Rising demand, overloaded network behind recent outages – GPL

The Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) said rising electricity demand, particularly during peak hours, is placing increased pressure on the national distribution network and contributing to recent power outages.

This is according to Team Leader of GPL’s Executive Management Committee, Kesh Nandlall, who made the disclosure during a press conference on Monday at the power company’s head office in Kingston, Georgetown.

The company provided an update on the recent disruptions and the challenges facing the electricity grid.

Nandlall highlighted increased in demand has the significant cause, with the peak rising from 221 megawatts last year to approximately 257 megawatts recently.

He explained that the highest demand is generally recorded between 7pm and 9 pm, when most households return home and simultaneously use their air-conditioning units, fans, lights and other appliances.

The increased usage, he noted, is placing pressure on distribution feeders and transformers.

This results in voltage fluctuations and outages in some areas.

The company is also urging customers who have increased their electricity usage, including through the installation of additional air-conditioning units, to notify the company so that the necessary infrastructure can be put in place.

Nandlall noted that the company’s customer base has grown from approximately 201,000 in 2020 to about 250,000 currently, while existing customers are also consuming more electricity.

Nandlall added that GPL has increased its generation capacity by approximately 230 megawatts since 2020 and currently has 265.6 megawatts available, with an additional five (5) megawatts expected by Wednesday.

Meanwhile, other GPL officials explained that the recent major shutdowns originated at the Kingston Substation.

The company said a fault on a main transformer contributed to Saturday night’s outage, while the cause of Monday morning’s disturbance is still being investigated.

Officials further revealed that the current level of demand also means the system has limited spinning reserve… the additional generation capacity available to respond when a generating unit trips or there is another disturbance.

Despite the current challenges, the company said significant investments are underway to strengthen the electricity network.

Head of Engineering on Projects, Ryan Ross, told reporters that GPL is currently undertaking approximately US$800 million in projects, including new substations, transmission upgrades and approximately 350 kilometres of additional distribution network.

DPI