New Giftland Mall has its own power station

Last Updated on Saturday, 28 March 2015, 13:27 by GxMedia

Even as the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) continues to improve transmission and distribution of electricity, Giftland Mall being constructed at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara is installing its own power station.

President of Giftland, Roy Beepat said his company was willing to sell excess power to the University of Guyana (UG) and surrounding areas.

Beepat said the decision to construct the station stems from the unreliability of  GPL’s power. He said dependence on GPL, and reliance of generators would be too expensive, thus making the initiative unviable.

The power station, which will be completed in May, will satisfy the mall’s demand for 1.5 MW per day to 2 MW per day, Beepat said. It is comprised of two large engines, only one of which is needed to power the mall. The other is redundant, giving the mall 100 percent back-up capacity.

 Beepat also said the station will be producing around 3MW – 3.2 MW of excess power, which he expressed a willingness to sell to UG and the surrounding areas at an affordable price. The station will be completed when two fuel tanks arrive in May and are installed.

Authorities said theUS$30 million mall, which is slated to be declared open on May 26, 2015, would employ at least 2,000 persons directly. Beepat said many more jobs would be created via a modern bus terminal and taxi system.

Currently, hundreds are employed during the construction phase of the facility that abuts the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Headquarters and the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC).

Another important, and unique, feature the mall will sport is the provision of parking for 500 patrons. 150 additional spaces will be available for the mall’s employees, while there will be additional spaces for delivery vehicles.

Parking at business establishments around the country has always been an issue, but the mall’s location at Turkeyen gives it the space it needs to provide adequate parking.

Security at the mall is being worked out by Amalgamated Security, out of Jamaica.