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GPL improving generation capacity
- two generating units arrive

Georgetown, GINA, May 18, 2011

The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) in its move to increase its generation capacity to meet the growing demand for power supply has procured additional generation units for the Kingston power plant, which arrived yesterday at the John Fernandes Limited wharf, Water Street.
          Prime Minister Samuel Hinds who holds responsibility for the energy sector joined officials from GPL to witness the offloading of the generating units and their ancillary parts and accessories off the MV BBC Austria cargo ship.
          The two 7.7.MW generators sets; Prime Minster Hinds said will complement the 20-megawatt Wartsila units at the Kingston plant.
          He also noted that 20 MW units have already reached its 10,000 hours of operation and maintenance work has already commenced.
          In addition, the Prime Minister said that Governmnet has been paying great attention to ensuring that sufficient power is supplied to consumers and that several measures have been put in place to minimize generation cost, thus resulting in consumers paying less.
           He however, noted that this can only be maintained if the commercial loss is reduced and urged that persons desist from stealing electricity.
         “The fact that Government is now back to 100 percent ownership of GPL, it allows us to do things to cushion price increases, which could not have been possible under privatization,” Minister Hinds told members of the media.   
            He expressed optimism that the project will be on target, “both for time and cost, and we look forward to August 31, being able to begin commercial operations with this new plant”.
           He informed that Cabinet has taken a decision to rent six 1.5 megawatts Caterpillar units to supplement power generation until the new Wartsila plant is commissioned in August.
           The Prime Minister said that once the Wartsila engines are maintained well, they can last as long as 20 years but noted that such durability depends on how much money the company is willing to spend and the availability of back-up equipment to facilitate  the maintenance.
           He also said that Government’s expectations in terms of maintenance and costs with the Wartsila brand have turned out to be worthwhile.
            “Wartsila was a new brand to us when we came into Government; but I think it took Dr. Cheddi Jagan and him alone to say ‘let’s go with the new brand...it looks good’; and at that time; Omai Gold Mines Limited had Wartsila installed,” Prime Minister Hinds said. 
           CEO of GPL Bharat Dindyal said that the new engines and accessories were procured at a cost of US$20M.
           He also used the opportunity to inform that GPL has recorded three percent decease in commercial loss in 2010, due to countrywide campaigns.
          At present he said over 700 hundred persons are facing the court for electricity theft and that the company will continue its campaign to minimize losses. 

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Stabroek News distortions of LCDS disgusting- HPS

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon at a post-Cabinet media briefing at the Office of the President today expressed Government’s “disgust” of the way in which certain sections of the media particularly the Stabroek News have been reporting on the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
            “So entrenched is their anti-Government bias that there are some who are prepared to cut off their noses to spite their faces,” the HPS lamented.
            He said that even though nothing has, in any significant way, injured the appropriateness, timeliness, and legitimacy of the strategy both in its wider and national context, there are still forces which seem intent on threatening its success.
            He emphasised that notwithstanding constant clarifications and publicly available facts on the strategy, they continue to spew reports that are heavily biased and prejudiced.
            “This is not something that the Administration and those who have become party to the implementation and who are impressed by the likely successes of the LCDS are going to take lightly. The reviews and examinations of the output by the Stabroek and others will continue vigorously and their shortcomings will be pronounced on publicly and they will be encouraged by all means possible to mend their errant ways,” Dr. Luncheon said.
            On May 10, the Office of Climate Change (OCC) issued a statement in response to a Stabroek article headlined: PNCR exclusion from LCDS Committee 'unsatisfactory' - Norway.   
            The OCC maintained that the Stabroek News selectively extracted information from a 97 page study as part of a “Real Time Evaluation of Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI)” carried out by a team of independent consultants (LTS International in collaboration with Indufor Oy) as an external commentary on “Norway’s Contributions to National REDD+ Processes 2007-2010”.
            Further, the release clarified that although the consultants received funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), their report does not represent the position of the Norwegian Government.
“The Stabroek News headline of the story describing the report as a statement coming from the Government of Norway is, therefore, totally inaccurate and calculated to mislead,” the OCC release stated.

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PM’s decision to approve transfer of AFHP contract sanctified by Cabinet- HPS

Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon at a post-Cabinet media briefing today clarified questions with regards to whether or not Prime Minister Samuel Hinds could have legally approved the transfer of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) contract from Synergy Holdings to Sithe Global Inc.
            He explained that the Cabinet, which is chaired by President Bharrat Jagdeo, is the forum at which these decisions are ventilated.
            “The Ministers discharge their statutory responsibilities, not to the exclusion of Cabinet; it is the basis of Cabinet’s collective wisdom, input and decision making that provides the Minister with the basis for making those decisions,” he said.
            Dr. Luncheon reiterated that behind the Minister’s decision is that of the collective Cabinet from where the responsibility ultimately derives.
            At a recent press conference at his office, the PM said that both the Kaieteur and Stabroek News seem to have gone out of their way to distort and mislead the public since they were bent on creating mischief.
Among the errors was a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which showed that the contracts between the said parties were inked in 2006, when according to Mr. Hinds this was only signed in 1998 when Mr. Motilall began work on the study for the development of the Amaila Falls project.
            Government has been over the years implementing measures aimed at improving the electricity situation in Guyana and one such, initiative was to resort to Independent Power Produce (IPP), to increase generation.
This however, did not materialize, according to the Prime Minister, as the many proposals brought forward by companies were costly.
            The PM further explained that it is not so much a matter of the contract being sold but rather it is a matter of partnering in order to bring the project to fruition.

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Cabinet approves contracts in key sectors

At a post-Cabinet media briefing today, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon advised that Cabinet at its May17 statutory meeting, offered its ‘no objection’ to seven contracts in the agriculture, education, local government, health, legal affairs and housing and water sectors.
            The approved contracts are as follows:

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Cabinet intervenes to ensure claims and objections period is successfully concluded
- HPS

As Guyana prepares to stage general elections 2011, shortly, Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon during a post-Cabinet media briefing today stated that Cabinet has intervened to ensure that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), keep focus with respect to preparation for the claims and objections period.
            He added that while this period is significantly important as it relates to all eligible Guyanese being able to execute their constitutional rights by voting for a party of their choice, funds have been allocated for the registration of officials nationwide to ensure that this period successfully concludes.
            “Cabinet also noted the responsibility of GECOM to have the significant number of uncollected identification cards be put in the possession of their owners. This is to ensure a smooth flow when individuals turn-up to cast their votes, come elections day,” he said.
These matters, the HPS noted will be kept under constant review by Government, to ensure that they are not dealt with in an adverse manner.

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City power supply returns to normalcy- GPL reports blackouts caused by rat

The Guyana Power and Light has reported that the power outages experienced by several areas of Georgetown were caused by a rodent that entered the switchgear and had come into contact with live parts causing failure to several cables in the system.
          A release from the agency stated that at approximately 12:15 hrs this morning protective equipment at the 20.7MW plant in Kingston activated causing disruption of power supply in Demerara.
          GPL said that after an inspection of the Kingston Power plant to determine the cause of the major shutdown in the City, it was discovered that a rodent had entered the switchgear and had come into contact with live parts.
         On identifying the problem, GPL said that all the switchgear were inspected and fully protected before the plant resumed power generation at 02:15hrs.
         The release further stated that one of the damaged cables was at the time serving consumers in the Kingston, Cummingsburg, and Lacytown, Thomas Lands and Kitty.
         In an attempt to restore power to consumers in Lacytown, via an alternative circuit, GPL said that a switch at the corner of New Market and Main Streets failed, causing a delay in the restoration of power.
         With CXC exams being written today, GPL said it decided to delay the replacement of the damaged switch until 15:00hrs. 
          The release also noted that at 12:45hrs today another failure occurred at the power plant in Kingston as a result of damaged connection feeder but was quickly restored.
          GPL noted that all damaged cables were repaired at the power plant and normal supply of power was restored to Kingston, Cummingsburg, and Lacytown, and Kitty.
           The release further noted that Kingston was designed to prevent the ingress of rodents but an unused cable gland was left opened, however Wartsila has been mandated to inspect the entire plant and to improve its rodent eradication measures.
            GPL apologized for the inconvenience caused and assured that the empowering of the entire Demerara system would be completed as scheduled. 

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OLPF orientation commences for trainers

The Administration’s One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) project is picking up steam since the application forms have been made available in Regions 2, ,3 ,4, 5, 6, 7 and 10 for persons to uplift them from their Neighbourhood Democratic Councils, Regional Democratic Council and the OLPF head office located on Lamaha Street, Georgetown.
The trainers, from Region Three, were engaged is an orientation session today at the OLPF’s Duke and Barrack Streets location.
Training is scheduled to last from May 18 to June 10, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and is expected to equip trainers from Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10 with the knowledge they need about the project and the modules they will be delivering.

Trainer Manager, Allan Bakker taking the potential trainers through the components of the One laptop Per Family (OLPF) programme.

             Trainer Manager, Allan Bakker noted that the orientation process is to familiarise the persons who applied to be trainers of the OLPF programme, expectations, what the programme is about, and the modules to be delivered.
            The areas covered in the interactive discussions include the components of the OLPF, what has to be done, management structures, local administration, the accelerated and exponential learning techniques, components to be delivered to the trainees and code of conduct.
            Bakker noted that thus far there are 265 applicants and more persons are still applying. The trainers are being engaged in small batches so as to ensure they understand their duties and clarify concerns.
Following the orientation sessions the trainers will meet again to become acquainted with the material to be delivered, work on teaching techniques and be accredited.
The OLPF programme is the brain child of President Bharrat Jagdeo which seeks to empower poor and working class Guyanese with the means of developing their educational abilities, livelihood and personal ambitions through the use of technology.
The project is slated to be carried out over a two-year period and places laptop computers in the hands of 90,000 families. The families who receive the laptops are expected to do some amount of community service.
The provision of training, technical support and internet access are being established via a network of 200 hubs, of which community-based organisations, youth groups, learning institutions and religious entities are vying to be accredited.

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Almond Beach community exploring coconut water bottling prospects

Along the 90-mile long stretch of beach in the Northwestern Region of Guyana, popularly known as Shell Beach, is the nesting ground for several species of endangered sea turtles including the Leatherback, Hawksbill, Green and Olive Ridley. These turtles are protected by residents of Almond Beach, Region One, who engage in patrols with the aim of monitoring their activities.
            Apart from taking part in the turtle conservation efforts, the community’s leaders also strive to drive development which is being progressed alongside turtle conservation efforts since the staff are all residents of the community.
            Residents of Almond Beach are currently exploring the possibilities of venturing into the export of bottled coconut water since the community’s coconuts (dry) and copra are popular in Trinidad and Tobago.
            Chairman- Almond Beach, Romeo De Freitas noted that over the years the beach’s coconuts have been exported in large quantities. It is hoped that the bottled coconut water initiative will benefit all the farmers in the community.
            De Freitas expressed his hopes of having a coconut bottling and oil factory on the beach that will make production of coconut based products easy.
            He noted that while coconut is the main agricultural product, the community has the potential to pursue large scale production of 16 crops which include cassava, eddo, plantain, cherry, pepper, tomato and bora. He noted that the community already has market for these products which can be shipped easily to Trinidad and Tobago.
            De Freitas indicated that there one challenge with the farm land which needs to be em-poldered.
            As it relates to the turtle conservation efforts, De Freitas indicated that over the years the monitoring activities were funded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). This initiative proves an alternative job opportunity for the males who are predominantly fishermen.
            He pointed out that one significant partnership was formed with the Eerepami Rainforest Foundation, a German based organisation, with which a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed to advance conservation efforts. Through this partnership the community received assistance to up-grade their field station, which has internet access and is powered by solar energy, the construction of a multi-purpose guesthouse and information communication (IT) training.
            Other partners include Co-Patron of GMTCS, Dr. Peter Pritchard, SOL, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Conservation International (CI).
            De Freitas highlighted that with the existence of the multi-purpose guesthouse, shell beach as a tourist attraction can be promoted however, too many persons cannot be accommodated at once since the beach is a nesting ground for turtles.
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Guyana to host CARICOM Heads retreat on May 20-21
-focus to be placed on integration

Guyana is preparing to host the CARICOM Heads of Government retreat on May 20-21, where the heads will be using the agenda to discuss re-focusing and re-energising integration within the CARICOM community.
            Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon at a post-Cabinet media briefing at the Office of the President today, stated that the retreat materialized after the heads accepted an offer put forth to them by President Bharrat Jagdeo, during a meeting in March.
                The retreat which will be held at the Itabu/Teperu quarry, Mazaruni, will see particular interest being focused on the feasibility of existing models of integration, notably the one applied in the regions, addressing its weaknesses. 
            “It will also address the likely practice of integration in today’s community as well as the financial economic realities and imperatives,” the HPS said.
            Bartica which is the staging area for the retreat will see the air and sea lanes used as means of transporting the heads to and from the destination.
           

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Culture Ministry hosts career fair

Students from various secondary schools across Georgetown were today given the golden opportunity to experience the world of work as the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport organized a career fair under the theme “Choices, Decisions and Consequences’ for mainly fourth and fifth formers at the Carifesta Sport Complex Ground, Georgetown.

Students from various Georgetown schools view the exhibition at the Carifesta Sports Complex .

           The Ministry believes that young persons must be guided in choosing a career path; as such the fair will assist them in so doing.
          Director of Sport, Carl Brandon in his address said the Ministry saw it fit during this period to host the fair since; students are writing the CSEC examinations and will leave school shortly.
          He urged the students to make the best of the opportunities available, while noting that regardless from where they hail, they all have potential.

Items on display at the Career fair.
        

  Ii is the Ministry’s responsibility; Brandon said to ensure the country’s assets (children) are well guided.
           The students expressed gratitude to the Ministry for hosting the event, noting that it will increase their knowledge and allow them to have a better understanding of career choices.

Students at the career fair.

          The fair attracted a number of organizations and Government Ministries inclusive of the Ministries of Agriculture and Education, the Guyana Fire Service, and Qualfon.

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Cartographic section opens at National Museum
-Guyana joins in celebrating International Museum day

The Guyana National Museum today celebrated International Museum Day with the opening of its new cartographic section.
       The cartographic area is a year-long collaborative effort among the National Museum, the University of Guyana Library and the Guyanese Heritage Society. It is a room devoted to displaying and telling the story of Guyana through the use of maps.
       Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony was among many at the unveiling of the area filled with a wide description of maps.
 The room has maps showcasing the physical features of Guyana such as the terrain, the roads, land masses, and maps showcasing the political boundaries between Guyana and its neighbouring countries. Even the walls of the room are decorated with coloured murals of the contour of Guyana.
     Several of the maps on display were provided to the museum by the University of Guyana Library.
     Aside from the map, there are different instruments in cases used to construct the maps and explanation on how they were used.
     Speaking at the opening of the room, Minister Anthony said the cartographic room was done in a continued effort to make the museum a vibrant place of learning.
     “We have committed ourselves to developing this museum, to go beyond the. exhibits that were here…to instrumentally refashion how we display our exhibits, refashion the way we think of our museums, because we truly want to make these institution places of learning,” he said.

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