Demerara-Berbice power system suffers three shutdowns

-blackouts implemented

The Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS) experienced three shutdowns yesterday and emergency blackouts were instituted after available generation was slashed by a massive 32 megawatts.

A release from the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) said that the shutdowns occurred at approximately 12:03 hrs, 12:58 hrs and 16:04 hrs due to a suspected fault on the 69kv transmission line linking the Kingston Power Station to the Sophia Substation (Dispatch Centre).

This transmission line remains isolated from the DBIS grid.

While efforts are ongoing to determine the origin of the shutdowns, GPL said power was restored within minutes of each shutdown in both counties with the exception of customers from Onverwagt to Ithaca-Berbice, Sophia to Success-ECD and along the East Bank Demerara Corridors who were repowered around 18:30hrs.

GPL said that the loss of this transmission line connection between Kingston and Sophia has reduced available generation by 32 megawatts within the DBIS, thus necessitating an emergency load shedding programme in the both counties “while we work assiduously to return normalcy to the grid.”

In recent weeks, customers have been hit by a series of interruptions, yesterday’s being the latest. Yesterday’s problems come on the heels of concerns about GPL’s plans to terminate its management arrangement for power stations with Finnish company Wartsila.

Concerns have been voiced that GPL does not have the requisite expertise to manage the generators the way this is being done by Wartsila.