ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – An early morning blaze at the electricity generation station on the Grenadine isle of Carriacou has left the more than 9,000 inhabitants on the island in total darkness.
Acting Prime Minister Lennox Andrews, in a mid-morning broadcast, said the blaze at the Grenada Electricity Company (GRENLEC) facility had “destroyed two engines and partly damaged a third.
“As a result, there was a total loss of electricity on the island, save for those using personal generators,” he said, adding that an emergency team, including personnel from GRENLEC, is carrying out an initial assessment of the damage and to determine within the shortest possible time when electricity will be restored on the island.
“The preliminary assessment suggests that power may be restored within 24 hours. Government is closely monitoring the situation and will provide the nation with updates as further information becomes available,” said Andrews.
He said while some government buildings have resorted to standby generators for electricity, all schools on the island have been closed.
In a statement, GRENLEC said that no injuries were sustained during the incident. “While the fire was extensive, the company is mobilizing resources to support the Carriacou Team in ascertaining the condition of the plant,” it said, adding that the restoration of electricity is a significant priority.
GRENLEC said that 3908 customers were affected by the outage, occurring on the island’s first day of a three-day traditional food and string band music festival.
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