Repairs to damaged GPL submarine cable underway
The Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) yesterday announced that it has started remedial work on the damaged 69 kV submarine cable which links the Vreed-enHoop and Kingston Substations.
The armour and insulation protection of the cable which extends to the conductors was damaged at two locations in June and August by vessels traversing the Demerara River, and due to the extent of the damage, two repair kits had to be sourced from China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC), the company that laid the cable in 2012.
In a press release issued yesterday, GPL said repairs to the cable were delayed due to the discovery of the additional damage in August, which required more diagnosis and testing. The repair kits were subsequently manufactured and shipped to Guyana.
Following the arrival of the kits, the contractor, CMC immediately commenced work to retrieve and repair the compromised sections of the cable, approximately 0.7 and 0.8 km offshore the Kingston Power Plant.
Upon completion, GPL said, the cable will be reenergised to transfer power generated by the VEH Plant to supply the Eastern Section of the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS).
Additionally, as a preventative measure, the cable will be reburied in the Demerara River to a depth of approximately 15 feet.
As part of GPL’s contingency response, a smaller 13.8 kV submarine cable was laid across the Demerara River in June to transfer 5.5 Megawatt of power from the VEH Power Plant.