~ A four-part feature story ~
By Dr. Natasha J. Gittens, Ph.D., CHE, CHT
“Accountability is a key concept in moving an organization forward.” ~Cindy Tucker
I started on my NV GEBE escapade with hopes of finding out more about the history, leadership, employees and public opinion, and gain knowledge of how the organization handled our community’s devastation from Hurricane Irma. The journey exceeded my expectations and I was able to capture a true glimpse of how important NV GEBE is to the St. Maarten community.
NV GEBE is the heartbeat of our lives, the linear force that pumps water to the comfort of our homes, businesses and organizations and the electrical current that affords us the opportunity to enjoy a lovely dinner with our family and friends and much more.
I know what you’re thinking, NV GEBE may be all of those things but they still have a long way to go as a progressive organization in the new millennium. That is indeed an undeniable truth; but throughout the series we were able to see the organization in a different light.
We recognized that they were willing to change and it was a priority. We realized that during our darkest times they were on the frontlines. We recognized that public opinion was important and a high priority for both leadership and the supporting departments. Finally, they admitted and took accountability that they were “not” a perfect organization but were committed to daily improvements.
It reminded of a quote I read several months ago: “The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” ~Dan Millman “Way of the Peaceful Warrior”
I wanted to find out from the Managing Board what the “new way forward” was for them. In short, “What was NV GEBE orchestrating to catapult the energy and water company to the next level? In an effort to find out what other Caribbean islands were doing to achieve this goal, I reviewed an article titled, “Nine Caribbean renewable energy trends to watch in 2019,” Caribbean CREF Market News (January 25, 2019).
“The Caribbean energy sector has undergone a transformation nobody could have anticipated. Following the 2017hurricanes, many island governments made the decision to double down on commitments to a clean, resilient energy portfolio, with a renewed sense of urgency and a steadfast cast of supporting actors to assist.
“2018 also welcomed new stakeholders to the region, eager to provide assistance and engage in a meaningful way, which in turn brought new finance and capacity-building for governments and utilities. With the stage set for a growth year, what trends do experts forecast for 2019?
Listed below are the nine trends accompanied with a brief descriptive.
* Renewable Energy - The new normal for progressive Energy companies.
* Resiliency, Not a buzzword. Critical – Preparation for withstanding extreme weather conditions.
* Boom - time for energy storage – Growth in Energy Storage to support systems.
* Unstalling stalled geothermal – Geothermal Energy is heat from the Earth, clean and sustainable.
* Unlocking finance for (viable) projects in the region – Sustainable base load generation.
* New export industry for the Caribbean – Initiating a pool of experts in the Caribbean via executive leadership collaborations.
* A region embracing electric vehicles - Electricity supporting the transportation sector.
* Big Year for Caribbean RFP’s – Request for Proposals for Renewable Energy in the Caribbean will increase.
* Ready for C&I solar and storage – Commercial and Industrial users adopting micro grids.
After reviewing the nine trends, one important question came to mind:
How was the Managing Board of NV GEBE going to tackle one, some or all of these trends over the next five years?
I decided to request another meeting with the Managing Board to discuss the trends and started my interview with Chief Executive Officer Kenrick Chittick.
Mr. Kenrick, how is NV GEBE strategically planning to integrate renewables, particularly distributed systems with traditional utility business models?
It is a known fact that the current way of producing/distributing electricity has changed over the years and NV GEBE has changed along with time. Taking the fact that St. Maarten is nearing its 100% underground electrical network and has upgraded its equipment with the latest technologies is a step to the future.
Irma proved how resilient our network is with the rapid restoration of electricity. Moving all meters to the digital is ongoing; this enables better service to our customers and more information for analysis for the company.
As for distribution systems, we have already seen this on the island where solar PV is installed; this needs to be properly regulated and controlled with policies. NV GEBE has in its plans to install solar PV on our grid with the start of 2 MW and increasing to 6 MW of solar power.
A certain percentage will be available that will allow independent Power Producers on a small scale with solar to ensure that the electrical grid is stable.
NV GEBE embarked on a cleaner and environmentally friendly fuel by purchasing a Dual Fuel engine which can operate on Liquid Natural Gas (LNG). This fuel is less expensive than Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) and will lower maintenance costs due to less stress on the engines.
My next stop was the office of Chief Financial Officer Iris Arrindell.
Ms. Arrindell, what is NV GEBE currently implementing to enhance a new way forward for the energy and water company under your direct supervision?
As the CFO, it is a priority to have accurate and timely information. Analytics is very important for us as a company. This will aid us in decision making. We are embarking on upgrading to a new SAP platform called S4/HANA.
It is an in-memory, column-oriented, relational database management system developed and marketed by SAP SE. Its primary function as a database server is to store and retrieve data as requested by the applications. In addition, it aggregates all financial transactions into a powerful, central system, which will allow NV GEBE to achieve full finance transformation and gain major strategic advantages.
It will align us with the technical and operational side, enabling us as a company to be proactive instead of reactive with our customers; for example, with the Smart Meters.
To conclude the interview, I proceeded to my final interview with Chief Operating Officer Veronica Jansen-Webster.
Ms. Jansen-Webster how are your key departments supporting NV GEBE with becoming a leading contender in the Caribbean electricity and water sector?
I am in full agreeance with the nine trends and as a unified Managing Board, we have integrated several of the trends in our organization’s strategic plan. In my role, it’s imperative to both look at immediate issues and long-term goals simultaneously and prioritize our progression based on our dedicated commitment to the St. Maarten community.
Currently, the Distribution team is working on the installation of three water tanks in Lowlands, Claude Estate and Guana Bay. The new tanks will be constructed this year and will take enormous pressure off our current overworked lines.
With increasing our Water storage, we will be able to stabilize water pressure fluctuations and remove the likelihood of constant pressure on our current pumps. Our initiative will continue as we finalize our Water Tanks “SMART” training for our technicians. This training will allow the tanks computerized system to detect problems immediately and allow our certified technicians to resolve issues efficiently.
The electrical department is also working on ways to improve the reliability of our underground network by re-engineering certain parts of our grid this year to mitigate faults while we hope to put some of the remaining areas on the island underground as financing becomes available.
The production department continues to service the existing engines while we still have plans to purchase a new engine to replace some of the older ones.
End note:
I would like to formally thank The Daily Herald newspaper, NV GEBE leadership, employees and most importantly the St. Maarten community for supporting me with writing this four-part series.
