Construction of a new substation will begin soon after the signing of a new agreement to acquire land on Princes Street, Georgetown.
In a release issued on September 1, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) company announced that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked with the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown (M&CC) for the acquisition of the land.
The agreement provides for the proposed conveyance of approximately 0.97 acres of vacant municipal land at Princes Street to GPL for the construction and operation of the Substation, subject to the requisite statutory approvals and completion of the conveyance process.
The agreement also provides for GPL and the M&CC to reconcile outstanding financial obligations between the two entities. GPL will determine and confirm the outstanding electricity charges owed by the M&CC for its buildings and street lighting, where applicable, while the M&CC will determine the outstanding rates and taxes owed by GPL in relation to GPL properties and locations.
The value of the Princes Street property will be determined by the State Valuation Department of the Ministry of Finance and credited against the reconciled balance. The parties will offset the respective amounts owed and agree on a net settlement, with any remaining balance to be settled in a manner mutually agreed by GPL and the M&CC.
The Princes Street Substation will form part of GPL’s ongoing national transmission and distribution expansion project and is intended to strengthen the electricity network and support improved grid reliability.
A substation receives electricity from a power plant or distribution center and then changes the voltage level of the electricity to meet the needs of different users when they need it. The substation also allows for direction and control of the electricity.
Days before, drilling commenced on the installation of a new 69 kV submarine cable across the Demerara River. GPL said the “first-of-its-kind” transmission crossing that will connect the Kingston substation to the Vreed-en-Hoop substation and significantly strengthen power supply to West Demerara. The project is ongoing, with works advancing at both the West Demerara and Kingston ends of the crossing.
Beyond these projects, the entire transmission and distribution network is being upgraded as the country prepares to receive power from the highly-anticipated Gas-to-Energy project at Wales.
.png)
.png)
.jpg)
