Residents of Kwakwani (Upper Demerara-Berbice) are expected to benefit from improved electricity supply thanks to the commissioning of two new engines by the Kwakwani Utilities Inc. (KUI)
A simple ceremony commissioning the two new 260 kilowatts engines was held at the Power Station.
The new sets more than meet the demands of the community.
This is according to KUI’s General Manager, Fitzhubert McPherson, who, according to a Ministry of Public infrastructure release, said that the new sets will allow for much improvement within Kwakwani.
McPherson has been General Manager since January, 2017.
“When I took over, there were a lot of complaints and people were dissatisfied with the power they were having [be]cause it was on and off…and the thing is, you weren’t notified about the power outage. With that, I sat with the technical guy and I said we have to get this thing right and we started doing checks and tests,” he said.
He foresees the new sets allowing residents to enjoy 24 hours of electricity, a marked difference from the irregular access they previously faced. The old engine, he added, was in dire need of overhauling.
“We had two CAT sets before; one engine was costing us a lot of money due to a leak it had that was throwing away most of the oil,” McPherson explained. He further said that the decision to purchase the new engines was taken following a July 2017 study by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.
Meanwhile, McPherson emphasised that KUI is serious about ensuring the longevity of the new sets and, as a result, staff members have already been exposed to training in the use of the new engines.
Furthermore, McPherson anticipates a massive expansion project to get underway thanks to the new engines.
“With these new sets, we’ll do a lot of expansion; cause a lot of people are without power and a lot of businesses are without power so with these two new sets there will be a lot of improvement within the community,” he said.
While KUI currently serves approximately 1,200 metre households, this number is expected to grow as the company turns its sights to lighting other areas such as West Bank Kwakwani, Jonestown, New Scheme, and Staff Hill.
The US is also exploring ways to limit Chinese investment in the UN and will seek to bring complaints about unfair licensing terms to the World Trade Organization, officials said.
