PHILIPSBURG--The spate of frequent and long-lasting power outages late last week and into last weekend were caused by “unforeseen technical issues” at the Dutch side’s only power plant in Cay Bay, utilities company GEBE said on Tuesday.
The government-owned company did not provide details about the technical issues, but said it concerned engine 19’s turbocharger, which coincided with engine 15 undergoing a “planned overhaul”.
GEBE said the turbocharger had been “restored and operational” on Saturday.
“GEBE sincerely regrets the recent load-shedding events experienced by customers and would like to, hereby, issue a formal apology to the community of St. Maarten,” GEBE said. “Load-shedding is a critical strategy to help balance the electrical demand with available resources.”
To the frustration of residents and businesses, last week’s power outages left a number of districts without electricity for lengthy periods, sometimes multiple times per day. In some cases, power was cut again soon after it had been restored.
Although the power outages started last Thursday, GEBE did not provide an explanation to the public until yesterday, Tuesday.
“GEBE sincerely appreciates the patience and understanding of our customers during these challenging periods,” the company said.
