is appealing to the residents to be considerate in the circumstances.
He has also instructed the REO to submit estimates of the fuel that would be required to power the generators so that arrangements can be put in place to ensure that an adequate supply of fuel is available.
The team of engineers which went in to the area shortly after the landslide occurred, is still in the area gathering technical information and making assessments following which a report and recommendations would be presented to the minister so that appropriate measures can be implemented to further bring back the power situation to a semblance of normalcy.
Following the shutdown of the Moco Moco Hydroelectric Plant at Lethem, as a result of the landslide on July 7, a motion was moved by member of Member of Parliament (M.P) Ms. Shirley Melville of the Working People’s Alliance/Guyana Action Party (WPA/GAP) in the National Assembly at its last sitting that the matter be included on the agenda as matter of urgent importance.
Ms. Melville reported that the landslide has caused massive damage to the Plant and has disrupted the economic, commercial and social life of the people of Lethem.
She said that if the matter is not expeditiously dealt with it would result in severe hardship for the people there, because since the establishment of the Plant people have made tremendous investment in electrical equipment and businesses, and cottage industries in particular have sprung up.
Many entrepreneurs have taken loans from financial institutions to establish their businesses and the disruption would make it extremely difficult for them to honour their obligations to the financial institutions, Ms. Melville pointed out.
Both Prime Minister Sam Hinds who holds responsibility for the energy sector and Nokta assured the National Assembly that the matter is being addressed with urgency and a team of technical personnel including Head of the Guyana National Energy Authority, Joseph O’Lall was dispatched to the area to assess the damage and to make recommendations of what has to be done to remedy the damage.