The management of the Guyana Power and Light Company could face changes as the Government forges ahead with plans to modernize and expand the company’s infrastructure to meet growing demands.

At a press conference on Thursday, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said massive investments are being made in GPL, and he does not believe the current management is capable of meeting the process.

“We have to strengthen management at GPL. With the massive plan for transformation, I don’t think the current management can meet that process, that they can address all of the issues, and our plans are massive, to have a stable grid, smart grid by the time we get around to the next election. Already, the gas-to-energy will come on stream, and that will bring 300 megawatts into the system, and we have to complete maybe another 300 megawatts, we will resume tender for the hydro, we are building now this massive grid to go to Berbice on steel towers, the same thing will happen all the way to Linden and to Parika, we are putting in major systems on the Essequibo Coast, and then in the feeders right across the country, that’s the transmission main, we have to do a lot of work”, Jagdeo explained.

The Government has been complaining about the many problems at GPL and the ongoing power supply problems.

Mr. Jagdeo said there is a need for the enormous strengthening of GPL’s management.

“We have to get firms to supervise the projects to make sure that we get good quality work and value for money and we also have to get value for money from the management and so I see the management being strengthened enormously as another important task. It would be stupid of us to go and put in all of this investment and not strengthen the management”, he said.

Already, the Cabinet has given the green light for a US$650,000 per month contract with a Dominican Republic company, InterEnergy, to offer consultation services at GPL. Questions have surfaced about that contract since it was sole-sourced.

There was a procurement bidding process, but the company that won the bid has complained that it was never informed of winning the bid.

The InterEnergy company that is now being given the consultancy contract was not part of the bidding process.

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