The GEBE power plant is finalizing the infrastructure of the site of the new engines which will be handed over to Wartsila, the generator manufacturer, on January 1, 2009 to commence the preparations for the two new 11.3 Megawatt engines. The two new engines will increase the total capacity of the power plant to approximately 95 MW thereby enhancing the reliability of the power supply. Furthermore, the new generators will be radiator cooled which will make the machines even more dependable even during a hurricane as they will not rely on the seawater for cooling.
The project was scheduled between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. where the electricity demand is lowest in order to minimize the inconvenience for GEBE customers. However, a malfunction in the valves caused a delay in the project. The valves which are usually open to allow the seawater to flow through to cool the engines were not sealing properly and needed to be remedied before the project could continue.
As the demand increased on Sunday morning, load shedding became necessary. Various neighborhoods experienced short outages while the repairs to the valves were made. By Sunday afternoon, the project was completed and power was restored.
"We apologize to our customers for the short interruptions in service as we finalize these important preparations for the new engines," GEBE Managing Director, William Brooks, stated. "It is indeed regrettable the effects that the delay has had for our customers and our project team who has been working non-stop since 12 a.m. Sunday morning preparing for this project."
