Ship channel silt taxing GuyanaÆs power production
Guyana's state-run power company is blaming silt buildup in the ship channel for the Port of Georgetown for a series of rolling blackouts in the country.
Officials said the silt buildup has limited access for fuel tankers entering the port, forcing the need for periodic power blackouts, according to an Associated Press report. The blackouts have lasted from 15 minutes to two hours.
A spokeswoman for Guyana Power & Light Inc. said smaller ships can still call the port, and noted the channel will soon be dredged.
Guyana President Bharrat Jagdeo, meanwhile, recently fired the chairman of the power company's board of directors because of the blackouts. The report said Guyana has also had trouble paying oil suppliers in Trinidad for incoming oil shipments.
