PHILIPSBURG--Utilities company GEBE on Thursday updated on the ongoing repairs of diesel generator sets #16 and #19 at the power generation facility in Cay Bay.
On Sunday, May 5, diesel generator set #19, one of GEBE’s largest production units, experienced a bearing failure on journal no. 4. Following this failure, a damage assessment was conducted and it was recommended to start annealing to reduce the hardness of the affected journal, with the goal of preserving the crankshaft.
“Although the annealing process is generally lengthy, it yielded favourable results, meeting the acceptable Brinell hardness (HB) range,” GEBE said. “Originally, this unit was scheduled for a major overhaul in the fourth quarter of this year. However, due to the bearing failure, we made the strategic decision to perform the major overhaul concurrently to avoid additional downtime.”
Currently, the production team and the field service team from Wärtsilä, who arrived in St Maarten on August 18, are finalising the overhaul and reconditioning of components. Once completed, both teams will begin reassembling the unit, which is tentatively scheduled to be back in operation within the next three to four weeks.
On reinstatement, the unit will add an additional 10 megawatts (MW) of capacity to the plant, significantly enhancing the stability of the electricity supply, GEBE said in the updated posted on its Facebook page.
Additionally, diesel generator set #16 encountered a bearing failure on Thursday, August 9. Following the failure, the production team disassembled the unit and conducted a preliminary assessment. The relevant information was submitted to Wärtsilä's technical support, who promptly arranged for their expert team and necessary equipment to be flown into St. Maarten on August 21. The team began the official damage assessment on August 22, followed by the recommended repairs.
GEBE said it will provide further updates on diesel generator set #16 once the assessment is completed.
