PHILIPSBURG--The first batch of lease-to-own containerised generators have been shipped and are on their way to St. Maarten, Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina announced on Wednesday.
He told reporters at the live Council of Ministers press briefing that a total of twenty 20-foot containers will be coming as part of phase two of the plan to resolve the current electricity crisis being faced by the country. The generators will be coming in three batches. Phase one involved the renting of seven containerised generators producing approximately 10 megawatts (MW) of power, which are currently connected to the GEBE grid and are in operation.
“We are expecting twenty 20-foot containers to add to the grid. I have been informed by the management of GEBE that the first batch of … the shipment of containers has already departed. So, in total I expect that in five to six weeks from now, we would have the majority of the twenty 20-foot containers here on the island to add to the grid,” Mercelina explained.
He said government has a pivotal role to play in alleviating the power crisis in the country. “The task of the government of St. Maarten is to guarantee sustainability in energy supply for the people of St. Maarten.”
He also updated on the long-term plan to purchase three 9-10MW generators. “We are now busy starting the official negotiations for a loan, but we are in the preliminary phase. It has been announced by us, through me to the [Ministry of Internal Affairs and Kingdom Relations – Ed.] BZK, for us to see if we can get a loan to purchase the three big machines each producing approximately 9-10MW,” he said.
The three large generators will add approximately 27MW of energy to the grid, which he said will “bring back a sound, sustainable balance between production and demand for the energy of St. Maarten.
“We are not going to go back to the past, we are moving to the future and that means we are going to bring back a grid balance from production and use of energy; and once we have a good balance, parallel with that we are going to invest in the future, in renewable energy in which solar panels will be, of course, part of the contribution of energy production for country St. Maarten.”
