Last night GEBE provided more details about Monday night’s electricity blackout caused by a “shutdown trip command from a sensor” (see related story), after interruptions of service had already occurred both Saturday and Sunday. The thought of a possibly faulty signal practically paralyzing the entire country is a bit disconcerting, but safety and securing the vital equipment obviously have priority.
More outages on Tuesday were said to be the result of a software glitch. While these explanations will not necessarily satisfy all frustrated customers, they at least provide them with some information and indicate their concerns are being taken seriously.
Many had hoped the frequent power cuts and so-called “load-shedding” near the end of 2016 would become a thing of the past once GEBE’s new engine came on line mid-December. It now appears that was wishful thinking.
Prime Minister William Marlin, in recently announcing that Finance Minister Richard Gibson had gone to Curaçao for talks with the Chinese Consul on the Pearl of China, acknowledged that the project at Belair Beach faced many challenges due to the country’s relatively small size. A reliable and stable energy supply is no doubt one of the main conditions for such a major venture.
It’s important that the Government-owned utilities company can be counted on for such. After all, the greater the demand the more output and consistency in production, including a strong backup system and healthy reserve capacity, will be needed.
