Mabaruma to receive substitute generator

After weeks without electricity

… new system to be procured

After almost six weeks without electricity, Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan on Tuesday announced that the Government is seeking to procure a new generation set for Mabaruma, Region One (Barima-Waini).

This announcement came in response to a recent publication in Guyana Times, that the community has been suffering a prolonged power outage for over five weeks, resulting from the disintegration of the district’s electrical supply system, which stemmed from a malfunctioning generator.

According to reports, a crankshaft and a series of bearings attached to the generator have been damaged, causing the halt in the operations of the crucial machinery. With the engine out of order, the community was forced to endure the very prolonged blackout as was no alternative means of generating electrical energy.

The procurement of the new generator is a long-term solution to the problem, according to Minister Bulkan, as he explained that for the short-term intervention, the Natural Resources Ministry had been able to procure a standby 500 kilowatt generator to service the community in the meantime.

The Minister noted that the substitute generator is expected to be transported and installed in the community shortly, as he urged residents to exercise patience as the Administration works expeditiously to rectify the situation.

Regional Executive Officer of Region One, Leslie Wilburg, had explained that the generator went down on May 15, 2017 and it was soon discovered that expenses to fix the plant would be extensive. The alternatives were to repair the plant for some $8.4 million with a time frame of four to five weeks, while the other option was to purchase a new plant for $16.7 million with one week’s framework for installation, or $14.4 million with the installation time of about one month.