Guyana Power and Light

Last updated
Guyana Power and Light
FormerlyGuyana Electricity Company
Type Public Company
IndustryEnergy
Headquarters
Georgetown, Guyana
,
Guyana
Area served
Coastal Guyana
Key people
 CEO Bharat Dindyal [1]
Production output
690 GWh (2012)
RevenueG$ 29,028,087 (2012)
Number of employees
975
Website https://gplinc.com/

Guyana Power and Light (GPL) is a publicly owned utility company in Guyana, providing electric power in the country. Domestic voltage can be 110 or 220 depending on the area, both 50 and 60 cycle power. [2] Services are provided from Charity to Moleson Creek, including the islands of Leguan and Wakenaam in the Essequibo River. [3]

GPL has power stations at Sophia, Georgetown, in Onverwagt (West Berbice) [4] as well as facilities in Bartica, Anna Regina, and Fairfield. [5]

History

Before the turn of the twentieth century, power was provided by private entities, particularly in Georgetown and New Amsterdam, Guyana. Mining areas of Linden and Everton (upper Berbice) received power from Alcan and Reynolds Group Holdings, mainly for their Mackenzie (Linden) and Berbice-based bauxite operations. [2]

The International Power Company of Canada was in operation in Georgetown at the turn of the twentieth century. The Demerara Electric Company was established in 1925 when it purchased the assets of IPC. The British Guiana Electricity Company (BGEC) came into being in 1957, and in 1960 it purchased the assets of the Demerara Electric Company. After Independence in May 1966, the BGEC was nationalized and the Guyana Electricity Company (GEC) was established. By 1991, the facilities had deteriorated and the capacity of 253 megawatts of electricity and generated 647 gigawatt-hours of electricity only satisfied half the estimated demand. Blackouts were common. [6]

Thirty three years later, the Government of Guyana divested 50 percent of its ownership and control to a UK-based consortium comprising the Electricity Supply Board International and the Commonwealth Development Corporation. The divestiture failed and the company once again became wholly owned by the state on 1 May 2003. [2]

The failure of GPL to significantly cut back its technical and commercial losses has been deemed to be largely due to the lack of incentives for efficiency due to its ownership structure. Accordingly, its privatization was expected to generate commercial incentives to improve efficiency, while also enhancing private funding to develop the system. However the privatized venture failed to deliver the results expected and, after a few years returned to Government ownership. A future re-privatization of GPL is unlikely to occur before the regulatory and institutional framework of the sector is improved. [7]

Generator maintenance was contracted out to Wärtsilä until 2018 when the role was handed over to Power Producers and Distribution Inc. [8]

Related Research Articles

The transport sector comprises the physical infrastructure, docks and vehicle, terminals, fleets, ancillary equipment and service delivery of all the various modes of transport operating in Guyana. The transport services, transport agencies providing these services, the organizations and people who plan, build, maintain, and operate the system, and the policies that mold its development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linden, Guyana</span> Town and regional capital in Upper Demerara-Berbice, Guyana

Linden is the second largest city in Guyana after Georgetown, and capital of the Upper Demerara-Berbice region, located at 6°0′0″N58°18′0″W, altitude 48 m (160 ft). It was declared a town in 1970, and includes the communities of MacKenzie, Christianburg, and Wismar. It lies on the Demerara River and has a population of 27,277 as of 2012. It is primarily a bauxite mining town, containing many mines 60–90 m deep, with many other pits now in disuse. Linden is the regional capital of Upper Demerara-Berbice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demerara-Mahaica</span> Region of Guyana

Demerara-Mahaica is a region of Guyana, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the region of Mahaica-Berbice to the east, the region of Upper Demerara-Berbice to the south and the region of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara to the west.

Rosignol is a village on the west bank of the Berbice River in Mahaica-Berbice, Guyana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parika</span> Place in Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Guyana

Parika is a port village located in the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara region of Guyana. Its ferry service is operated by the Ministry of Transportation, to and from the Essequibo Islands and West Demerara area. It is a hub for land transport, since it is a route stop for local taxis commonly called "buses."

Kwakwani is a mining and logging village on the Berbice River in the Upper Demerara-Berbice Region of Guyana. Its altitude is 44 metres (147 feet). Kwakwani is approximately 100 km south of Linden. In 1942, the Berbice Bauxite Company opened a Bauxite Mining in the area which is the main industry of the village. The population as of 2012 is about 2,504 people.

Ituni is a village in the interior of Guyana, at an altitude of 100 metres (331 feet). The area grew as a result of bauxite mining in the area.

Stabroek was the old name of Georgetown, Guyana, between 1784 and 1812, and was the capital of Demerara. Stabroek is currently a ward in the centre of Georgetown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demerara Harbour Bridge</span> Bridge in Guyana

The Demerara Harbour Bridge is a 6,074-foot (1,851 m) long floating toll bridge. It was commissioned on 2 July 1978. The bridge crosses the Demerara River 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the Guyanese capital Georgetown, from Peter's Hall, Demerara-Mahaica, East Bank Demerara to Schoon Ord, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, West Bank Demerara. There is a pedestrian footwalk. A raised section lets small vessels pass under. A retractor span lets large vessels pass.

The Railways of Guyana comprised two public railways, the Demerara-Berbice Railway and the Demerara-Essequibo Railway. There are also several industrial railways mainly for the bauxite industry. The Demerara-Berbice Railway is the oldest in South America. None of the railways are in operation in the 21st century.

Silver Hill is a very small settlement in the Demerara-Mahaica Region of Guyana, 48 km (30 mi) up the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, which runs along the east bank of the Demerara River.

The electricity sector in Guyana is dominated by Guyana Power and Light (GPL), the state-owned vertically integrated utility. Although the country has a large potential for hydroelectric and bagasse-fueled power generation, most of its 226 MW of installed capacity correspond to thermoelectric diesel-engine driven generators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockstone</span> Village in Upper Demerara-Berbice, Guyana

Rockstone is a village on the right bank of the Essequibo River in the Upper Demerara-Berbice Region of Guyana, altitude 6 metres. Rockstone is approximately 26 km west of Linden and is linked by road.

The Guyana Cricket Board is the ruling body for cricket in Guyana.

In Guyana, the areas outside of the coastal plain are referred to as hinterland. Approximately twenty percent of the Guyanese population live in the hinterland. The population mostly consists of Amerindian communities who have little access to modern energy services such as electricity, light and modern fuels for cooking and transportation. This situation contrasts with the coastal plain, where there is access to the electricity grid. Several initiatives are in place to improve energy services in the hinterland.

Mining in Guyana is a significant contributor to the economy owing to sizable reserves of bauxite, gold, and diamonds. Much of these resources are found in Guyana's Hilly Sand and Clay belt, a region that makes up 20% of the country.

Helena is a village in the Demerara-Mahaica Region of Guyana. Administratively the village is subdivided in Helena No.1 and Helena No.2 and is part of the Mahaica subregion.

References

  1. ↑ "Dindyal returns as GPL CEO". December 7, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "Who We Are". Guyana Power and Light Incorporated. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  3. ↑ "What We Do". Guyana Power and Light Incorporated. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  4. ↑ "GPL gets 9.6 MW boost". Stabroek News. 2020-12-06. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  5. ↑ "Four new generators coming for Anna Regina, Bartica – GPL". Stabroek News. 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  6. ↑ "Guyana - INDUSTRY". countrystudies.us. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  7. ↑ "Guyana Investment Climate Assessment" (PDF). World Bank . 21 June 2007. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
  8. ↑ "Wartsila successor to take over maintenance of GPL generators". Stabroek News. 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
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