L6 transmission shift nearing completion — GPL promises fewer outages

(Kaieteur News) – The shifting of the L6 submarine transmission line across the Demerara River is nearing completion, with customers expected to experience fewer power outages once the works are finished, Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) Engineer Alfred Nunes said on Wednesday.

Providing an update on the project, Nunes said two of the three conductors connecting the Vreed-en-Hoop and Kingston substations have already been shifted, with final tensioning now underway.

“So presently, the phase now is where we’re doing the final tensioning of those two phases, and we now proceed into the third one. So, we are looking to complete this job shortly, so that power can be restored to those customers that are affected,” Nunes said.

He explained that all three poles already have conductors affixed to them, with workers now completing the shifting of the third phase.

Nunes said jumpers have also been erected at both ends of the Demerara River, with the final installations currently being completed. Once that work is finished, the shifting project is expected to be brought to completion.

The development follows GPL’s announcement in August that drilling was underway for a new 69-kilovolt (kV) submarine cable across the Demerara River. The new cable, described as the first of its kind in Guyana, will connect the Kingston Substation to the Vreed-en-Hoop Substation and is intended to strengthen the electricity supply to West Demerara.

Works have been progressing at both ends of the river crossing, with the project involving horizontal directional drilling (HDD) approximately 75 feet below the riverbed. The trenchless method allows the cable to be installed without disrupting river traffic.

The project also includes expansions at the Vreed-en-Hoop and Kingston substations, including a new 69 kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) installation at Kingston. GPL has said the new cable will provide a redundant transmission route for electricity from the Gas-to-Energy plant at Wales. This means that power can continue to be transmitted if one link is taken out of service. The new transmission route is also expected to replace an ageing river crossing with limited capacity and form part of GPL’s broader efforts to build a more resilient national electricity grid.

Source: Kaieteur News