Electricity service should be fully restored today – VINLEC CEO

Chief Executive Officer of the St Vincent Electricity Services Ltd Thornley Myers says the entire electrical system should be fully restored by today.{{more}}

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT yesterday, Myers said nationally, over 90 per cent of the electrical sytem is back up and running, but during the event on Tuesday night, approximately 30 per cent of the system was down.

As at press time yesterday, Myers said only the areas north of Spring Village on the leeward side and Fancy and Owia on the windward side were left to be restored.

“The problem we’ve had is access. We’ve not been able to access this area before yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon and the guys are still on foot…as I hear, at this point, they’re still on foot working in North Windward but we are hoping to get, I would say the systems should be fully functional at least by the end of today (Thursday).

“We expecting the entire system to be up,” he said.

Myers however said the damage done to the Cumberland Hydroelectric power plant during the Christmas Eve floods was disastrous.

“It’s unbelievable. As I tell the guys here, when they see this happening, they must have thought that the Noah and the Ark story repeat itself,” Myers said.

He said that about 300 feet of pipeline in Richmond had been broken up, with additional pipeline broken in Cumberland. “Cumberland three plants. Two of them are significantly damaged. Cumberland comprises three plants…one is high up in the mountain, one at Spring Village and one in Cumberland Valley.

“The two that are severely damaged is the one at Spring Village and also the one at Cumberland suffered damage. We are hoping that the water didn’t create damage that we can’t see now and that is one of the major problems that we have to confront besides the physical damage, there is possibility of damage to sensitive electronic equipment,” he said.

He said with the damage to the Cumberland power station, the system has lost 3.1 megawatts, which would increase reliance on electricity generated from diesel, thus forcing the price of electricity higher.

Myers said that it would take a few months before the plants are fully restored.

“If something miraculous happens and we get them off before, but at this point in time, I would say a few months,” he said.

“For all intents and purposes the Cumberland plants of 3.5 megawatts is out of commission now. One of the problems we have here is we can’t get up into the mountains easily,” Myers said.