The government has installed a generator set in Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) to ease the frequent blackouts experienced by residents in the town and surrounding communities.
Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo disclosed this during his weekly press conference on Thursday. He explained that the generator was procured locally and transported to the region within four days.
“So on Saturday last we got notice from the 625KVA generator in Mahdia went down. We have two generators there, a large one and a small one and a large one…although we had ordered a new generator for Mahdia, that would take several days to come and if we had to power from the small generator, a significant part of the community will be without power for a significant period,” Jagdeo said.
In addition, he said within three weeks, the solar farm that is being built there will come online.
There is a $362 million solar farm being established in Mahdia. The contract for this project was signed in October 2022 between the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) and the Standby Power Engineering Company (SPECOM).
The solar farm will provide 0.69 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the existing mini grid at Mahdia, benefitting approximately 3,000 persons.
According to the Vice President, the generators in addition to the solar farm will be able to deliver more electricity than is demanded by Mahdia.
At the time of signing, the Head of the Guyana Energy Agency, Dr Mahender Sharma underscored that in addition to offsetting at least 30 per cent of the annual electricity to the Mahdia mini-grid, the solar farm would be able to supply at least two hours of electricity to the community daily, without the operation of diesel generators.
Residents of Mahdia and surrounding communities in Region Eight have already received solar photovoltaic (PV) home systems from the government as part of the administration’s Solar Home Systems Project, which promises to deliver to 30,000 households in the hinterland and riverine communities,150-watt solar systems that will supply electricity.
Similarly, an intervention was made in Moruca, Region One (Barima-Waini) recently to replace five transformers burnt during what was referred to as a “freak storm.”
Jagdeo said these initiatives are reflective of “a very responsive government.”
