Only without unexpected delay problems
Once again, exactly one year ago Montserrat has been plagued by a series of severe power outages that seem worse than it has ever been.
Former Montserrat Utilities Ltd (MUL) Manager Peter White
Exactly a year ago, it was not known when the exasperating new generating plant would begin operation, but now, however, in the midst of the recent spate of outages, scheduled when the major causes had been established, the expansion project that begun September 30, 2011 “as one of several with drawn-out processes,” the best news from the MUL Manager Thompson is that the plant should be in operation, “this side of Christmas.”
By Friday after many scheduling of shedding power throughout the island Montserrat Utilities Ltd. (MUL) Manager David Thompson who had been responding to queries with numerous apologies and explanations of the ever-familiar problems, of engines and alternators simply not keeping up with the continuous need to generate electricity, said they have discovered the major problem and might soon be able to steady the situation.
“We have identified a serious fault that would have caused the earlier damage. Unfortunately, we don’t know if the repair will hold so we have to test it under pressure, before we can risk bringing the generator onto the grid. In the meantime, MUL staff and representatives Caterpillar are carrying out further works to try and make sure we have not missed other items that still need to be repaired.”
The strain on residents and businesses have become almost unbearable as the public complains, remembering that the new generation plant was earlier this year promised to be finally on stream by about this time. According to MUL they received a series of requests to try and alternate the outages so that everybody is not always affected at the same time of day and as a result. The report was that “some changes have been made to the schedule of outages,” which had been the case easing somewhat the overall burden of the outages.
Many have begun recalling the sequence of circumstances and events when after many years of planning and seeking to get a new plant underway back into the early 2000s.
In 2011, TMR carried an article where after much planning, Premier Meade had said, faced with continuing skepticism over his administration’s relentless pursuit of a $30 million power station which Montserrat may not really need, his position was that “this is a done deal and not worth discussing any further.” (See https://www.themontserratreporter.com/new-deisel-power-plant-done-deal/)
Last year November, we articled, “As power outages now common occurrences, though a reprieve since May last year, now plaguing residents and consumers, Montserrat Utilities Ltd (MUL) Manager David Thompson now reports the engine for the state of the art power station arrived on island recently.”
Former Montserrat Utilities Ltd (MUL) Manager Peter White in December, 2013 along with Mr. Yogesh Gupta for Angelique Int. Ltd. signed a contract which began from December 5. The contract was expected to last 504 days to June 1, 2015. In fact later information said it would start in earnest in January 2014.
