HGP Nightly News – GPL is preparing for a possible rise in electricity use this year as hotter, drought-like conditions, new household connections, and heavier use of air conditioning put more pressure on the national grid.
Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation Deodat Indar said on Sunday that the power company currently has enough generation capacity to meet peak demand. He placed present peak demand at about 228 megawatts, while available generation stands at around 267 megawatts.
But he said GPL has to plan ahead as more homes are connected and electricity use continues to climb.
“Every time more connections are happening, more demand is on the grid. So we have to cater for that,” Indar said.
The minister noted that hot weather naturally drives up electricity consumption, especially as more households turn to air conditioning for longer periods.
“When the place is hot, people put on AC all the time… you can’t stop people from that. That is the natural thing, so you’ve got to accommodate that,” he said.
Indar said GPL is factoring those seasonal and long-term increases into its planning to help keep supply stable.
He also said the upcoming gas-to-energy project is expected to improve power supply and lower electricity costs once it comes on stream.
According to Indar, the Siemens turbine technology being used for the project should also help reduce major shutdowns, since it operates differently from the older reciprocating engines currently in use.
The turbines will support power generation at the gas-to-energy plant at Wales. One turbine is expected to come on stream later this year, with the others to follow soon after.
