To improve nationwide power reliability, the highly-anticipated Gas to Energy project includes the building of a state-of-the-art control centre in Eccles, East Bank Demerara. This centre will use real-time monitoring to quickly identify and address power outages.
During his weekly press engagement at Freedom House on Thursday, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, provided a comprehensive overview of the government’s plan to upgrade transmission, distribution and generation capacity.
“We are upgrading the whole system, and these would be smart grids. On the line itself, you have a fibre-optic cable that will be connected to the control centre. So, you won’t need to get a report when a blackout takes place anywhere else. [In] real-time, you can know from the control centre at Eccles…wherever in the country…or on the inter-connected grid, if you have a power outage, you can dispatch people immediately,” he said, adding that the centre will also enable remote disconnections.
The gas-to-energy project, Guyana’s single largest investment, will see a supply of 300 megawatts of cleaner power being provided at 50% less than the current price.
This project is divided into five components which are the laying of the pipeline to bring the gas to shore, the construction of the power plant and Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) facility, the installation of transmission lines, the construction of the control centre and upgrading of the distribution system.
“The transmission alone from the power plant will take power back to Vreed en Hoop to be distributed in Region Three, and to bring the power across the river to the control centre here at Eccles, where it will be dispatched to the rest of the country. That is one element of this project, and all five are being built simultaneously,” he said.
Last year, the government issued a public Request for Proposals for the construction of a national control centre to support the integration and dispatch of the new 300 MW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) Power Plant and allow the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) to supervise, manage and control the new and upgraded power system.
While admitting that the project and the execution of all these elements simultaneously is a massive undertaking, Dr Jagdeo assured that the project will be completed.