HGP Nightly News – Guyana’s electricity grid is operating with what former Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson describes as a dangerously narrow spinning reserve, with GPL reportedly carrying only about 5 per cent reserve capacity against a peak demand of roughly 256 megawatts.
Patterson made the claim during a recent episode of Sources, where he warned that the slim margin leaves the Guyana Power and Light system vulnerable if one of its generating units suddenly fails.
According to Patterson, a properly functioning grid should maintain a spinning reserve of between 15 and 20 per cent of peak generating capacity. With demand reaching approximately 256 MW in August, he said GPL should therefore have substantially more capacity immediately available to respond to a breakdown.
“Right now, we only have about five,” Patterson said, arguing that the limited reserve means a single generator failure could put additional pressure on the rest of the system and potentially trigger a cascading effect.
Spinning reserve refers to generating units that are already connected to the electricity grid but are not operating at their full capacity. If another generator fails, the reserve capacity can be increased immediately to help maintain the system.
Patterson’s concern goes beyond what happens when a generator breaks down. He argues that the limited reserve is also creating a maintenance problem because GPL has fewer opportunities to take generating units offline for scheduled repairs.
His contention is that generators are being kept in service for extended periods because taking a unit offline could leave the system without enough capacity to meet demand.
That, he said, can create a cycle in which equipment that needs maintenance continues operating, increasing wear and potentially contributing to further reliability problems.
Patterson compared the situation to driving a vehicle beyond its recommended maintenance schedule.
“If you have a car and you’re supposed to maintain it, change oil every 5,000 miles, but because of reasons you change it at 10,000, it does more damage to your internal equipment,” he said.
He recalled facing a similar situation when the former coalition administration entered office, claiming that several GPL generating sets had poor maintenance records because they had previously been required to operate continuously to keep up with demand.
Patterson said the administration at the time could not easily remove a 25-MW generating unit from service for maintenance because doing so would have created a significant gap in available generation while the work was being carried out.
His argument is that GPL is now facing a similar dilemma: insufficient reserve capacity makes it difficult to take generators offline, while keeping them running around the clock increases wear and reduces the opportunity for proper maintenance.
“So, they can’t take any of the units down for maintenance because we are so thin on the borderline,” Patterson said, warning that continued operation without adequate maintenance could create additional problems for the grid.
Patterson’s comments come amid ongoing concerns over electricity reliability, with GPL previously acknowledging that the pressure on the system extends beyond generation and into the transmission and distribution network.
The central issue raised by Patterson, however, is the amount of capacity available to respond when something goes wrong. If the reserve margin is as narrow as he claims, the system has less room to absorb an unexpected generator failure without putting additional strain on the remaining units.
