The blackout-plagued electricity sector is expected to get a boost with the completion of the US$30 million power plant under construction at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Bank Demerara.
It is expected to increase power capacity in Demerara from a current 87 megawatts to 106 megawatts, the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, along with Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Chief Executive Officer, Bharat Dindyal, Chairman Winston Brassington, Project Coordinator Lennox McGregor and Divisional Director Narvon Persaud inspected works ongoing at the power station last Friday.
During the visit, Prime Minister Hinds expressed satisfaction with the progress that has been made despite the challenges the contractor encountered.
Commercial operations
The Region Three plant is expected to begin commercial operations by July, and will be connected to nearby power stations. Persons residing as far as Berbice are expected to benefit.
Prime Minister Hinds said the needed equipment is on site and buildings are going up. He added that there is a lot of work still to be done, but generally works are improving.
Chief Executive Officer of the power company Bharat Dindyal disclosed that technically, 98 percent of the materials needed for the construction are on site, but due to challenges with storage, the rest of the materials are being stored at the John Fernandes Wharf.
Dindyal pointed out that thus far, 20 percent of the plant is complete.
A new port is also being constructed at the northern side of the plant to receive fuel and part of that contract was awarded to BK International.
Behind schedule
This project is behind schedule due to challenges in terms of the foundation being laid. The CEO explained that the soil at the construction site is very poor and almost 900 piles, the longest GPL has ever used, had to be driven under the foundation, and these were difficult to acquire.
“When the contractor came here, as soon as the equipment came off the dam, it started to sink and they started to dump sand and the sand would be disappearing overnight… eventually they had to bring in geotextile materials to allow for some consolidation,” Dindyal added.
Rain and high tides have also stalled works. The chief executive officer said a revetment wall will be constructed around the perimeter of the site and two pumps will also be installed to drain water.
There were also some delays with the Golden Grove and North Ruimveldt sub-stations which are currently under construction, and the expansion at the Onverwagt power plant.
Dindyal added that there were some issues with the contractors who made some claims for additional payments, which are in excess of US$3 million. These claims are currently being processed and these works are expected to be completed by March.
