The Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) yesterday signed a US$11.4 Million contract to replace the power lines between the Garden of Eden and Golden Grove substations.
The existing lines, known as L1 and L3, have been in service for more than 30 years, a release from GPL said yesterday. The upgrade will allow GPL to carry more electricity between the two substations and improve reliability for customers.
Team Leader of GPL’s Executive Management Committee, Kesh Nandlall signed the contract with Chen Yu of the CRIG–DINGLI Joint Venture, which brings together China Railway International Group Co., Ltd. (CRIG) and Henan Dingli Power Equipment Co., Ltd.
The release said that GPL selected the contractor through a competitive international bidding process under Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) rules. The project forms part of the Strengthening Energy Matrix Diversification Programme (GY-L1066), which the IDB is partially financing.
The project will rebuild approximately 11 kilometres of the existing route as a 69-kilovolt overhead transmission line. The new steel poles will be supported by deep foundations suited to local soil and weather conditions, GPL said. Each pole will carry two electrical circuits, giving GPL more flexibility to keep power flowing if one circuit has to be removed from service.
The new lines will also carry more power. GPL said that the added capacity will support future connections to the network, including new sources of electricity such as solar power.
The project also includes fibre-optic cables that will help GPL monitor the line and detect faults faster.
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