at GPL

Your Eyewitness would’ve been happy with GPL even if it’d been a case of “one step forward, two steps backwards”. At least the descent back into the “Days of the Perpetual Blackouts” wouldn’t be so vertiginous. And with intermittent blackouts every day of the week, its “back to the future” for GPL.

Now, we have one of the highest tariff rates on electricity in the hemisphere – US30 cents/KWh and counting (Linden gets a free pass because the rest of us pay for them – but that’s oil for another generator!) and yet we can’t get the electricity we pay for? The US’ average rate is US14 cents/KWh… while their salary is twenty times ours. Can you blame folks for migrating?

The irony is… over the last year, GPL’s fuel bill has been CUT IN HALF because of low oil prices. So while they’re rolling in cash, we’re getting less power. Whatever else one may say about that Dindyal guy the APNU/AFC government axed? At least he’d been making steady progress on the electricity front. We know the PNC elements who really call the shots in the government have been very open about following in the footsteps of their Founding Leader – but Jeez! – aren’t they taking it too far with his performance on blackouts?

So what exactly IS the problem? Well, the excuse on Tuesday for GPL making the national grid appearing to be sending Morse code to space with the on/off -on/off pattern – except it wasn’t a pattern and we must’ve confused the hell out of any aliens out there! – was that some 69kv line from Kingston to Sophia has a “fault”. So that’s why power east of Kingston was disrupted.

So how come the same disruption occurred on West Coast of Demerara? The earlier “go to” excuse for blackouts – the underwater cable to the Vreed-en-Hoop generator being damaged – should’ve shielded West Demerara, no? And how come that part of the country had an all-day blackout on Monday? Your Eyewitness dimly remembers “induced currents” from his school days, but “induced blackouts”? Naaah!

Listen… your Eyewitness is a reasonable fella… he doesn’t expect miracles. There’s too much thieving – including thieving of electricity from GPL – and other miscellaneous sins going on for that! But surely will all that money in its kitty, the new GPL Chair and Board should’ve had a proper management team in place by now.

We heard about a Canadian consultancy team coming to create another report to add to the pile on GPL’s office shelves.

GPL needs a lamp to see in broad daylight? Well… during blackouts!

…from wind

Very early in the new regime’s rule, we heard about a wind power project that had already received funding and was ready to be launched. The investor was the fella who AFC’s honcho Raphael Trotman confessed had built the new, spanking AFC Headquarters as an “investment”. Your Eyewitness had wondered whether the investment had been abandoned – not the investment in the HQ; the one in the Wind Farm – since all had gone quiet.

Well… the Minister of Public Infrastructure – who by pure serendipity is AFC! – just announced that pretty soon the investment will be bearing fruit (jeez! NO! Not the investment in the HQ!) And that all that needs to be worked out is the rate the Investor will be billing GPL for the electricity supplied. This was the same reason for the delay last year and we wondered if the investor (in the HQ!) doesn’t think his investment isn’t generating dividends!!

The fella had promised US$5 savings when oil was over US$100/barrel. It’s the same at US$50/barrel?

…in the walk of a leader

Back in the day, the one ruling party printed a booklet summarising their leadership style.

On his way to a meeting in Georgetown, the Muckraker conceded QAII boss’ leadership style by front-paging “The Ramroop Stride”!!