Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS) Service Interruptions

Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System(DBIS) service interruptions

Georgetown, Guyana: Saturday, May 11, 2019: The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) offers sincere apologies to our customers who were affected by two major system disturbances that occurred on Friday, May 10, 2019.

At Approximately 11:24 hrs yesterday, there was a system disturbance in the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS) which was due to a short circuit fault on one of our transformers at the Kingston Substation. This resulted in an immediate loss of over 35 MW of generating capacity at the Kingston and tripping of the LS 6 submarine cable.

The loss of generation exceeded our reserves at the time and created a cascading trip of other generation stations and transmission lines.

Subsequently, while restoring the system, at approximately 12:29 hrs, there was a total shutdown of the DBIS due to technical issues with generating equipment at the Kingston Plant.

Power restoration efforts recommenced at approximately 12:38 hrs. All areas were repowered by 14:45 hrs.

GPL apologizes for the inconvenience caused and wishes to assure our customers that we are making every effort to maintain a reliable system in the short term while we pursue the necessary long term solutions.

Long Term Solution

Our company is aware of the issues associated with the current configuration at the Kingston plant and have taken steps to strengthen the stability of the network.

Funding was approved from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) to Upgrade Kingston and Vreed-en-Hoop Substations and rehabilitate 153 Kilometer of Distribution Network. Additionally, a loan was secured from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to build an additional transmission line between the Kingston and Sophia Substations.

In accordance with IDB procedures, consultancy for design and work supervision for both projects is now being procured.