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Issues with BVIEC generators blamed for recent power outages & load shedding

- BVIEC says one of its largest generators being overhauled & another is experiencing issues
Issues with generators at Henry Wilfred Smith Power Station at Pockwood Pond have been blamed for the recent power outages and load shedding across the territory. Photo: VINO/File
General Manager at the BVI Electricity Corporation Dr Neil M. Smith has said one of the largest generators at the plant is being overhauled while another has been experiencing issues with its 'governor' that has to be rectified by specialists from the manufacturers. Photo: VINO/File
General Manager at the BVI Electricity Corporation Dr Neil M. Smith has said one of the largest generators at the plant is being overhauled while another has been experiencing issues with its 'governor' that has to be rectified by specialists from the manufacturers. Photo: VINO/File
POCKWOOD POND, Tortola, VI- General Manager at the BVI Electricity Corporation Dr Neil M. Smith has said one of the largest generators at the plant is being overhauled while another has been experiencing issues with its “governor” that has to be rectified by specialists from the manufacturers.

Those issues are partially the reasons the territory has been experiencing power outages and load shedding.

“Another smaller generating set has been un-operational and awaiting assembly. Complicating matters even further is the fact that power consumption in the Territory is currently at the highest levels that it has ever been.

Coping with the situation has forced the corporation and some of our public partners, to take steps to manage the load on the system so that we can maintain general power to the Territory,Dr Smith explained in a Government Information Services (GIS) press release today, July 25, 2023.

Water plant @ Paraquita Bay taken offline periodically

The General Manager said the Seven Seas desalination plant at Paraquita Bay consumes 4 Megawatts of energy when operating at full capacity and that in order to regulate the load on the power system, it has become necessary for the desalination plant to be taken offline for certain periods. He said during these times, water production is interrupted and its supply to customers is impacted.

“We appreciate that persons would have endured frustration due to the present situation, but we apologise and we are asking the public to be patient with us as we carry out the necessary work to restore the power plant to its optimal load carrying capacity,” he said.

Issues ‘highest priorityfor Gov’t & BVIEC- Hon Rymer

Meanwhile, Minister for Communications and Works Honourable Kye M. Rymer (R5) said BVIEC is working assiduously to restore its power-generating capacity to optimum levels, to adequately meet the needs of the Territory.

Honourable Rymer gave the assurance that the technical and operational issues that are affecting the reliability of the electrical power supply, and which are also affecting the water supply, are receiving the highest priority attention from the Government and the corporation.

 “Providing reliable and dependable utilities to the Territory is paramount to everyone. We appreciate that the current issues are inconveniencing the public. This includes interruption of the water supply. For this, we apologise. We are working tirelessly to resolve the issues, but we need the public to bear with us while the solution is put in place, Hon Rymer commented in the same GIS press release.

22 Responses to “Issues with BVIEC generators blamed for recent power outages & load shedding”

  • Old Excuse (25/07/2023, 17:30) Like (17) Dislike (0) Reply
    Let’s be real this generator problem been an issue since I was a kid so why is it still a problem in 2023? Government spending stupid money instead of getting their s*^+ together
  • Heath Robinson (25/07/2023, 19:05) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    What are you doing down in the surf zone , who’s idea was that ?
  • Streups (25/07/2023, 21:05) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
    Water always off and electricity is no better!
  • WOW (25/07/2023, 23:39) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
    And we want to go independent??? LMFAO!!!!
  • Rhythm up.. (26/07/2023, 05:42) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    I've said it. Look back at my posts way back. This power outage is a deliberate act to blame the generators, to get the public and Govt support to buy new generators... Buying new generators is a Pattern for new Govt and or new Boards.. Its a lot of cut backs that goes into personal B/A. Look back at the History of buying new Generators..These same Generators were working very well before the elections, now they suddenly malfunctioning...The script, the games.. New generators make a lot of people rich / or richer..
    • @Rhythem Up… (26/07/2023, 13:36) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      It so sad that when you have person like you would mislead the general public so you can say you said you said it before. What the GM clearly stated is what’s going on down at the plant. At one point after the hurricane we hardly had any power outage as Person from Stt were saying they wish they were living over here. Now to the new Gen. Sets. They too can’t run for ever one can be taken off for weeks when it comes to major overhaul. At the same time Yiu now have to place the older sets back in to operation to make up for that one sets that is down. Stop mislead the public with your nonsense. While the same other two news sets are running they too can develop problems. Where workers are trying their best to keep the power on as the older sets now can be overloaded and shit happen.
  • Sure…. (26/07/2023, 06:14) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    Always “issues”. Going on 50 years now.
  • Priorities (26/07/2023, 07:29) Like (9) Dislike (0) Reply
    That $250k blown on a party could have helped the entire country if applied here. Short sighted idiots in charge as usual forcing us all to live in a third world society.
  • 3rd world country (26/07/2023, 07:49) Like (9) Dislike (0) Reply
    Our past and present govt officials have turned the BVI into a 3rd world country. All because of greed and bad money management now look what we come to. For such a small place with one of the top economies in the Caribbean we don't have anything to show for it. We have depleted roads all over, no running water in some districts, electricity going off everyday, sh%t water flowing on some streets, extremely high cost of living and the list goes on. So yes we are now a 3rd world country agree with me or not the facts are there.
  • resident (26/07/2023, 08:27) Like (8) Dislike (0) Reply
    this place is fourth world
  • Air conditioning (26/07/2023, 09:46) Like (0) Dislike (2) Reply
    in buildings should power them with the building's generator NOT the BVIEC supply. Separate circuits!
  • WEW (26/07/2023, 11:13) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    No proper preventative maintenace .
  • East Side (26/07/2023, 12:08) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    Current is always off yet my bills are higher than giraffe p&@!#
  • Bull Whop (26/07/2023, 12:33) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    The upright lack of disrespect forthe people is appalling
    After the fact response to the complaints on a good day most times no response explanations andl no apologies and no advance notice of pendjng or potential inconvenience . Government staff with few exceptions is like a herd of undisciplined wildlife.
  • Socrates (26/07/2023, 13:17) Like (10) Dislike (0) Reply
    The blackouts/brownouts are annoying and an inconvenience, but mechanical do breakdown and require prevention and schedule maintenance and repair to prevent and/or minimize downtown. Now y’all know what is next????

    1. Does the BVIEC has a high/low limit inventory on critical parts, given that the BVI is a remove locale with little to no Just in Time (JIT) delivery capability/capacity?
    2. Are governors, a critical part, on the high/low inventory?
    3. What are the design lifecycles on these engines and how long has BVIEC had them?
    4. What percentage of the design lifecycle are engine schedule for replacement or major overhaul?
    5. Were the units acquired new or used?
    6. What are the runtime schedule, if any , on the engines?
    7. Does the BVIEC have trained and certified personnel to perform major overhaul/ repair or that service has to outsource from overseas?
    8. Does the BVIEC have a structured planned preventative maintenance program?
    • @Socrates (26/07/2023, 14:25) Like (9) Dislike (1) Reply
      @Socrates, BoI, you asking some tough and relevant questions that Neil Smith should answer but probably is not going to answer publicly but in the privacy of his office should be perusing. Enquiring minds want to know if you are a master electrician or an electrical engineer.
    • E.Leonard (26/07/2023, 17:25) Like (11) Dislike (0) Reply
      Indeed, in remote locations like the VI where just in time delivery aka JIT is limited, a robust high/low inventory on critical parts is a must to maintain the reliability, functionality , and integrity to reduce the down time of vital systems which cannot tolerate long-term outages. Identifying and investing in the high/low inventory may tie up capital but is vital to delivering reliable and quality services. Moreover, the design lifecycles of equipment and systems are not automatic; they are attained with a robust, preventative, predictive, etc. maintenance and repair programs. Like the investment on high/low inventory for critical parts, robust investing on maintenance programs is also money well-invested with a high rate of return on investment. Moreover, a maintenance program poorly executed is almost like having no program at all . Preventative maintenance must at least effectively occur at the recommended/documented interval periods, inspected to ensure that they were performed and recorded. Recapitalization/replacement timing is also critical. Replacement should occur approximately at the 80-85% mark of the design lifecycle. In the VI with a single major electricity generating facility, this is vital and critical. Engines should be high quality with surge m, build out capacity, etc.
      • Done Already (27/07/2023, 06:11) Like (2) Dislike (2) Reply
        @ E. Leonard, I’m confident that after all these decades the BVIEC is actively doing the things you noted, so its problem and challenges are something different. But I just cannot put my finger on it right now, but I bet the managing director knows and can tell us. Be patient folks, for better days are ahead; think positive. Blackouts and brown outs will be rare , the exception, fuel surcharge will go down as quickly as it goes up, power will be well- regulated and not posing a risk to our electronic and electrical gadgets, standby generators will be required for emergencies, etc. When is government to appropriate funding for allocations for a)housing, b)utilities, c) food, d) medical, f) education, etc. I hear some of you bourgeoisie crying crocodile and hypocritical tears about socialism. Yes, it is non-revolutionary socialism. Take a look around the territory to see if there is socialism. Cost of living skyrocketing so a little Universal Basic Income(UBI), if only temporary, is good governance.
    • @Socrates (26/07/2023, 18:02) Like (9) Dislike (0) Reply
      @Socrates, I hear you these sophisticated questions but I’m a lil man and all I want right now is reliability and well-regulated power supply that does not destroy my electronics that BVIEC won’t reimburse me for. Is it too much to expect that when I turn on the light switch switch light comes on and I don’t have to stumble in the dark. This surely is not First World. How many people have to cycle through the BVIEC to get things running right, ie, Skelton, Abrams, and now smith but problems persists. All I want for Xmas is light, light, light.
  • load shedding (26/07/2023, 15:56) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Load shedding is all well and good as a temporary solution but if they are going to do it, they need to be telling the public the times of day that they will be affected so they can plan accordingly.
  • non sense (26/07/2023, 16:37) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Sir are you really sitting there and telling me that it was never even fathomed that the ever increasing load on the generators from years gone to now, that the BVIEC never thought to upgrade and expand it's capacity to handle the ever increasing load. Hell im sure your children have played the SIMS game. common logic in the game shows you cannot expand the infrastructure or put up more buildings faster than your power station can handle.

    Sad that I have to explain a common sense video game mechanic to a real world situation.

    And I also blame TCP. Busy looking to put up buildings with no parking and allowing all kind of nonsense before someone asks a question about the electrical load.

    But I'm sure all of you top performers have generators at home so aint your priority.
  • Hazel E Roberts (27/07/2023, 07:40) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    As a former BVIEC linesman my takes is that the corporation need to purchase a few containerized generator for backup during down time or transient green energy as in solar are not the panacea due to weather variability . It's more of a grant funding scam listed as green environment. And when I was working we linesman had to barehand the low voltage special technique , now the corporation need to go further into hotline work to keep the power on , I myself had training at northwest linesman college in Idaho.


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