The Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) will soon minimiseits operational cost as the Vreed-en-Hoop wharf which was constructed by BK International to the tune of $242M, will begin to serve its purpose.
Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson who has ministerial oversight of the agency at a recent press conference indicated that the trucking of fuel to the Vreed-en-Hoop station is expected to cease by mid-January, 2016 to a more economical method of discharging fuel, which is the use of the wharf.
“On December 16 last, an initial attempt was made to us the constructed wharf which saw 15,000 barrels of fuel being discharged…however the tide changed which resulted in the vessel being grounded off…Maritime Administration (MARAD) was contracted to execute emergency dredging in front of the area…the dredging should be finished by mid-January,” Minister Patterson explained.
He added that because 15,000 barrels of fuel were discharged, the number of trips the fuel truck needed to make to deliver fuel to Vreed-en-Hoop was reduced from 14 to 8 per day. In so doing, this minimised the operational cost of the agency.
To improve efficiency in its services to customers, GPL constructed a new power station at Vreed-en-Hoop, which has a demand of approximately 1,000 barrels of fuel per day. Recognising this fuel need, a wharf with fuel lines was constructed to allow fuel vessels to berth and offload into the lines.
